Disturbing incident at Epcot last Thursday . . .

[DonaldTDuck]

I understand the point you are trying to make, but it isn't exactly the same thing.

Generally, teachers spend far less time with their students than parents do with their children. Statistically, the odds of something happening are greater with the parents because of that.

In addition, that risk of a tearcher losing a child is even further reduced because the vast majority of the time spent with their students is in a controlled, not to mention enclosed, setting such as a classroom.

Just for those reasons alone, it isn't a fair comparison to make.

When a parent has their child or children, it's usually just two or three to keep tabs on. On a field trip, there are usually 30+ kids for 3-4 adults. Teachers use methods like the buddy system, light ropes etc to keep track, but parents usually just assume because they're their kids, there won't be aproblem.

 

[kimmikayb]

All these stories remind me of another thread at a board where cast members post.....I remember being so amazed when I read it.....one problem at the Disney parks is parents who LEAVE their kids in their strollers while they ride in an attractions. Can you even imagine??? I don't even leave my jacket in the stroller..let alone my child!

People amaze me everyday.

 

[biz410]

When a parent has their child or children, it's usually just two or three to keep tabs on. On a field trip, there are usually 30+ kids for 3-4 adults. Teachers use methods like the buddy system, light ropes etc to keep track, but parents usually just assume because they're their kids, there won't be aproblem.

Why would you assume what people assume? You know what they say about that, right?

As a teacher and parent I have never seen a field trip with a 10:1 ratio. On most field trips, parents chaperone as well as teachers and you end up with 4 or 5 kids per adult. Also, teachers plan trips to minimize the odds of being in a chaotic environment. I don't think you can classify Disney as such.

I think the ropes are ridiculous and the buddy system is great unless 2 of your buddies wander off together . Then nobody is missing a buddy but you have 2 empty seats on the bus.

Regarding Disney apparently not doing anything- If I were in charge of locating missing children I would have waited until Illuminations started. It would be easier to locate a distressed child while everyone else is stationary and looking at the show.

 

[patsal]

As for my child's school, each child is escorted in from the car to the front door, the doors are locked all day with one entrance being available for guests, who must be buzzed in and then are intercepted by office staff and "confirmed" before they can move past the foyer. I think most schools are like that these days.

I can tell you that all schools are not like that. One door is always unlocked for the coming and going of parents and school students, no one escorts students anywhere. They come and go as they please--it is school not prison. We are equipped to go into a lockdown mode and visitors are signed in and out, but our school is not a prison.

 

[Eeyore2003]

Personally I don't think she is being naive. It is possible not to lose children. Sure it takes a lot of planning, and constant supervision and constant observation but it can be done. More people do not lose their children than do so someone knows how it is done.

Usually what happens is when one parent thinks the other one has the child. Or the younger child is with an older sibling who are not responsible enough to watch a 5 year old especially at a theme park.

My mother's plan was always she was in charge of the kids, and therefore at all times she knew exactly where we were. Now probably she did not get to see as much as others, but she knew where the kids were at all times, as she never let us out of her eye sight.

I am not saying that parent's that lose their kids are bad parents they are just distracted. But don't think either that it happens to everyone as it doesn't.

I would bet on the fact that the vast majority of "lost parents", are not because an older sibling was left to watch or that the parent was distractedly shopping "somewhere" or any other "parental neglectful" reason. It only takes a SECOND in a crowd. That's not long. To think that it will never happen to you is ridiculous, since anything can happen to anyone, no matter how you try to avoide something, no matter how you plan, no matter how caring, loving or compulsive you are!!!

Read the accounts in here in this thread. These are not parents who "left" their kids, who were not "watching" their kids ir who were off and distracted.

I'm an empty nester. My children are raised and in college. This is no easy task, and while I thankfully never "lost" one anywhere, there are many other things that happened that no matter how loving, caring and "watchful" I was, scary things happened. I was a stay at home mom from the birth of the first one to the last one graduating from high school. I previously was an RN and read extensively about child development etc. and what to do and what not to do etc. In other words, I don't think I could have done better, and still scary stuff happened that I thought would NEVER happen to me because I was SUCH a good careful mother. Yah right!!! IT HAPPENS!!!

Raising children is no easy task and to point fingers with a "better than thou" attitude IS heart-less AND naive.

 

[brbenoit]

I am not a parent, but I was a wandering child. My parents used to keep me on a harness when going to amusement parks and crowded places. A child has no fear, they see something and they wander off. Since they are so small they cannot be seen in a crowd. it must be the most freightning thing a parent can go thru. My DH and I take our neice and nephew everywhere and the fear of them wandering off makes me so crazy. We hold on to them so tight. I know many people think the harnesses are a terrible thing, but honestly as a kid who had one, I didn't even realize it. I guess it gave my parents piece of mind that I could walk but not walk off. When I see parents with their kids in a harness in WDW I always laugh to my DH and say "I had one of those"....his response..."I'm not surprised, you still wander off". I think they are a great idea.

Leashes are for dogs not kids.

Children have no fear? Part of responsible parenting is teaching them. We have friends with kids who wander off, it is a learned behavior. They haven't been taught not to wander.

My wife doesn't like the fact that I've taught our daughter to say "What a cute puppy" when kids on a lease go by.

 

[momof2inPA]

When DD was 2 and DS was 5 we were getting off Dumbo ride and DS kind of got shuffled in crowd of people getting off ride. DH looked at me and said where's Nick? I just about had a stroke.

I've been on the Dumbo ride twice when kids have been lost and the parents and cm's were looking for them. One mom was yelling at her older son (who wasn't more than 12) for losing the younger one. I wanted to pop that woman in the nose. How dare she make a pre-teen feel guilty when watching her kids was ultimately her responsibility. Plus, kids can get lost no matter who's supposed to be in charge.

 

[brbenoit]

All these stories remind me of another thread at a board where cast members post.....I remember being so amazed when I read it.....one problem at the Disney parks is parents who LEAVE their kids in their strollers while they ride in an attractions. Can you even imagine??? I don't even leave my jacket in the stroller..let alone my child!

People amaze me everyday.

We saw that once at Disneyland. We were about to go in through the exit (child swap) and we sw a couple set a stoller aside with two kids in it and tell the kids NOT to move and don't fight with each other and embarass them while they were gone. They proceeded to get into line.

It was unbeleivable, we of course immediately informed a CM that there were two abandoned children at the entrance of the ride.

 

[chigirl]

At my place of employment, a national department store, we use the CODE ADAM system. It is announced over the pa and on our radios that managers carry. IMMEDIATELY associates cover every entrance (we have 10) and do not let customers out of the store until the CODE ADAM is cancelled. At the same time, associates are looking for the lost kid and security has all monitors on looking for the kid. We usually find the child within minutes. Our store is 290,000 square feet, pretty large and two levels with two openings to a huge mall plus many entrances to the parking lots. If the child is not found within 10 minutes, 911 is called.

The only time we didn't find a child within the time was when a 10 year old autistic boy was missing. The police found the child in the parking lot, wandering around with no coat on in the middle of a Chicago winter (Shame on all the holiday shoppers who saw him and ignored him!) Turns out mom & dad were in a custody battle and the dad showed up at the mall, which freaked the kid out and he ran...the mother did not tell us this when she said her son was missing!!!

I know people will be mad, but 100% of the time when we have Code Adam, the guardians of the child were not watching the child who ends up lost....duh, hard to lose a child you have your eyes on! The parents will say, "Well I was looking at swimsuits and he wanted to look at something else, he must have wandered off." or something like that...or they will send young children, like 4, to the level the bathrooms are on by themselves while they are on another level shopping BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T WANT TO BE BOTHERED.

for everyone who thinks Disney did not handle the situation well...if the child is lost, it is the parents fault. I have 2 children and never lost my kids. Even poor Adam Walsh was not snatched from his mother's arms, he was in another section of Sears when he was taken! Bless John Walsh for all he has done, but facts are facts. We are not talking about children being snatched by intruders from out of their beds, we are talking about kids who wander off because parents don't hold their hands, keep them in strollers or pay attention to them.

I see it EVERY SINGLE DAY at my store, the mom is leisurely strolling checking out merchandise, while the toddler is 20 feet behind her...the mom never once looking back. A predator could have a field day in any regional mall, I am shocked it doesn't happen more.

Believe me, I get the same "OH NO!" feeling every time a Code Adam is called and it makes me nervous until we find the kid. Of the 80 Code Adams I participated in in 2006, at least 30 parents yelled at their kid for getting lost and about 10 parents spanked their kids. I am the aunt of a child who has MD, I have 2 friends with autistic kids, and I have a dear friend who is suffering from infertility. I was blessed with 2 healthy, wonderful kids...stop being so damn self centered people and watch your kids! It is not WDW's responsibility or Targets or Chuckee Cheese or Jewel's to make sure you kid is safe...start acting like an adult!!!

Now stepping off of soapbox...

 

[chigirl]

I am so glad to see someone put this in writing. It's exactly how I feel!!!

No...the people who posted that the parents are to blame are RIGHT.
Parents lose kids, period.
If you watch your kids and keep them with you and in your sight of vision at all times, you will not lose them. period.

See my post about Code Adam and you will see why I feel this way and I do not care who disagrees with me.

 

[faindrops27]

Not heartless, just naive that you think it could never happen to you.

Oh so I am niave. Because, I will not lose my child in DW? Let me tell you this. I It wont happen. You see, I never let my guard down. I am more than aware of where my children are at all times. When they are in my care. As another poster stated, the truth is the majority of people do not lose thier children in DW, a minority do. With a parent like me. I can say with 100% I will stay in the majority.

 

[faindrops27]

No...the people who posted that the parents are to blame are RIGHT.
Parents lose kids, period.
If you watch your kids and keep them with you and in your sight of vision at all times, you will not lose them. period.

See my post about Code Adam and you will see why I feel this way and I do not care who disagrees with me.

Chi, exactly!

 

[rhiannonwales]

Leashes are for dogs not kids.

Children have no fear? Part of responsible parenting is teaching them. We have friends with kids who wander off, it is a learned behavior. They haven't been taught not to wander.

My wife doesn't like the fact that I've taught our daughter to say "What a cute puppy" when kids on a lease go by.

WOW. Way to teach your kid ways to get her butt kicked when shes older.
Teaching kids obnoxiousness is IMHO, just as bad a parental behaviour as the ones who yell at them and belittle them in the parks.

You have a right to feel that harnesses are wrong, but to teach a child to be rude and inconsiderate is messed up.You don't know if that kid is challenged.Not all kids with disablities look like the ones you see on TV. How does it feel to know that your teaching your kid to judge a book by its cover?

 

[Sleeping Becca]

Leashes are for dogs not kids.

Children have no fear? Part of responsible parenting is teaching them. We have friends with kids who wander off, it is a learned behavior. They haven't been taught not to wander.

My wife doesn't like the fact that I've taught our daughter to say "What a cute puppy" when kids on a lease go by.

Sometimes children have mental disabilites and require restraint. If they are not restrained then they would just run away. They could be retstrained in a wheelchair or stroller or a "leash", some parents chose the leash to give their child greater mobilty and to minimize stress. I would not think poorly of a parent who "leashes" their child, unless you know the full story.

 

[MelanieC]

Once at Epcot when my DD was probably 11 or 12 (she is 14 now). We were riding Mission Space and we all wanted to go on again (Me, DS who is now almost 9, and DH). There was no line. DD didn't want to and had to go to the restroom. The park was almost closed so we told her she could walk across to the bathroom that we could see from Mission Space and come right back to the gift shop where we would meet her after the ride. She is a responsible kid and we had no fears or worry's about leaving her for 10 minutes.

When we got back she wasn't in the gift shop so we walked over to the bathroom. A worker in the bathroom wouldn't let us in and was trying to make us leave the area (It was 9pm at this time). I was trying to tell her I had to find my daughter and she was making a fuss. I went in to the bathroom anyway even thought she kept telling me NO. My daughter wasn't in the bathroom and we tried to go back to MS but they were giving us a hard time. No one was really willing to help us and giving us a hard time about looking for her. Finally after about 5-10 minutes (it felt like a long time) I found a CM who was in a suit (manager type) and she got her walkie talkie out and we found my DD. She had found a CM who was bringing her over to the area.

What happened was because it was after 9pm after she got out of the bathroom, they weren't letting her go back to MS or stay near the bathroom. Someone made her leave the bathroom area to go towards the exit. They wouldn't let her even stay by the bathroom. She was upset and she finally found a CM who would listen to her.

I think it's horrible that some CM's don't really pay attention to what's actually going on. They turned something into a scary ordeal for her even though she was older.

 

[Al and Kate's Mom]

Leashes are for dogs not kids.

Children have no fear? Part of responsible parenting is teaching them. We have friends with kids who wander off, it is a learned behavior. They haven't been taught not to wander.

My wife doesn't like the fact that I've taught our daughter to say "What a cute puppy" when kids on a lease go by.

This just makes me sad - kids have enough of their own issues to deal with without having to worry about their parents being so callous and uncaring toward others - responsible parenting is defined by everyone differently. I may be overprotective of my child by watching her constantly, but you are raising a bully. My prayers are with her.

 

[Cool-Beans]

A personal pet peeve: All the people in this thread who have the nerve to blame the parents and throw around accusations, or I'm a better parent so my kid won't get lost attitude. Kids will take wrong turns, kids who are old enough to go to the bathroom alone will exit the wrong door, kids are kids and we do our best to protect them, but they are kids...things happen...prepare for it.

OK, I never said I was a better parent or that parents who lose a kid are horrid people. I don't think they are. They get distracted, have to deal with another kid...whatever. It only takes a second. But it IS the paren'ts fault. Not the kid's...and not Walt Disney World's. People who've lost a kid should be grateful for help, not standing around screaming at others for not doing a good enough job finding the kid they lost in the first place.

I was super-careful, because they used to show that movie, "Adam" on TV. It showed a mom turn away for a few seconds and later on showed her and her husband get the news that the cops had found the kid's head. I never forgot it and was one mom who watched her kids like a hawk because of it. I applaud the Walshes for allowing others to to benefit from their horrific loss. They oughtta show that movie every five years.

But I don't think people who lose a kid are necessarily bad parents.

 

[Mariposa]

Oh so I am niave. Because, I will not lose my child in DW? Let me tell you this. I It wont happen. You see, I never let my guard down. I am more than aware of where my children are at all times. When they are in my care. As another poster stated, the truth is the majority of people do not lose thier children in DW, a minority do. With a parent like me. I can say with 100% I will stay in the majority.

Wow, nice way to call everyone on here who has shared their story (stories in which, you'll note, they did nothing wrong) bad parents. Okie dokie. Glad it'll never happen to you, honestly, but have a plan in place in case it does.

 

[Simba22]

There was an issue similar to this when DBF and I were there in 2005. A little girl got lost in MK right before the parade started and the parents were flipping out at the CM's. There was another CM standing next to me and DBF who said that as soon as an incident like this is reported, they have a whole team of security guards that fan out and start searching but they do the best they can to keep it quiet so that they don't cause mass panic which would make it harder for them to find the missing child. The parents were freaking out because the CM they were talking to wasn't specifically looking, but they didn't realize that there were over 100 CM's already searching, checking busses and even calling the other parks in case the child somehow ended up elsewhere.

 

[Mariposa]

No...the people who posted that the parents are to blame are RIGHT.
Parents lose kids, period.
If you watch your kids and keep them with you and in your sight of vision at all times, you will not lose them. period.

See my post about Code Adam and you will see why I feel this way and I do not care who disagrees with me.

Your children are in your field of vision at all times? Seriously? This is an honest question. You never look from them to check a wait time at WDW, or to speak to a castmember? Never take your eyes off them for a second, ever?