Originally posted by maburke
I just have a favor to ask you all. Before you judge the parents, like:
"As for kids having meltdowns, I ALWAYS think the parents are responsible for that."
please consider the possibility that the kids, like mine, have a disability that makes them more difficult to understand and control in new situations. My boys have autism, and often, these kids cannot communicate or understand the way other kids do. Basic rules, especially social graces, can be very difficult, if not impossible, for these kids to learn. And they can have obsessive/compulsive tendencies that make the slightest change in routine difficult, and vacations in new places can result in complete meltdowns simply because they are unpredictable. (THAT'S why WE bought into DVC -- now it's "home", so the kids are getting used to it.)
One of my sons (5 years old) just couldn't recover from waking up from his nap in the Norway restaurant, and not knowing where he was. He cried and cried (he cannot talk). When I took him out into the courtyard to try to calm him down, a woman walked by and said, "There is something WRONG with that child." I swallowed my pain and tried to patiently describe that there IS something wrong with my child.
So please, before you judge, or do or say something that could be hurtful to parents, try to imagine that maybe it's NOT their fault. Because one of the hardest things about this very difficult life is having other people judge me when they know nothing about my world.
Thanks, and to those of you who have people compliment you on your children, relish it.