I can completely relate, and will tell you a story to make you feel better about anything that might go awry.
(Just a sidenote, lest you think my child is a little monster from this story. She's not. But, surprises *can* happen. I tell this story for the comedy it is *now* though certainly not what it felt like at the time and to make any parent who experiences something similar feel better)
Our little one went at 14 months, and two times since she's turned two, most recently on a "girls trip" with her grandma and myself.
She actually didn't mind the stroller too much since there were so many more interesting things to watch. Overall, in all the trips things went what I would call smooth. We rode rides, we waited in some short lines, we saw lots of characters, we even ate at some sit down meals at the hotels too, rode buses, monorails, boats, you name it. All in all, just minor things here and there. She's normally pretty well behaved, easily redirected usually, and totally in love with people watching and scenery watching, etc..
but...ONE DAY...... we decided to grab quick service at Columbia Harbor House. We had done it on a previous trip, had the upstairs to ourselves and even managed to catch a nice view of the afternoon parade so we thought we'd do it again.
We walk in to find the place packed. I waited in line for food and my mother decided to try to find a seat upstairs (mind you, it's usually empty) So while I waited she carried kiddo up along with the folded stroller. While I'm making my way up the stairs with the tray of food I hear squealing. Oh no. That sounds like MY child! I get up the stairs to find my child LAYING and kicking under the round utensil table, with my mother hanging on to one arm trying to get her to stand up, and trying to figure out where to put the stroller in the other hand. They hadn't been able to find a table, and while looking for one my child apparently decided to try and spin the utensil table around (Folks, don't let your kids realize the table can indeed do this!) Grandma stopped her from doing so, and said tantrum ensued. Grandma tried asking a hostess for help finding a table and the lady blew her off. With no table open, me holding a full tray and no free hands to help, and my mother trying to figure out how to juggle a diaper bag, backpack, toddler and stroller we were in a pickle. I spy an open table and head over to it to have some woman and her teenage son RUN past me and grab it. (Seriously lady, how can you be so cruel??!?) So now the stress is sinking in. I'm bright red trying to figure out how to get her up without dumping a tray of food. It feels like everyone is watching us, but in reality the place was so noisy and packed most people barely noticed.
FINALLY we find a table and get kiddo settled down. As she's happily eating her grapes I notice....MOLD. The darn grapes were moldy! Gross. So down I go, feel like a jerk kind of going to the pickup window to show the person who gave me my food and just to ask if we could get another bag or two. I come back and kid is getting a bit squirmy again. We scarf down our food as fast as we can since apparently the toddler is in need of a nap earlier than normal. By the end of said meal, the tantrum is erupting again and we're back at the point of juggling all the stuff between us, trying to throw away the trash on the tray, etc...and get out as fast as we can. I am just not the type of person to let me child meltdown in public and drive everyone else nuts, so we figure it's time to take a break from the parks. I'm trying to get kiddo out of the highchair, also holding the stroller (folded since we need to take it downstairs) and she's a little stuck. When I finally get her out of the highchair and am carrying my screaming toddler out as fast as my embarrassed self can get out of this restaurant, this poor teenage girl (or rude, I still can't make up my mind) comes running up and asks..."ya, done with that table" and I give her what was probably a look of death, and over the screams of my child snap "YES!" but in my head I'm thinking "Ya think? What's it look like?! I'm trying to get out of here as fast as I can" My kiddo then proceeded to cry down main street and I with red cheeks felt like a total A----- parent. We make our way to the monorail as fast as we can, get stuck behind people walking slowly playing on their phones (of course!) and miss the monorail by seconds. It was seriously like some twisted comedy of errors!! I did not want to question the universe what else could go wrong for fear of what it would throw at us. Then my child promptly fell asleep (2 hours earlier than any nap the rest of the trip) and was an angel for the rest of the day. Of course, I ended up feeling guilty about snapping at that teenager for the rest of the day then too.
So you never know, the most angelic of kids can have a total breakdown, and the most mischevious or energetic be perfectly well behaved. This experience certainly came out of nowhere, and while it somewhat ruined part of an afternoon, we ended up having a lovely trip and kiddo did great the rest of the time.
Moral or point of the story: If anything goes wrong just think of this story and laugh and remind yourself it can always be worse. There's always another parent who will understand. Teenagers are clueless. And people...for the love of everything, don't steal a table out from under the noses of a family with a crying toddler!!!!
