GOH Badges- Need help with Grandmother's worries

[poohpcgirl]

I am going in October with my family. I have a three year old son and I wanted to get him a GOH badge. I was thinking of getting them for the whole family. My mother and I were talking about it and she is very much agianst the idea of a child wearing something with his/her name on it. I know he will be with us at all times and it really didn't bother me, as I see them posted on here often and have never seen anything negative about them. Anyone have any ideas or suggestions to try and help ease her worry? Have you run accross this before?

Thanks for the help!
Melissa

 

[disneychrista]

I have to side with your mom on this one. I have never allowed my children to wear mickey ears or name badges with their name on it.

 

[DisneyGirl2005]

My husband feels the same way. I thought they sounded like a fun idea for my boys and he thought I was crazy. Here's my thoughts:
1st: This is Disney World we are talking about - most of the people already have kids with them and they definitley don't want to pick up another.
2nd: As many times as I have to correct or talk to my younger son everyone around me is going to know his name anyway.
3rd: There have been times when we have been at the MK and one of the boys has worn a baseball t-shirt with his name on the back. Purely accidental. We were concerned, but nothing happened.

Obviously if you have a child that will disappear quickly, or wonder off when you look away for a second, I would say think twice. If your child always sticks close and isn't prone to go off on his/her own, I say get the badge. Of course I am a lot more laid back them some, so just go with your own gut feeling.

If you do get one be sure to have a talk about the fact that although people will know his/her name, they are still strangers and all stranger rules apply. Do you have a code word? If anyone says your mom or dad told me to pick you up or take you somewhere, the person must have the code word. We have had one since my 13 year old was old enough to understand. We have never had to use it, but it makes me feel more secure if a stanger ever does try to pick them up. Good luck with your decision. I still haven't made up my mind because my 7 year old is a wanderer.

 

[DisneyMomx7]

We had them for all three kids - 7, 5 and 4. No problems at all. Of course kids were either in the stroller or holding our hands at parks. CMs made a special fuss over them, especially the girls calling them Princess **** and Princes *****. The kids loved it.

 

[DMRick]

We never have the grandkids names showing (and never had our childrens names showing)..too afraid someone will call them by name over to them. It can be so crowded at Disney, and it takes just a second for a child to be separated. I'm with your mom on this.

 

[twojo21]

i can see both sides of the fence the guest of honor badges are very neat & fun to wear, i ordered these for our wdw wedding for us, parents & wedding party.

but the safety factor when children are wearing them can raise concern from a dangerous stranger. but it could also help in the event your child is lost & wdw staff has to page you. children can become scared when lost & wont always talk to a stranger (my aunt had this happen at wdw last summer & her son wouldnt talk to anyone since her son (who's 5) had a personalized disney shirt with his name they were able to page her & reunite them.

make the decision thats right for you & your family, best of luck! hope either way you have a wonderful wdw trip!
twojo21

 

[taximomfor4]

This really depends on your comfort level. My kids' names are broadcast loud and clear all around, mostly from each other's mouths. Anyone wants to call them by name, they can just eavesdrop for 3 minutes. We thought long and hard, then ordered the name badges. In all honesty, it is more likely that your child will get lost (and found by a caring adult) than kidnapped. We purposely wanted our children's names (FIRST names ONLY!!!) on SOMTHING (shoes, bracelet, shirt, SOMETHING!!) because our youngest dd, at age 20 mos, played Houdini and squeezed out of her stroller seatbelt in a packed mall. We had been there, for the kids to be in a fashion show and there were MOBS of people. Apparently, she got swept away by the crowd heading in one direction, and a stranger followed her for quite some time before picking her up and heading backward with her. We were still mid-mall waiting for security to show (took them 20 MINUTES!) and my fellow mall employees were heading in all directions looking for her too.

VERY scary. Now, I want them to be able to talk to my kids if they find them. JMO, in a very personal decision.

Beth

 

[mermaidwannabe]

I personally would never let my children wear anything that displayed their names. I'm shocked that the personalized sweatshirts that Disney sells are such a big hit just because most of the Moms I know wouldn't let their kids. We didn't even let the kids get their names on the backs of their T-ball shirts. I just happen to be a worry wart though...I"m the type of person that says, "What if..." which can be annoying and no fun. I've heard the GOH badges can be fun and get kids extra attention, but IMHO, the risk just isn't worth it.

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

We wear our GOH badges each and every trip. They make the trip extra special for our children. The CMs always call them by name.

We are aware of where are children are at all times.

Buy the badges and have a great trip. On our last trip our parents were disappointed that the GOH badges were sold out. They felt they weren't getting the same attention that we were and they felt left out.

Lori

 

[Mom to Jordan]

I really have thought a lot about this post and was not really sure which way I would go. Like twojo21, I can see both sides of the fence. However, i keep thinking back to a news show I saw where a segment on abductions of children. It proved that children will react to someone calling their name. Even if it is only just looking up and taking one step toward the name. That is scary. However, DS did have mickey ears with his name on them when he was little and I had never really thought much about it. If either of you are having problems with the idea, I would not do it. In reality I have never head of an abduction at WDW.

Jordans' mom

 

[Mady/Sophiemom]

I have to agree. Too risky.

 

[disneyjunkie]

I agree with Lori, get the badges and have a great trip.

If it's risky to have your child's name printed on a item, isn't it just as risky to let others overhear you say your child's name?

 

[poohpcgirl]

Wow. A lot of really good feedback. I can see both sides of the discussion. Thanks for everyone giving me such good honest answers. I am going to get the badges, if nothing else for a memento of our trip. I really do not feel it will be a problem. My husband is on the fence on the idea. I am going to wait and see he thoughts and go from there. Good points everyone! Now he has something to chew on...
Hugs!
Melissa

 

[Princess Wannabe]

Just had to add my 2 cents worth...

Being a mother of 7 children, I have certainly had to think about potentially dangerous situations. And just when you think you have ALL potentially dangerous situations covered, there's always a new one that you NEVER thought of.... If parents could safeguard their children against everything, we'd have a near-perfect world.

Unfortunately, bad things happen.... However, with regards to the GOH badges, I think some people are letting their paranoia get in the way. As others pointed out, all it would take for anyone is to stand by your group and listen for a few minutes, which they would be doing anyway if they were intent on grabbing your child. In that 2-3 minutes, I guarantee you that you, your DH, grandma, or a sibling is going to address another child by their name. I would hope we've all talked to our children regarding strangers...and I've stressed to ALL of my children that just become someone knows them by name, it does NOT make them a non-stranger.

If you say that your child is too young to understand that rule, then your child is probably too young to recognize ANY stranger, whether they call your child by name or not.

I know it only has to happen once, but I haven't heard of any child-nappings from WDW in all the years they've been open.

My kids wore their GOH badges, and the attention they received from the characters, as well as the CM's, was WELL worth it!

I say, GO for it!!!

 

[aottmers]

We are taking our first trip with our dd's to disney world in march. I'm not sure what GOH badges are, but if they are on a chain or something can they be tucked in a shirt and pulled out only when the child gets lost. Maybe explain that if you are lost go to someone who works there and show them your badge.

 

[Cindy's Mom]

DisneyGirl2005 wrote:

1st: This is Disney World we are talking about - most of the people already have kids with them and they definitley don't want to pick up another.

That is sooooo funny; I know its true for me.

I say get the badges, bad things will happen regardless of your child having a name badge on. It's like the old saying (paraphasing) - if a thief wants it, no lock will keep them away.

 

[hokiefan33]

Wait a minute, who did you say the parent was? Oh, that's right - YOU ARE!! Therefore, it only matters what YOU think about it - it doesn't matter what your mom thinks about it, b/c he is not her child, he's yours!!

So, what do YOU think about it?

Personally, I see no problem with it as long as the parents are responsible. We have done it with our kids (ages 8 and 5 at the time), and nothing bad happened to them. I didn't feel the need to watch them any closer with the name badges on - I would have been watching them closely ANYWAY, b/c it is WDW and there are a lot of people there. The CM's will call your kids by name, and it really makes the kids love it!!

Just watch your kids (as you would anyway), and everything will be fine. And if your mom doesn't like it, tell her that you're sorry but that's the perks of being a mom, that YOU get to decide what's best for your child, NOT her!

 

[DMRick]

Wait a minute, who did you say the parent was? Oh, that's right - YOU ARE!! Therefore, it only matters what YOU think about it - it doesn't matter what your mom thinks about it, b/c he is not her child, he's yours!!

While it's always my daughters choices to parent as they wish, we appreciate that they ask for and get (and sometimes get and not ask for) advice. Of course we know who the parent is, but I'm still thankful that my daughters do think it matters what we think about things. The final choices are always theirs with their children, just as my choices were mine when mine were growing up..but I hope, just as we respected my mom's input, they will respect ours. It's how a lot of close families work...with suggestions and ideas. Doesn't mean the grandparents are trying to be the parents. Just my own opinion.

 

[disneyjunkie]

While it's always my daughters choices to parent as they wish, we appreciate that they ask for and get (and sometimes get and not ask for) advice. Of course we know who the parent is, but I'm still thankful that my daughters do think it matters what we think about things. The final choices are always theirs with their children, just as my choices were mine when mine were growing up..but I hope, just as we respected my mom's input, they will respect ours. It's how a lot of close families work...with suggestions and ideas. Doesn't mean the grandparents are trying to be the parents. Just my own opinion.

I agree 110%. My value my parents, my grandmother and my aunts opinions. I my not agree or do what they say, but I respect them no matter what.

 

[hokiefan33]

I don't think at any point that I said you shouldn't respect your parents (grandparents, aunts, uncles, 3rd cousins, etc...). What I said was that the decision itself is up to you - not up to your parents.

So while they can have input (requested or not), just b/c your decision might differ from their input that is OK, b/c YOU are the parent and ultimately YOU know your kids better than anyone else and YOU are responsible for their well-being. I'm sure your mother is just being cautious, and that's fine. And I don't think you should disrespect your parents just b/c their opinions might differ from yours.

But the decision IS yours.

And as other posters have said, bad things can happen to your children whether they are wearing a name tag or not. The name tag alone will not get them in more trouble, and not wearing the name tag will not automatically prevent trouble from happening. Either way, you still have to watch them very closely in such a crowded area.