Ever wanted to dine in a little peace?

[OKW Mom]

I was raised with "you'll poke your eye out", "your face will freeze like that", "children are starving in China".

Good old Catholic guilt made me the disciplinarian I am today.

When they bang those big heavy knives and forks up and down I am just so afraid they will poke their eyes out!!!!! It may have a different center of balance from their home cutlery... OMG, I am a worrier!

I have been nearly beaten to death too for commenting on this subject. I was nice and polite and still I was a child hater, should vacation somewhere else, etc, etc. Apparently on that thread it was ok for parents to want some quiet time but someone without children were just child haters. At least on this board everyone is more reasonable.

It gets frustrating to watch little Poindexter do a back flip off his dinner chair and then scream bloody murder when he gets hurt. Meanwhile "those" parents are still chatting away over a bottle of Chardonnay.

 

[OKW Mom]

We had not been to disney in 5 years (lost jobs, cancer, move across country).
We got to OKW main hottub and about 6 pm we wanted to sit and count our blessings peacefully.
A lovely over surgically enhanced 30something in a red bikini arrived and sat silently across from us. Within 3 minutes, 3 in swim diapers and one 9yr old appeared and howled that they wanted to jump in.
The sign could not be any clearer about age restriction-I was thunderstruck that this woman would put the 4 of them in the hot tub.
After a few minutes of tantrums because the water was hot (Ya think?) they took up all the space on the steps and fussed at each other.
We bailed. We went back to room and filled the spa tub in our 2BR unit and turned on the radio!

I am not a stick in the mud, but I am also all for children being controlled during dinner. I also don't think children should be allowed in the hot tubs. When we get back late from the parks and DH and I want to relax, the hot tub is swarmed by kids!

 

[OKW Mom]

So many people have just commented on parents stepping up to the plate and being parents.

We raised 3 boys and 1 girl (30, 22, 19). The 30 year old is now constantly commenting on how well his childhood prepared him for Law School. My discourse and anecdotal discipline taught him some skills he won contests with in Law school. And I just wanted him to behave!

I am always happy to see a village raise their expectations and expect children to rise to the occasion.

High Five! Here is what is working for me lately....I look into the child's eyes and say NO. And so far....every single child got it. Don't forget they are testing us ALL THE TIME. Mine are teenagers - actually 20 & 15, and I don't believe they ever acted like that. Not in my presence anyhow. Just say no. Takes a village.

 

[rmom50]

 

[kab407]

Just curious--you actually tell other people's kids "no"? (If you do--you're my new hero!)

I'm pretty assertive but I don't know if I would have the guts to do that . . . .

I have only done it once. I was having breakfast with a couple of friends at a local diner. The child at the table next to ours decided to start doing laps around our table. At about the sixth lap, I looked at her and firmly said, "sit down". She froze for a second and them went back to her seat. Her mom shot me a dirty look, but I didn't care. Our fear was someone was going to fall or have a tray of food dropped on them.

I was raised with "you'll poke your eye out", "your face will freeze like that", "children are starving in China".

Good old Catholic guilt made me the disciplinarian I am today.

They must teach this is Catholic Mothering 101. My Mom said the exact same things to us. We all turned out OK by being told "no" and God forbid, having our bottom swatted, when necessary.

 

[Bethany]

While I do agree 100% with the idea of an adults only section in restaurants, and I also agree that parents need to step up to the plate and teach their children some manners and appropriate behavior (I'm one of those who DOES this!) there are times when a tantrum can just appear out of NOWHERE. This has nothing to do with the how well the person is parenting.. what matters is how the parent reacts to the situation. Personally, if one of mine has ever started to disrupt the peace, I will remove them from the situation. Period, end of story. We will go someplace to have a talk and cool down, return to the table to try again. This usually works.

About the ones who will tell a child "No" that is not their's... kudos to you for being so bold. Children respond to strangers telling them "No" because they are afraid or surprised. My child-less friend boasts about how her long time boyfriend can get their nephews to behave better than their parents do. That's because the children have a completely different dynamic with him (as do you with other people's children). Children are comfortable with their parents, and sometimes are oblivious to their parents even saying "No" because they hear it from them ALL THE TIME. Unfortunately a lot of parents do not enforce the rules, if there are any, so "No" from them means nothing to the child. From a stranger though.. the shock value is what gets them to comply.

 

[winterman]

Why is it that the Disney Cruise ships have adult only restaurants, but in all of WDW there isn't a single one?

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

I say there should be (at least) one restaurant for adults only.

Nice to have some quiet and the option of conversation, good bottle of wine and perhaps some romance.

 

[Hixski]

Why is it that the Disney Cruise ships have adult only restaurants, but in all of WDW there isn't a single one?

The people that would applaud an adult only restaurant (and we are only talking about one here) have been trying to figure it out for ages.

The only reason that gets tiresome is that "Disney is for the children". Somehow there are people that can't fathom that Disney is marketing to the adults too!! By the way....we love Palo on DCL.

 

[daisax]

I think there's a difference between a tantrum and a child running pell mell around the dining room while the parents are deep in conversation.

I stopped ordering fajitas in restaurants because I was convinced one day my order of fajitas was going to end up on some tyke's head, and that sizzling makes me anxious until it's on the table in front of me!

Stuff happens, but it's all in whether people are trying to deal with it or not. Baby screaming but mom's alone with a toddler and can't just pick up and run outside? Poor lady, cut her a break. Kids banging silverware and parents not even attempting a "knock it off" or removing it from their hands? It's not the kids.

I haven't told somebody else's kid "no" exactly, but I've been known to say sweet as can be "Oh, honey, be careful, this is a very dangerous place to run -- you could get hurt! The safest place is in your chair!"

Simply by instructing CMs to take THAT approach would cut down on a lot of the nonsense you see in terms of behavior. "Oooh, be careful with that knife, sweetie, it's not a toy" (to parents) "Let me get him a butter knife."

They could have "Mickey says!" rules. "Mickey says "stay in your seat!" "use your inside voice!" "thank Mom and Dad for all the fun you're having" etc. Put them on the placemats (do they even have placemats? Trying to remember!)
Have a Goofus and Gallant type cartoon -- Mickey puts his napkin on his lap. Stich puts his napkin on his head! (Okay, that probably wouldn't work because kids would want to be Stich!)

 

[toocherie]

They could have "Mickey says!" rules. "Mickey says "use your inside voice!"

LOL--I could have used this last night. Except it wasn't a child it was an adult! She was SOOOO loud--we heard every word of her conversation from across the room . . . . we couldn't even hear the people at the next table but we could hear her! Wish I had gone up and said "Mickey says to use your inside voice!"

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

The people that would applaud an adult only restaurant (and we are only talking about one here) have been trying to figure it out for ages.

The only reason that gets tiresome is that "Disney is for the children". Somehow there are people that can't fathom that Disney is marketing to the adults too!! By the way....we love Palo on DCL.

True Disney is for children but it is also for the child inside of all of us.

Remember those that pay (adults) should be able to have one place child-free.

 

[Disney Doll]

some things you can control - but your children's life you can't. You have to hope and pray that they turn out to be good citizens.

I daresay that a 4 year old laying on the floor in the middle of the aisle in a restaurant, causing the waitstaff to step over him/her with their food laden trays is still able to be pretty well controlled by his/her parents if theychoose to exercise that control.

 

[Peepster]

So has anyone besides me e-mailed WDW and requested an adults only restaurant? I even suggested that it might be feasible to have a two tier or two separate floors of dining area serviced by one kitchen (to help hold down costs).

I don't usually hang around this forum and am surprised that so many of you share our feelings. And to the poster who first brought up the adults only venue on the cruise ships...bravo! A precedent has been set by Disney which should make it an even easier decision to replicate it on land.

Disney is always looking for new ways to make money (look at that Bibbity Bobbity deal where parents are fighting to throw money at them) and I believe there are sufficient numbers of us adults only that would part with a bit of extra cash to have this luxury. I'm not rich, but I'd pay it in a hearbeat. Anyone else?

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

Tell me where you sent it...I would be thrilled to strongly suggest an adult only restaurant.

 

[Peepster]

Ever since last night I've been trying to recall the general e-mail address I used to contact WDW. Maybe someone with a younger brain than mine can help me out..it is something like guestservices@disneyworld.com.

I got a response but it was pretty generic and of course included the disclaimer that they do not solicit ideas from the general public, etc.

It's interesting...I wonder if we are a small minority or just a silent one.

 

[cmwade77]

Perhaps I am the strange one here, we have no kids as of yet, but you know what, I don't mind if kids are a little unrully next to me, now if thier starting food fights or something that would be dangerous to either themselves, others or us, then I do have a problem with it, fo course at that point I say something to who ever is the most appropriate to say something too.

Iget much more annoyed by people that think that they have the right to smoke wherever they want, there are rules in place saying that there are designated smoking areas and those are the only places that one can smoke, please follow the rules, there aren't that many of them.