And yet another: Why can't people watch their kids, thread?

[B-Ride]

OP, good for you for not letting the kid run all over your stuff. I couldn't imagine letting my kids do something like that. Sorry but being at WDW doesn't mean no parenting.

The lack of parenting probably has nothing to do with being at WDW. I suspect this terrible lack is year round.

 

[goalie5hole]

Perhaps the mods could move it to another forum-about rants or unfit parents or misbehaving children.

 

[maxiesmom]

I guess I have been lucky, but in 10 trips to Disney, and countless sit down meals, I can't remember a child so out of control that I had to speak to them in order to keep my stuff (and my sanity!) safe.

But if little Timmy/Suzie came over and went to stomp on my stuff, you can bet I would speak to them! I would do it nicely, but I have the right to say something if my posessions are in immediate danger of being smushed.

 

[Belle4mygrl]

My youngest child was misbehaving not disrupting other patrons or screaming, etc. I can't remember the entire episode but I told her if she didnt' stop we would go to the bathroom. Well, she didn't stop and I picked her up and went to the bathroom. The women and children at the table beside us followed me and waited to see what I would do!!!!!! It must have been that because they came to the door, looked around, and did not use the bathroom or wash hands. I get so aggravated at the people who won't let me discipline my child the way I see fit. No I wasn't going to spank her (at that moment ) but she was going to get a stern talking. I might add this family had some very disrupting children.

 

[wonderlanne]

i agree that it is the parental responsibility to ensure children are not just well behaved, but that they are watching to ensure their children are safe! all too many times, in situations from restaurants to weddings, i have witnessed parents ignoring their chaotic children as they disturbed others. sorry, pmiranda, but it doesn't matter how many meal plans they've got, or how tired the children are, or how hungry the parents are, the behavior described is inappropriate.

disney provides sufficient opportunity for children to run around. when they are so tired that they cannot follow simple rules behavior, it is time to go back to the hotel and rest.

i'd like to add that, if parents are so neglectful that they are not concerned with what their children are doing and how it affects others' experience, they likely will not deal well with somebody asking them to help.

i'd have been in SOOOOOOOOOOO much trouble if i behaved this way as a child. perhaps people should spend their money on emily post or miss manners this year instead of a disney trip.

 

[Narnia]

Hahah When my kids are bad in public I take them to the washroom and either time them out on the counter or wash thier faces( I've even put a child in a tree for a time out because he was being mouthy and disrespectful it shocked him even though he climbs trees all the time!). My kids love swimming but hate washing thier faces and it shocks them back into reality! . I have 5 kids and even the one with major mental issues( adhd,odd much more) will behave when we are out. I'm more concerned now that my two that will be coming on this upcoming trip will be cought up in the antics and want to "join" the badly behaved kids. I can just picture the " but mom he gets to run around" " why doesn't she have to wait and we do". How do you explain to a 3 year old

 

[wonderlanne]

Hahah When my kids are bad in public I take them to the washroom and either time them out on the counter or wash thier faces( I've even put a child in a tree for a time out because he was being mouthy and disrespectful it shocked him even though he climbs trees all the time!). My kids love swimming but hate washing thier faces and it shocks them back into reality! . I have 5 kids and even the one with major mental issues( adhd,odd much more) will behave when we are out. I'm more concerned now that my two that will be coming on this upcoming trip will be cought up in the antics and want to "join" the badly behaved kids. I can just picture the " but mom he gets to run around" " why doesn't she have to wait and we do". How do you explain to a 3 year old

you sound like a VERY creative mama! (TREE?!? ha ha!!). i'll bet that, because your children understand what you've taught them about how you'd like them to behave, they'll do great and have a wonderful time. i actually remember the same "why do they..." argument, and that my mother would lean down and quietly say into my naughty little ear (do you REALLY want people to see YOU behave like THAT?)

 

[tmbrea]

Ok, I don't have small children anymore but I've been a pediatric nurse for over 10years. The reality is to many parents let their children (and I mean 2, 3, &4yr olds) run the house. I wonder sometimes when watching these parents interact with their children, what are they going to do when these kids are teenagers, bigger then them and lay them out on the floor because they don't like something????
It's not just at WDW either. I see this everyday just going to town.

 

[smidgy]

- there might be 100,000 people in the park with you so try to remember that most of them are not there for the sole purpose of making sure you enjoy your vacation - believe it or not, some of them are actually on vacation as well.
.

very well said!!

Well then don't go to Coral Reef. Last time we were there kids were push their way to the tank. I felt sorry for the parties that had seats by the tank.

Kae

we were lucky enough to have seats by the tank one time, and we allowed people to come up and look , take pics etc. it didn't ruin our meal, but then again, we took the initiative, and SAID,"would you like to look for a BIT?" kinda taking control of it, if you will. then said, "OK, you got your pictures, we would like to eat now... " it was fun to see their little faces, and we got to say, "time to leave now". kind of a compromise.

Unfortunately bad behaviour isn't limited to the little ones ... for every guest who does their best to be considerate of others there's another who walks around oblivious that he / she is sharing the WDW resort with hundreds of thousands of people who are also on vacation.

I don't like to see out of control kids in restaurants, either, but I tend to place the blame on parents who don't or won't discipline their children. They are the ones who are being inconsiderate of other diners. And I agree with TDC Nala, you don't get a pass on acceptable social behavior just because you're vacationing at WDW. Common courtesy and good manners are not out of place on vacation, and that goes for adults as well as children.

this is true. we have been there WITH and WITHOUT kids. and I don't feel like we should give up our spots we had ADRS for or "staked out" for just because we are adults. however. if we are watching illuminations, and there are childrens behind us.. well, we let them in front of us (them, not the parents)

Ohanas: the first time we went for free dining, we didn't eat at Ohana's for THAT reason. I read up on it and KNEW that it kind of centered on the kid's coconut races, etc. and hubby and I wanted a more romantic atmosphere. the next sept. we DID eat there. and, yes there were kids all around our table (just me and hubby), but I knew what to expect, and it was fun.
same with WHispering Canyon. the first time we ate there, we asked to be seated away form the "broo-ha-ha"... it was a "nice " dinner. the next year, we sat in the main dining area, and.. it wasn't "quiet", but it was FUN!!!
some dining experiences are geared towards quiet (if you choose to eat at Le Cellier, I certainly hope your children know to behave appropriately), and others are more of an "experience".
but I agree with the OP, ANYWHERE you dine, children should be well behaved, and, if not, parents should take appropriate action.
I would ask permission from the people if I could sit at their table to take a picture. but my grandkids would NOT be running up and down the restaurant.all over people's belongings. and the staff should stop that behavior, and if it was MY grandkids doing that, I would be MORTIFIED, embarrassed. and grateful to the staff for pointing that out.

 

[smidgy]

IMHO- I see nothing wrong with saying something (of course, politely) to an out of control kid, if the parents can't be bothered. If the little tyke looks at you like you're from outer space, well then chances are they just don't get reprimanded- ever. OP- you did the best you could. If you had said something to these parents directly, they most likely would have looked at you like you had two heads. Probably would have scolded you to mind your own business, in front of the kids, which reinforces their behavior. Poor kids- society will have to reprimand them because their parents are too selfish, and wrapped up in themselves to dole out a little parenting.

I don't buy the "overtired" excuse. If they are overtired, they wouldn't be running back and forth, stepping on other guests' stuff, and pulling poor Pluto's tail. They were just excited little kids, who's parents weren't paying them any attention, they couldn't be bothered to help the little kids channel their excitement.

: (If anyone sees my kids acting up when we are in Disney in 2 weeks, feel free to tell them to knock it off, if I don't catch them first!! )

as a server, let me tell you, I have had to reprimand children whose parents let them run free) I'm sure the parents wouldn't be happy if I tripped over them with a HUGE tray of 6 HOT entrees falling over the darlings' heads.
and I agree.. if you catch my grandkids(felt the same when they were my kids)misbehaving and i missed it... THANK YOU for letting me know!

Well, it sounds to me like you are complaining to the wrong people. You scolded the child, you complained to us, but did you say anything to the parents? If it bothered you as much as you say it did, I would have thought that is who you would have spoken to. If some stranger had told my child off in a restaurant (granted we actually work hard to keep our children from bothering others while diners enjoy a nice meal out), I would be livid! It's obvious you do not have children in this age range any longer, and perhaps are more sensitive to children being rambunctious. My aunt who has no children actually behaves in this same manner, and I refuse to go anywhere with her because her rudeness embaress' me. The children probably spent all day in the parks, and were overtired. That's how children act when they are overtired. The parents were hoping to actually partake in some Disney dining since they spent so much money to come to Disney, but the kids were obviously not up to it. The parents should have definitely paid much more attention the the kids, or more precisely should have not gone to Chef Mickey's that night, but they probably had ADR's for 6 months. ITS DISNEYWORLD, it happens ALL THE TIME.

ah, the old,we spent a lot of money to be here. like no one else did.

OK... I knew somehow this was going to be a thread with people with children vs people with no children or ones who have raised their children and are now going to WDW without their children..

C'mon people.......we can discuss this without pointing fingers. Personally, when I go to WDW, and my children are grown, so it is my husband myself...I try to keep in mind that children are tired....they may act out because they are tired, and therefore that acting out may happen in a restaurant... so I take all those things into consideration before I speak up. But from what I read of what the OP said, there was no supervision from the parents at this table and hence the tired children were running around disturbing other diners....

As a Nana, and proud to be one, and we dine out often with my grandchild, if he acts up, one of us takes him out........so that we do not disturb other diners... It is the way my daughter does it as well and the way she was brought up.....everyone is paying for their meal and deserves to dine without wild distraction.

So in saying that...I have given an opinion.....but will tell you that the moderators will be watching this thread and will not tolerate any bashing of anyone.

amen!!! this has nothing to do with people WITH or WITHOUT children. SOME dining experiences naturally lend themselves to more "rambunctious" behaviour than others. character dining leads to children trying to run up to charcters. (hubby and I have steered clear of those, but will participate in the future , with grandkids)ohanas, whispering canyon...FUN FUN.. germany,... you WILL make NEW FRIENDS! at your table, etc. we wanted a quiet dinner at the poly... we ate at Kona's. later we wanted to try the "fun filled" dinner at Ohana's/.
I'm not going to tell someone they can't sit at my table for 5 minutes to take a pic of little kaylee in the coconut race (in 5 years that will be MY little grandaughter kaylee). maybe I'll make a new friend!!!.. cool, another DIS MEET!
coral reef... hmm, tough one. it IS a romantic atmosphere. but, that little kid who got a table onthe 4th tier, you want to tell him he can't look at the sharks?.. I got to hold a little boy on my lap while he looked for CRUSH! don't know who the kid was and never saw him again. but I got to see those BIG eyes when he saw that BIG turtle.
however, according the the OP, the parents were NOT appreciative. OR ATTENTIVE and... it just boils down to CONSIDERATION.. and APPRECIATION. and if I had a bunch of kids suddenly charge at me at coral reef,with no parents around, I would not be happy.
It;s not just at WDW. I have had patrons at restaurants I have worked who line up the aisles with their baby seats, diaper bags, while I play 'hop scotch" with their menagerie of baby items , carrying full trays of hot food. and let their kids run pell mell up and down the aisles. and... we should "accomodate" them.
there are "child-friendly" restaurants and there are adult restaurants. and there are "in-between restaurants. (even at WDW)
if, as adults only, you choose to eat at child=friendly rest.(ohana's . whisp. canyon, germany, character, etc) do NOt expect romantic experiences... if you eat at places that have special experiences, such as coral reef.. well, give a little leeway for the "little adventurers" who want to see the fishes up close.
and parents (AND grandparents)... the little guys need to know how to behave WHERE EVER THEY ARE! children need to know, there is NEVER a place where they are allowed to misbehave . and that should go without saying.

 

[dreamin_disney]

Well, it sounds to me like you are complaining to the wrong people. You scolded the child, you complained to us, but did you say anything to the parents? If it bothered you as much as you say it did, I would have thought that is who you would have spoken to. If some stranger had told my child off in a restaurant (granted we actually work hard to keep our children from bothering others while diners enjoy a nice meal out), I would be livid! It's obvious you do not have children in this age range any longer, and perhaps are more sensitive to children being rambunctious. My aunt who has no children actually behaves in this same manner, and I refuse to go anywhere with her because her rudeness embaress' me. The children probably spent all day in the parks, and were overtired. That's how children act when they are overtired. The parents were hoping to actually partake in some Disney dining since they spent so much money to come to Disney, but the kids were obviously not up to it. The parents should have definitely paid much more attention the the kids, or more precisely should have not gone to Chef Mickey's that night, but they probably had ADR's for 6 months. ITS DISNEYWORLD, it happens ALL THE TIME.

the OP shouldnt have had to tell the child anything if his parents were doing their job as parents . I feel the op did what she had to , to protect her stuff. If parent would watch their kids and not be sho caught up on talking or on cell phones kids wouldnt be all over the place. I have a dd(9) and from a young age she wouldnt get away with bad behavior or running around because we didnt allow it. If she started to with other kids we stopped her right away. I think get will get away with what they can. What drives me nuts is when the kids are loud, yelling running or rolling on the floor and their parents think its funny. I think if the OP would have said something to the parents it what have made the situation worse because the parent would get mad. I'm curious to know why the wdw staff or CM manager not come out and say something.

 

[gratenana]

After reading the OP message, I would have probably done the same thing, just spoke to the child, not to the parent (who wants a scene at WDW).

That being said, we did have an instance this past summer while at WDW, eating at Hollywood & Vine, in which I did hunt down the parents to let them know of their childrens behavior.

I was in the restroom, my DGD6 was in the stall next to me, my DD and her DBF where somewhere else in the restroom. Well, while on the "pot" I witnessed a pair of pink sneakers standing outside my stall door, and an eyeball gazing through the crack in the stall. It was not a peek, it was a stand there and stare gaze. Well I came out of my stall and said to the child next time you are looking for your mom look under the door for her shoes, do not stare through the cracks.

Her reply "my mom's not in here she is eating dinner". By now she had been joined by about 3 other girls ranging in age from 4-10., and other people came out and said they had done the same thing to them.
I told the girl that this behavior was not appropriate, and she just laughed at me.

Well my group gathered together to head back to our table, on our way I noticed the same group of girls gathered in the hall around a very tall gentlemen, I sent my group ahead, and I went over to the gentlemen and asked if the girls were with him, he stated yes these are my children.

I then preceeded to tell him what had occured in the restroom and let him know that I nor anyone else that they had done that to appreciated our privacy being invaded in such a way.

He apologized to me and turned to say something to the girls. I went back to my table, still fuming, but feeling somewhat better knowing hopefully these girls would not be doing any peeping for a while.

 

[Mackey Mouse]

Bravo to you gratenana......I probably would have done the same thing. I am glad that the parent responded well to what you said and I hope he did indeed handle these girls appropriately..

Bad behavior by children need not be tolerated by anyone in any WDW diningroom, granted you do expect some wildness at the restaurants that encourage laughter and antics, but in general I probably could count on one hand how many times I have seen really bad behavior.

I remember this one time I was dining at Pikabu in the Dolphin Restaurant, just my husband and myself. This is sort of a reverse thing. I saw the family bring their food.. they all sat down, they turned on this dvd player and plunked it down in front of their child.....no interaction with him while he ate, he watched movies and they talked amongst themselves..no one talked to the little boy. He ate and watched a movie....I have to say that bothered me a bit. How will they learn proper behavior if there is no healthy discussion at the table, plunking him down in front of this screen to keep him entertained so they could dine. I am just wondering is that what parents do now for peace and quiet when they dine as we never had those types of things when my children were little and I am trying to understand...

My comments above are inquiring... not to start an argument.. I am still truly wondering??

 

[wmcgourney]

honestly, i'm not going to get up from my meal to go and talk to someone about their child, but if the child is running around me and my possessions i will say something to the child. OP stated that the parent made eye contact a number of times and still did not make any effort to say anything. if anyone should have said something it should have been the parent walking over to get the child and say sorry. the person that is being "jumped on" made some comments that warranted being responded too and as she said if anyone said anything to her child she would have been "livid", really? it's one thing for a child not to realize their behavior is inappropriate, but for the parent to ignore it and get mad if others arent happy about it is absurd.

I have personally had to walk my son who's 6 over to a table one time to apologize. He was coming back from the bathroom and went running after his brother laughing and carrying on right past a table of 4 at a diner. i was not happy about his behavior . Anyway, we walked over to the table together and he very nicely said he was sorry for running and yelling past them while they were trying to eat and talk. They were so nice about it they said "oh that's ok honey!". They smiled at me and told me what a nice son i had. They then continued to talk and carry a conversation with him about his age and what grade he was in...they were very nice!

What he learned from all this was first, not to run and carry on in a restaurant. Second, now he knows he it's not as scary as he thinks to apologize for anything even if he does make a mistake.

 

[Inkmahm]

As to eating at the glass at Coral Reef... we often ask for the 11:30 am ADR so that we have a better chance of getting those seats. I can't remember a time when kids came up to the glass to see the fish while we were there eating...not once. I don't think I'd have a problem with it if they did though as long as they weren't bumping me while I tried to eat or something like that. Some of the seats in the back of the restaurant really aren't great for seeing the fish. I'd share my space with a polite kid any day.

 

[disneygal2007]

Some people are just idiots

We took out kids last year to Tutto, they were 7 and 4 at the time
and that is a long dinner, we were there for hrs.

When we were getting ready to leave, we had 2 different tables
(one was an older couple dining alone, the other was a younger couple,about 30)
They both told us how well behaved our boys were, that made me feel fantastic. I would hate to be one of those tables, who the surrounding
patrons couldn;t wait to leave.

That a great compliment. I have 2 boys and at times they get a little out of hand they try to test me cause daddy is deployed. But on out last vacation we were sitting at ohana and kids were running all around and my husband had went down stairs to get jackets and you could tell my kids were itching to run around but I kept giving them the evil eye. And a elderly couple came over and told me I was so funny cause every time my kids went to act up I would stair at them and they would straighten up. So now when we go out to eat with out DH I think of that couple when I give my kids the evil eye.

But here is more on topic. DH and I went to DW alone and we were at Shula's on valentines day. No kids were supposed to be in there. There was a little girl about maybe 10 BEAUTIFUL girl. I told her I like her dress and she told me to shut the hell up. I looked at my husband and was like well alrighty then. When the waiter brought my lobster and DH steak the
the little girl started making puking noises. By this time I was livid cause she has started singing loudly and hitting the butter knife on the table and connecting seat. Her parents we gabbing away. I said very nice hunny can you please stop. She jut did it louder. So after about 5 minutes more I turned and said. OH SO YOU DON"T SEE HER. Her mom looked at me like I had a horn on my 4 head and said excuse me. I said Your daughter is disturbing our dinner and can u have her to stop. Well she didn't and well I went to the manager and told him what was going on. Well the family had been in there for awhile so he kindly asked them to wrap it up so they could have the table. They had even paid before we got there cause they just got up and left. And POOF Disney magic and there were gone.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

That a great compliment. I have 2 boys and at times they get a little out of hand they try to test me cause daddy is deployed. But on out last vacation we were sitting at ohana and kids were running all around and my husband had went down stairs to get jackets and you could tell my kids were itching to run around but I kept giving them the evil eye. And a elderly couple came over and told me I was so funny cause every time my kids went to act up I would stair at them and they would straighten up. So now when we go out to eat with out DH I think of that couple when I give my kids the evil eye.

But here is more on topic. DH and I went to DW alone and we were at Shula's on valentines day. No kids were supposed to be in there. There was a little girl about maybe 10 BEAUTIFUL girl. I told her I like her dress and she told me to shut the hell up. I looked at my husband and was like well alrighty then. When the waiter brought my lobster and DH steak the
the little girl started making puking noises. By this time I was livid cause she has started singing loudly and hitting the butter knife on the table and connecting seat. Her parents we gabbing away. I said very nice hunny can you please stop. She jut did it louder. So after about 5 minutes more I turned and said. OH SO YOU DON"T SEE HER. Her mom looked at me like I had a horn on my 4 head and said excuse me. I said Your daughter is disturbing our dinner and can u have her to stop. Well she didn't and well I went to the manager and told him what was going on. Well the family had been in there for awhile so he kindly asked them to wrap it up so they could have the table. They had even paid before we got there cause they just got up and left. And POOF Disney magic and there were gone.

10 years old, doing this, OMG!!! With her language, wonder where she learned that behavior.

My DS is that age if he behaved that way to anyone I would tan his behind and yea I do mean it.

 

[eliza61]

Well, it sounds to me like you are complaining to the wrong people. You scolded the child, you complained to us, but did you say anything to the parents? If it bothered you as much as you say it did, I would have thought that is who you would have spoken to. If some stranger had told my child off in a restaurant (granted we actually work hard to keep our children from bothering others while diners enjoy a nice meal out), I would be livid! It's obvious you do not have children in this age range any longer, and perhaps are more sensitive to children being rambunctious. My aunt who has no children actually behaves in this same manner, and I refuse to go anywhere with her because her rudeness embaress' me. The children probably spent all day in the parks, and were overtired. Ok here is a tip, take a break and let the kid nap! That's how children act when they are overtired. The parents were hoping to actually partake in some Disney dining since they spent so much money to come to Disney, but the kids were obviously not up to it. The parents should have definitely paid much more attention the the kids, or more precisely should have not gone to Chef Mickey's that night, but they probably had ADR's for 6 months. So every one in the restuarant has to suffer! ITS DISNEYWORLD, it happens ALL THE TIME.

Sorry to respectfully disagree,
Out of control kids, are out of control. I speak to both. I figure if the parents don't want to discipline then that leaves me. I do have 3 kids and being over tired and excited is not carte blanche for bad behaviour. If my kids are so tired they are out of control we leave!!. Sorry that they miss out on Chef Mickey but those are the joys of parent hood (and yes I have left MK many a day because of child meltdowns)

See unfortunately when you're a parent you make difficult choices, some times you don't get to "partake" in the magic if little johnny is acting like stitch on a bad day. Some times you do blow a little money, yes I know wdw is crazy expensive but whether or not it's dirt cheap or not children must be controlled.

I'm the opposite, usually I let a lot more slide because it is disney. If I have to speak to a kid and a parent usually it's because they are truly beastly.

 

[wmcgourney]

10 years old, doing this, OMG!!! With her language, wonder where she learned that behavior.

My DS is that age if he behaved that way to anyone I would tan his behind and yea I do mean it.

omg you got that right! that's just crazy ! kids today how are they aloud to do that? i'm pretty sure i would've never again seen the light of day if i would've done that when i was little.

Kudos for telling the wait staff and kudos for them for following up !

 

[AbbyPan]

Bravo to you gratenana......I probably would have done the same thing. I am glad that the parent responded well to what you said and I hope he did indeed handle these girls appropriately..

Bad behavior by children need not be tolerated by anyone in any WDW diningroom, granted you do expect some wildness at the restaurants that encourage laughter and antics, but in general I probably could count on one hand how many times I have seen really bad behavior.

I remember this one time I was dining at Pikabu in the Dolphin Restaurant, just my husband and myself. This is sort of a reverse thing. I saw the family bring their food.. they all sat down, they turned on this dvd player and plunked it down in front of their child.....no interaction with him while he ate, he watched movies and they talked amongst themselves..no one talked to the little boy. He ate and watched a movie....I have to say that bothered me a bit. How will they learn proper behavior if there is no healthy discussion at the table, plunking him down in front of this screen to keep him entertained so they could dine. I am just wondering is that what parents do now for peace and quiet when they dine as we never had those types of things when my children were little and I am trying to understand...

My comments above are inquiring... not to start an argument.. I am still truly wondering??

OMG! I saw this at the CG too! the parents plopped a DVD player and movie right on the table and everyone just did their own thing I am truly wondering too, lol

Anyway to the OP, good for you, i would have done the same thing. You have every right to be annoyed. I'm not a parent but when I see that my nephews are out of control, i make sure to do something about it.