I think the worst thing i saw was in the bathroom in the Contemporary outside of CM. A woman and her daughter were just leaving as i entered. I crossed in front of the garbage can and the girl stood with her piece of paper towel waiting till i passed. Her mom pushed her daughter on the shoulder and told her "just throw it on the floor, that's what that lady is supposed to do, clean up after us." While i was washing my hands i turned to the CM & thanked her for doing her part in making my holiday so special and tears trickled down her face "no-one ever talks to me, you have no idea how much this means to me"
True, the job of custodial staff (ANYWHERE) is to keep things clean BUT does that mean you can encourage your child to deliberately make a mess???
What I used to tell my kids is that some people have such small meager lives, that they need to actively try to make other people feel smaller than them, by tearing them down. Deep inside, they know the truth about themselves, and this is the only way they can feel better about it.
And what my mom always told me is that you can measure
real class by how courteously a person treats the people who serve them.
I always acknowledge workers in a friendly way if I'm entering a room where they're busy. It's only polite! And yes, it's too bad that the mother is setting that sort of example for her daughter... but there's always hope the girl will realize how flawed her mother is, someday, and aspire to be better (after all, she was waiting for the trash can, so her instincts are good!).
Ugh...that sort of thing annoys me to no end, but it's not just at Disney that it occurs. I live in an area with a lot of historical sites (Hudson Valley, NY). Last fall, my parents came to visit and we went for a little walk around the grounds of one of the big old estates. There are big, very old trees on these grounds, and signs next to them saying not to climb on them because it damages the trees. Well, sure enough, we were headed back to the car and I see a family with 4 or 5 kids who had been biking around the grounds stopped over by one of the trees. The kids were climbing all over it, and the dad was right there taking pictures of them. I got so mad...the sense of entitlement these people must have to think that the rules, which are clearly stated on a sign next to the tree, don't apply to their precious snowflakes! And the fact that they are essentially teaching their kids that you don't have to follow the rules!
I let my son feed the geese at the river down at the end of my street, even though the city says we mustn't, because it brought the old men sitting on the park benches much pleasure, and it was entertaining to watch my little boy attempting to organize the birds so that every one got a bite.
So I have to say, I've been guilty of feeding ducks, and letting my kids feed them... and also climbing trees, and letting my dog roam off leash, too! Jaywalking. Swimming without a lifeguard. I'm a heck of a rebel.
But not at Disney! When I'm at Disney, I'm a guest. In other words, I need to abide by the rules of my host and be respectful.
I would never let my kids climb heritage trees, either.
Maybe the older men were supporting the young women because the young women have bad knees and are not steady on their feet?
The young ladies: -------->
That said, I tend to think that if some older gentleman (or lady!) is desirous of company and wealthy, famous, or important enough to acquire a trophy husband/wife, young lover/gigolo/sugarbaby, or simply pay for an evening out... why not? They're not hurting anyone. People embark on relationships with each other for many, many different reasons. This one is probably more honest than, "We got married because that's what our families expected!" or "We're staying together for the kids!"
