Formal Apology to All

[Biscuitsmom31]

This is just what I was trying to say. Instead of taking a 9 month old or a 2 year old...maybe a 5 year old would remember more and be more comfortable in such strange, although wonderful, surroundings.

While I understand what your saying, this statement could apply to many, many situations. Are parents supposed to barracade themselves in their homes until their children are 5? Children learn how to handle social situations by BEING IN THEM. The main idea in parenting is teaching your child how to function in society. Those lessons are learned from experience. A five year old that wasn't ever exposed to these kind of situations before may have the exact same reaction as the two year old.

 

[babynurse1]

We were at WDW several years ago when my first son was about 4 months old.
The reason we took him then was my whole family was going because the doctors told my father he had Lou Gerhigs disease and we wanted to take a family trip. So while it would seem better to take a 5 year old, please remember that noone knows the circumstances of each person there, so please don't get upset.
By the way my 4 month old threw a screaming fit on Small World. How many of us have contemplated this same thing? Seriously he would not quit screaming. I tried everything!!! My then childless brother kept giving me dirty looks (as did others) and said "I am NEVER going to have kids".
I really am sorry that my kid upset the riders, but I couldn't exactly jump in the water and remove him from the situation. But you know what-- everybody else got to get off that boat and enjoy their stay at the Magic Kingdom. My family on the other hand had to come to grips with the patriarch of our family being diagnosed with an incurable disease and try to make as many magical memories of our own.
Cut people some slack, you never have to see them again anyway! And that is my 2 cents worth.

 

[LuvOrlando]

-

 

[dtuleya]

Hugs to you and your DD.

 

[DebIreland]

This is just what I was trying to say. Instead of taking a 9 month old or a 2 year old...maybe a 5 year old would remember more and be more comfortable in such strange, although wonderful, surroundings.

I see this said often but you must remember that there are many different types of families with ages varying widely within those families. The first time we went to WDW was last year - we had our 15 month old daughter with us so that might seem very young but we also have two sons who were 8 and 11 at the time. We're going back this year with, of course, a now 2 year old. I admit I'm not looking forward to those potential meltdowns though we'll do all we can to prevent them and deal with them.

But honestly what should we have done last year? Wait til our youngest is 5 to go? Then our boys would have had to wait til they're 15 and 12 and my eldest would never see WDW as a child. I definitely believe in mid-afternoon breaks and stopping when one in the party is too tired to take the stimulation and excitement of the parks and certainly the type of trip we'll have will, of course, be different to the trip a couple with older kids would have but still, we'll go and have a great time and try to accommodate everyone's needs and not push any of the kid beyond what their energy levels could endure.

 

[Deebo]

Hey Mr. Obvious,
Thanks for giving me your opinion when it wasn't asked for. Unless you were in any of those two places I mentioned in the first post, this really doesn't pertain to you does it? .

I didn't realize this was a 'special' thread where where only those who agree with the OP are welcome to post. I must have missed that in the posting guidelines. It's interesting that it is only the people who disagree with you who you tell to mind their own business-- you had no problems whatsoever with the unsolicited opinions of the the pages of people who patted your back.

And to MKing624 and AllyCatTapia--
No, I don't think I'm better than anyone else, and don't have a heightened sense of entitlement-- just the opposite. When our boys were little and meltdown-prone, WE would be the ones to go home so that they could wind down/ rest/ escape the overstimulation, rather than having an episode that disturbed those around us. It made for a better situation for everyone-- us and the other guests. I am now the one who is sitting quietly at a table, not making a disturbance, while someone else's child is melting down. I'm not sure how that translates into me thinking I'm 'better' than everyone else. I was just trying to point out that a little consideration of those around you, if your child is causing a disturbance, would go a long way and make the world a much more pleasant place.

That's all I have to say about this. Sorry if it ruffled some feathers.

 

[jjarman]

I don't have children, so my tolerance for shrieking/kicking is less than an experienced parent's would be. But I honestly don't know what any parent can do about a misbehaving 2-year old on an airplane.

You can't reason with a two year old. You can ask them to stop kicking, tell them to stop kicking, threaten them with loss of TV and toys for 6 months, and if the 2-year old is being obstinate, none of that is going to make a difference. What are your options at that point? Duct-taping the kid to the seat? Tying him up with one of those suitcase belts? Asking the flight attendant if they have a tranquilizer dart gun? (Not like I haven't fantasized about all of the above on some flights)

Even if you hold the kid and try to restrain him, that's just going to cause screaming if he's in a mood, and I'd rather have kicking than screaming.

It is called popping the child on the leg.

 

[Biscuitsmom31]

It is called popping the child on the leg.

If you do that then you get the howls of "ooowwweee! Momma why are you hitting me! You're hurting me!! WHAAAAAA!"

 

[properlywarnedyebe]

I didn't realize this was a 'special' thread where where only those who agree with the OP are welcome to post. I must have missed that in the posting guidelines. It's interesting that it is only the people who disagree with you who you tell to mind their own business-- you had no problems whatsoever with the unsolicited opinions of the the pages of people who patted your back.

My OP was not asking for advice good or bad. I was addressing two groups of people that may have been affected by our little situation. I did not address anyone who patted my back, but did appreciate others telling me they have had the same thing happen to them. That is not advice. However calling a complete stranger "selfish" may be against posting guidelines in regards of having respect for others.

Here you go Mr. Obvious:

3.* NO FIGHTING: Several Internet news groups are marred by the actions of a few selfish people who turn an otherwise positive forum into a soap box for their anger issues. Internet newsgroups are not moderated, and therefore, anything goes. These boards are moderated in an effort to keep the discussions appropriate to the topic at hand. Those who feel they can not abide by these rules are welcome to read the posts on the board, and respond via email to the person who posted the message.* Messages that are argumentative or sarcastic in nature will be deleted without discussion.


But you seem to be the expert on posting guidelines...and personality evaluations.

 

[mking624]

And to MKing624 and AllyCatTapia--
No, I don't think I'm better than anyone else, and don't have a heightened sense of entitlement-- just the opposite. When our boys were little and meltdown-prone, WE would be the ones to go home so that they could wind down/ rest/ escape the overstimulation, rather than having an episode that disturbed those around us. It made for a better situation for everyone-- us and the other guests. I am now the one who is sitting quietly at a table, not making a disturbance, while someone else's child is melting down. I'm not sure how that translates into me thinking I'm 'better' than everyone else. I was just trying to point out that a little consideration of those around you, if your child is causing a disturbance, would go a long way and make the world a much more pleasant place.

Editing my original comment because I don't want to argue about it. But I will say that EVERYONE'S attitude on it can go a long way in either direction...good or bad.

 

[pearlieq]

I didn't realize this was a 'special' thread where where only those who agree with the OP are welcome to post. I must have missed that in the posting guidelines. It's interesting that it is only the people who disagree with you who you tell to mind their own business-- you had no problems whatsoever with the unsolicited opinions of the the pages of people who patted your back.

Excellent point. ITA!

While it's clever to frame this as an "apology", and it sure worked given the amount of sympathetic posts, with the way the OP has talked to people on this thread, I don't see too much real concern for others feelings.

 

[mking624]

I don't blame the OP for the "lack of concern" given that some people who have replied to her seem to lack that same concern. And who are we to question her character?

I don't think it would hurt anyone (yes, myself included) to show a little more consideration and respect for each other here.

 

[Scot-n-Michelle]

sounds all too familiar, OP. I guess I should have posted a public apology a few years ago when I had a 4yo go into total temper tantrum mode somewhere between meeting Ariel and riding PP. I think all of us who are parents have been there, done that, and have the T-shirt

I totally agree!!

 

[pearlieq]

I don't blame the OP for the "lack of concern" given that some people who have replied to her seem to lack that same concern. And who are we to question her character?

I don't know...

First off, there's the old "two wrongs don't make a right" principle. I suppose there were one or two posters who crossed over into something that might be interpreted as rude. However, most people (myself included) who may have had a dissenting opinion phrased their concerns without being rude or attacking the OP.

I've found the majority of the OP's responses to be hostile and/or sarcastic. What's wrong with saying something like "Yes, I see your concern. Maybe I could have handled that better. Hopefully things will go better next time". Or just ignore it if she though it was outright rude. There's no reason to react to rudeness (perceived or real) with hostility. It makes the OP no better than the people "attacking" her.

Secondly, the whole "I wasn't asking for opinions" thing gets bandied about a lot, but really, how realistic is that? This is a very popular public forum. People come here to discuss things. What do people THINK will happen if they post something??? I agree that no one should be subject to a character attack, but of course people are going to give their opinion on posting. It's what we do here...

 

[Disneymusicgirl]

While I've seen (and heard) many small children throw temper tantrums in Disney, I have got to express my surprise at how many small children I've seen behave perfectly. When I was down in disney last month with a friend, we always seemed to be in the same vicinity as screaming children, and we just joked around about how they followed us everywhere. We were never extremely annoyed, since we both babysit a lot and understand that it sometimes cannot be helped.

Well, getting our seats for Fantasmic was no exception. There was a toddler to our left and a toddler to our right. Both had a short crying interlude before the show, and we gave each other the "just our luck" look. We thought about changing seats, but there was only a short time before the show and there were still a lot of people filing in, so we decided to stay. The result: both kids were perfect angels during the show. No screaming, no crying, no kicking, nothing. The moral of the story: while all kids have their bad moments, they have their good moments too. Besides, kids are kids.

 

[mking624]

I don't know...

First off, there's the old "two wrongs don't make a right" principle. I suppose there were one or two posters who crossed over into something that might be interpreted as rude. However, most people (myself included) who may have had a dissenting opinion phrased their concerns without being rude or attacking the OP.

I've found the majority of the OP's responses to be hostile and/or sarcastic. What's wrong with saying something like "Yes, I see your concern. Maybe I could have handled that better. Hopefully things will go better next time". Or just ignore it if she though it was outright rude. There's no reason to react to rudeness (perceived or real) with hostility. It makes the OP no better than the people "attacking" her.

Secondly, the whole "I wasn't asking for opinions" thing gets bandied about a lot, but really, how realistic is that? This is a very popular public forum. People come here to discuss things. What do people THINK will happen if they post something??? I agree that no one should be subject to a character attack, but of course people are going to give their opinion on posting. It's what we do here...

I do fully agree with you on the opinions thing. When you have a message board of over 100,000 members, it's not realistic to think that only those who agree with you will reply (or that EVERYONE will agree). It seemed to me though that she wasn't bothered by the disagreement so much as the attitude of the response.

That said, I do think everyone here...and I mean everyone...should relax before responding. Because you're right...there's no reason to reply to rudeness with rudeness. One of my favorite sayings: Respond, don't react. Reacting will typically dig a deeper hole.

 

[pearlieq]

One of my favorite sayings: Respond, don't react. Reacting will typically dig a deeper hole.

I've never heard that before. Very good advice!

 

[properlywarnedyebe]

I don't know...


I've found the majority of the OP's responses to be hostile and/or sarcastic. What's wrong with saying something like "Yes, I see your concern. Maybe I could have handled that better. Hopefully things will go better next time". Or just ignore it if she though it was outright rude. There's no reason to react to rudeness (perceived or real) with hostility. It makes the OP no better than the people "attacking" her.
...

Please go back a read my Posts again because not only did I say this, I agreed that it was a mistake, I was wrong and tried to bow out of this now ridiculous conversation gracefully. But for some reason they are random people popping up and telling me how selfish I am, when in reality, they are strangers who don't me, and feel they need to be angry at something that didn't affect them at all. I did get defensive, and got sucked into horrid debate even further. I honestly did not mean anything by my OP.
But I realized on the Dis boards something as innocent as "Disney has the best Chocolate ice cream" will spark even the wildest debates.
Please Close the thread and enjoy a meltdown free day.

 

[Teacher03]

This is just what I was trying to say. Instead of taking a 9 month old or a 2 year old...maybe a 5 year old would remember more and be more comfortable in such strange, although wonderful, surroundings.

I have heard this mentioned before, and I really don't know why it is so important for a child to remember a trip. It is just fun to be there as a family and enjoy each other at that time. My youngest DD was 3 when we first went as a family. She had her moments, mostly on the way there, but I can honestly say it was one of our best vacations. She doesn't remember much (she's 16 now), except through photos, but it doesn't mean she or we didn't have a good time.

To the OP, all parents have been there, whether they would like to admit it or not. A two year old having a melt down would not have disturbed us at all. I'm glad you had fun the rest of your trip.

 

[theostwalts]

I can not imagine that anyone would expect to go to Disney World and not see a child somewhere have a meltdown. I seriously doubt that the OP's child had a meltdown for the entire meal. I agree that most parents would understand.

To the OP...just be glad your child did not have such a meltdown that she puked...I guess you would be banned from Disney for life.