Children and temper tantrums at parks, misbehaving...

[2vets]

OK, so I don't have kids - not planning to. Like 'em (I have an awesome nephew), but I had a major medical issue a few years ago that required me to make a decision about it...I was ambivilent about having my own, so I decided to parent dogs . That said, don't think all non-parents are interested in giving nasty looks to all screaming kids/parents!

One thing always sticks in my mind - my close friend told me a few years ago, "Sometimes, there is nothing you can do. You just have to let the tantrum run its course." Her kids are gorgeously well-behaved, and hearing her say that, I started to watch a bit... The next time we were at the mall, I saw a poor dad just outside holding a little kid, maybe 3 or so - the kid was FREAKING OUT, essentially horizontal in dad's arms...the look on dad's face was telling - "I'll look around and occupy myself until this gets to a stage where I can do something about it."

I have since noticed this on occasion at other places, too...including WDW, but it just doesn't seem as common there as at other places...

Usually at WDW, the bad kid behavior results from parents ALLOWING things that need not be allowed - line cutting, cursing, shoving people out of the way...(I once told a linecutting kid that I'd been waiting for a while in the line only to receive a death look from the parent)... I am also not a big fan of the parents that try to run you over with strollers without so much as an "excuse me" - what's that about???

The winner was a mom that allowed a kid to scream on the flight all the way home. Not crying. Screaming - bloodcurdling, aerobically challenging, voice-losing screams. The kid was playing happily in the Disney kiosk prior to the flight, but when we took off, he screamed "I don't wanna leave, MICKEY!!!!!" all the way home (3 hour flight to Boston), quietly shushing the child and saying, "Mommy's sorry" instead of reminding the boy that Mickey lets well-behaved children come back to visit. That was really the only "hairy eyeball" I've ever doled out....(granted, there could ahve been something bigger going on, but after 3 hours? GARRHHHH!!!! I was ready to slit my wrists!)

Anyways, just so you know - I think most kids behave very well at Disney Absolutely nothing is cuter than seeing a whole family of little girls all princess-ed up, looking like they feel beautiful. That is enough to really brighten one's day, even if you're not a kid person.

 

[skoi]

It's a relief to see all the people saying "no big deal" about tantrums. Not what you usually see around here. We have 4 dc. One is newly adopted from China, doesn't speak any English or Chinese due to his cleft palate. Now we were planning to give him lots of time to adjust and go to DW in December, however, dh is being deployed overseas and we had to move the trip up to the very near future. I see no way he'll make it through our 5 day trip, even with our very relaxed touring scheduled, without at least one meltdown. He doesn't even know what Disney is, poor kid, doesn't like TV, and while he's adjusted to the over stimulation of our home environment (which is a far cry from his orphanage upbringing) I think Disney might do him in.

Funny comment about the daughter who was adopted internationally. We got more looks on our second trip to China (to adopt our son) then we get here in the US. Of course there were four kids, two of whom are Chinese, one a tall, almost blond teen, and one a boy the Chinese women kept calling "so beautiful boy" when they came up to take his picture. We were like a freak show. People would stop in the street and point at us, then take ds's picture. So I guess some dirty looks over a tantrum won't be a big deal after that.

 

[abarnold]

When we went last summer we only had a couple of meltdowns- but non of them were from our party they were adults DIRECTED at our party.

Tantrum # 1: my oldest(11) and my second oldest(8) were being boys and had a small water fight with their camelbaks and got each other wet- well my oldest got my 8 year old in the private parts with water and said OMG it looks like you peed your pants. my 8 year old started crying about it (he is a sensitive kid) and a grown man came up and started yelling at my oldest for picking on his younger brother. He then proceeded to put his hands on MY child and yell at him for spilling a little water on the bus. We had already instructed our oldest to clean it up and he was- but this jerk kept verbally assaulting our child. My dh did not see him put his hands on our oldest or he would have lost it. The other person then started questioning my dh's ability to be in the military due to the fact that he was raising a terror that enjoyed picking on little kids Now I could have been a horrible person and call assault on a child since he went off on my child and then started putting his hands all on him- but I chalked it up to the fact that I thought he was having a rough day. my 11 year old was in tears and he doesn't cry at all- he didn't want to eat and when we ran across the other guy later on during the day he started shaking- I was FURIOUS- now do you guys think I had a reason to be upset???

tantrum #2 my mom and I took our dd and our youngest dh (who is special needs) to the story telling by Belle. Well my youngest when he gets too hot requires oxygen AND feeding tube feeds to keep him hydrated. Well in the story telling you are not allowed to have strollers- but we talked to a CM and explained to him that his oxygen tube and his feeding pump were attached to his stroller and asked if we could bring it in so he could enjoy it too. They said of course just make sure it's out of the way- which we did. Then this guy came griping at me for the fact that the stroller was there and asked if we were illiterate because the sign clearly stated that strollers were not allowed. I explained to him why our stroller was there and that we had already talked to a CM and they said it was alright- he then proceeded to tell us that no one cares about our little brat's problems and it would be better if NONE of us even came to WDW. My dad wanted to hunt him down after he found out- but we wouldn't tell him which guy it was because there was no need for another altercation.

we took 4 kids and there were no tantrums for 10 days and except for the few jerks that we encountered we only saw a few other families with tantrums- but they didn't bother us since we know it's to be expected!!

 

[ireland_nicole]

Skoi; Congratulations on your new addition! I am so happy for you! And re: your husband's deployment: I am humbled by the sacrifice all of you are making for our freedom. I pray that he will return home quickly and safely. I'm so glad you will be able to go to WDW as a family before he goes! And if anyone is rude enough to make a comment-don't let it ruin this special time for your family. One suggestion, if you think it might work for you. Maybe one afternoon arrange for an in room sitter for the baby-and spend some time w/ the other kiddoes while the little one naps. The people that Disney recommended last year were awesome w/ my DS and DD w/ special needs. They might even have someone who speaks Mandarin. Hold these moments w/ your family in your heart and treasure them during your seperation. If it's o.k. w/ you, I'd love to pray for your family during your husbands deployment. If you'd like, PM me any details and I will commit to that.
Wishing you an abundance of Disney Magic
Nicole

 

[stellablue]

When we went last summer we only had a couple of meltdowns- but non of them were from our party they were adults DIRECTED at our party.

Tantrum # 1: my oldest(11) and my second oldest(7) were being boys and had a small water fight with their camelbaks and got each other wet- well my oldest got my 8 year old in the private parts with water and said OMG it looks like you peed your pants. my 8 year old started crying about it (he is a sensitive kid) and a grown man came up and started yelling at my oldest for picking on his younger brother. He then proceeded to put his hands on MY child and yell at him for spilling a little water on the bus. We had already instructed our oldest to clean it up and he was- but this jerk kept verbally assaulting our child. My dh did not see him put his hands on our oldest or he would have lost it. The other person then started questioning my dh's ability to be in the military due to the fact that he was raising a terror that enjoyed picking on little kids Now I could have been a horrible person and call assault on a child since he went off on my child and then started putting his hands all on him- but I chalked it up to the fact that I thought he was having a rough day. my 11 year old was in tears and he doesn't cry at all- he didn't want to eat and when we ran across the other guy later on during the day he started shaking- I was FURIOUS- now do you guys think I had a reason to be upset???

tantrum #2 my mom and I took our dd and our youngest dh (who is special needs) to the story telling by Belle. Well my youngest when he gets too hot requires oxygen AND feeding tube feeds to keep him hydrated. Well in the story telling you are not allowed to have strollers- but we talked to a CM and explained to him that his oxygen tube and his feeding pump were attached to his stroller and asked if we could bring it in so he could enjoy it too. They said of course just make sure it's out of the way- which we did. Then this guy came griping at me for the fact that the stroller was there and asked if we were illiterate because the sign clearly stated that strollers were not allowed. I explained to him why our stroller was there and that we had already talked to a CM and they said it was alright- he then proceeded to tell us that no one cares about our little brat's problems and it would be better if NONE of us even came to WDW. My dad wanted to hunt him down after he found out- but we wouldn't tell him which guy it was because there was no need for another altercation.

we took 4 kids and there were no tantrums for 10 days and except for the few jerks that we encountered we only saw a few other families with tantrums- but they didn't bother us since we know it's to be expected!!

OMG, those are two of the most horrible stories I have ever read! It made me really sad and dissappointed in people just to hear that you had to go through that kind of abuse from an ignorant stranger. People can be so disgusting sometimes. I do hope that your child had a good time at the story telling regardless of this animal and that you were able to encounter good people at WDW as well to offset this!

 

[ireland_nicole]

Abernold;
I am appalled at what some people think is appropriate; I am shaking at the computer I am so angry about what happened to you. I applaud the way you controlled yourself- I would probably have not been able to, and can only imagine what might have happened if I had opened my rather large mouth. You should be proud of the example you set for your children. I'm so pleased that you didn't allow these insensitive Boors to ruin your vacation...I'm just sorry that you and your children had to go through so much. There is no excuse for those "adults" behaviour.
Nicole

 

[Ktharee]

OMG, those are two of the most horrible stories I have ever read! It made me really sad and dissappointed in people just to hear that you had to go through that kind of abuse from an ignorant stranger. People can be so disgusting sometimes. I do hope that your child had a good time at the story telling regardless of this animal and that you were able to encounter good people at WDW as well to offset this!

I feel the exact same way. You must be a Saint because I would have lost my mind on both of those "men". It never ceases to amaze me how classless people can be. I hope the rest of the trip was pure joy for all of you.

 

[rlahsin]

It's a relief to see all the people saying "no big deal" about tantrums. Not what you usually see around here. We have 4 dc. One is newly adopted from China, doesn't speak any English or Chinese due to his cleft palate. Now we were planning to give him lots of time to adjust and go to DW in December, however, dh is being deployed overseas and we had to move the trip up to the very near future. I see no way he'll make it through our 5 day trip, even with our very relaxed touring scheduled, without at least one meltdown. He doesn't even know what Disney is, poor kid, doesn't like TV, and while he's adjusted to the over stimulation of our home environment (which is a far cry from his orphanage upbringing) I think Disney might do him in.

Funny comment about the daughter who was adopted internationally. We got more looks on our second trip to China (to adopt our son) then we get here in the US. Of course there were four kids, two of whom are Chinese, one a tall, almost blond teen, and one a boy the Chinese women kept calling "so beautiful boy" when they came up to take his picture. We were like a freak show. People would stop in the street and point at us, then take ds's picture. So I guess some dirty looks over a tantrum won't be a big deal after that.

Both of my DDs were adopted from China...they are 5 and 3, respectively. Congrats on the new addition to your family! My girls are BEYOND excited about this trip, and are expecially excited to meet Mulan. Enjoy!

 

[MinnieMaddie]

When I'm at WDW, I have fun with my own family and try not to judge anyone based on five minutes of observed behavior. You never know what someone goes through. Basically, I mind my own business and I always have a great time.

 

[kimluvswdw]

I don't know that we have ever seen any child acting bad. We do see crying and whining children from one end of WDW to the other. I really blame this on the parents for not letting children nap for awhile during the day. I get so tired during the day and I am an adult. People are too afraid they are going to miss something if they take an hour break. The only thing that they will miss is their child having a meltdown.

 

[skoi]

Both of my DDs were adopted from China...they are 5 and 3, respectively. Congrats on the new addition to your family! My girls are BEYOND excited about this trip, and are expecially excited to meet Mulan. Enjoy!

Thanks. Our son is from Mulan's province! Hubei- about an hour and a half outside of the city where we met him there's a site called Mulan Mountain, and a temple to Mulan. They say the historical "real" Mulan is buried there. We didn't get to go because we were there in the middle of that horrible snowy weather.

I wrote about it on our trip/adoption journal and even posted a picture of a little statue that looks just like Mushu.

Julie

 

[Disneylvr]

When I'm at WDW, I have fun with my own family and try not to judge anyone based on five minutes of observed behavior. You never know what someone goes through. Basically, I mind my own business and I always have a great time.

AMEN!!!!!

 

[ireland_nicole]

There's a real Mulan? I know it probably sounds stupid, but I had no idea. Can you tell me more?
Nicole

 

[larryz]

The winner was a mom that allowed a kid to scream on the flight all the way home. Not crying. Screaming - bloodcurdling, aerobically challenging, voice-losing screams...granted, there could ahve been something bigger going on, but after 3 hours? GARRHHHH!!!! I was ready to slit my wrists!

Foam earplugs...never fly without them. Buy the giant economy size bag at your local Lowes Depot (32 pairs for about $10) and put a pair in each of your pockets, purse, and carry-on. At the FIRST SIGN of audio distress, pop 'em in. And let the little darlings scream to their hearts' delight...

 

[maxiesmom]

I feel the exact same way. You must be a Saint because I would have lost my mind on both of those "men". It never ceases to amaze me how classless people can be. I hope the rest of the trip was pure joy for all of you.

I'm thinking I would have finished the rest of my vacation in jail. I would have come totally unglued.

You have more restraint that I could ever hope to have.

 

[CanadianGuy]

There's a real Mulan? I know it probably sounds stupid, but I had no idea. Can you tell me more?
Nicole

Sure...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hua_Mulan

 

[skoi]

There's a real Mulan? I know it probably sounds stupid, but I had no idea. Can you tell me more?
Nicole

Don't know if I can link to my journal. I can pm the address and password to anyone who might want to see the Mulan entry.

 

[ireland_nicole]

Thanks guys!
Nicole

 

[EMom]

Good lord, if someone ever had the bad sense to lay a hand on my child, they would draw back a nub.

And to the lout who mouthed off about your special needs child, you can borrow my pet phrase to use for people like him. "Bite me." There is a special place in hell for people who are mean to kids like yours who are vulnerable and just want to have a good time like other kids.

 

[GrowingUpDisney]

Good lord, if someone ever had the bad sense to lay a hand on my child, they would draw back a nub.

That is what I was thinking - either that or their eyeballs would be on the ground beside them!