How Come the Happiest Place in the World is Usually Not Happy

[MikeWazowski]

My family and I noticed this a few times now. We always see kids getting yelled at by there parents or parents getting yelled at by their kids in WDW.

You could not find a better place to leave your problems behind in, but there is always a mother yelling "just wait until I tell your father about this" to their son or daughter.

Its really funny to a bunch of kids crying in a show or in a ride line. You would think everyone would be walking around with hugh smiles on there face.

 

[MikeWazowski]

When you eat at almost any "family" WDW restaurant there is usually a child banging on there plate, crying, or screaming.

You pay all this money to make your kid happy and they don't understand what you try to do for them.

My five year old niece cryed from boma for breakfast to MGM becuase she was forced to eat somthing before hitting the parks.

But, if crying kids drive you crazy like me you will definently want to get to is Cinderellas castle or the SciFi Cafe. At both of them, the mothers were asked to bring there child into the lobby until their child calmed down because they were being so loud.

 

[ducklite]

Because parents are stupid and are too selfish to understand their childrens needs.

I can't believe the number of people (and lots of them on these boards!) with the "I'mspendingallthismoneyforavacationandwe'regoingtoseeitallIdon'tcareifyouarehungryit'snotinourprearragnedtouringscheduleforyoutotakeabathroombreakandyoujustbetterlikeitorelse" attitude.

Who's having fun there? No one.

Stop! Relax! Take some time to do NOTHING! Don't plan every second of every day. THROW OUT THE UNOFFICIAL GUIDE AND IT'S RIDICULOUS TOURING PLANS!

I'm all for planning out each meal (although often it's "Graze around Epcot".) But the idea of "we need to arrive at the MK at exactly 8:07 am, then we will proceed to Buzz Lightyear where we will be the first five parties to ride, we must befinished by 8:28 am in order to make it across the park for BTMR which we will ride at exactly 8:52. Give it a break!! All you're doing is setting yourself up for stress and disappointment.

You're on vacation. If your kid wants an ice cream sundae for lunch, let them have it! It's not going to affect their ability to get a bocceball scolarship to in the future! Sweat the big stuff, forget about the small stuff.

Listen to your kids. If they are hungry, feed them. In fact, feed them BEFORE they are hungry! If they are tired, forget lunch, and go back to your resort to recharge.

And think about it this way: did you take the kids to WDW for You or for Them? Most of you will say "for them". Then LET it be their vacation!

Anne

 

[Pamlur]

We used to have a branch office in Ft. Lauderdale, and would often take off to Disney for a weekend (just dh and me). We have "yours and mine" kids, and no "ours" so we didn't ever even have to think about what age they should be before they got taken to Disney.

And, then came the grandkids; my daughter and I talked. We patiently waited for the two to get old enough to really enjoy it, and she had a surprise last January! We are going in September, even though our delightful little surprise package won't be but 20 months; we don't want to wait any longer (the older two will be 10 and 7). We will go slowly, we will take breaks, we will have fun. There will be six adults for the three kidlets, and we know how to pace ourselves.

My heart always broke for the families who had saved for years, and then weren't having the magical experience they had expected.

 

[panfan]

Two years ago we had the worst WDW vacation. I did all the corrct things--Consulted these boards everyday, Read all the books - made ps for everyday some time 2 a day. I had it all planned out. That is except for the fact that It all might be too overwhelming for my 4 year old little boy. You know what his very favorite thing of the whole trip was?? Watching the model trains in Germany in Epcot!!!!! That is what he talked about the whole time no matter what else we were doing!! I found myself getting so mad , yelling etc. But looking back -jhow was my little boy supposed to know that he should like certain things better . Some times kids are just too young and the amount of money you are spending--they are just too young to understand that concept. Last years trip was much better-we all had a more relaxed attidude!!

 

[TRAPPED-PARENT]

If your family can't go non-stop every minute of the day at home, what makes you think they can do it at WDW?

Have realistic expectations and try to be flexible.

I agree, that you just cannot do it all regardless of the age of people in your party (yourself included) ... see the highlights (what's important to you and your kids) and save the rest for another visit!



p.s. We are just back from WDW and I did get upset with my 18 yr old son because he started on his tangent about buying a jet ski with "his" money when he gets home (we'd just rented the water mice) ... while his father and I pay for his college!!!! Boy, did I blow a gasket! This heated discussion had nothing to do with being on vacation or at WDW ... however, just a continuation of discussions that take place at home. I apologize to anyone that overhead us at Ft. Wilderness!!!

 

[Belle5]

I wonder if the same people that scream at the kids on vacation (and generally have a very stressed out attitude) are more likely to bring it to their vacation? We certainly saw this with some friends of ours. They can't handle the stress of the kids at home (yell and scream a lot). WDW (especially when it's new and unfamiliar to you) can just make things worse for people with high expectations for little kids. So, they did the same at WDW and ended up leaving a day early. Sad...

 

[barbeml]

I know many people may disagree, but....Some kids are TOO YOUNG for a trip to WDW.

My DH and I do not have kids, but we can't help but notice many, many overwhelmed, overtired, overstimulated and miserable little children in WDW. We always caution our friends with young kids about putting off a first trip until the kids have the stamina and attention span to appreciate it. If they insist on taking them young, we warn them that they will not be able to "do it all" and should temper their expectations. People always say "You were right!

My Brother and his wife had to be in Orlando on business (lucky!) and had to take my then 2-year-old nephew. They were only able to do a couple of hours in MK--the little guy got tired and some of the big characters scared him.

While every kid is different, it is a shame to see so many parents unhappy and downright nasty with their kids because the kids failed to meet the PARENTS' expectations for the trip.

It is a big investment of time and money. Be REALISTIC about what your kids can handle.

 

[shelly3girls]

I don't agree that kids can be too young for WDW, but I do agree that kids can be too young to go commando style. My children always rest for atleast 2 hours every afternoon. This leaves them rested and pleasant most of the trip. My children cry when they are too tired. We traveled in Dec with family. My children napped every day, they took their children in the parks all day and didn't understand why they were crying and throwing fits by late afternoon. They even asked me how I got my children to behave, but of course they didn't want to hear the answer......

 

[Trish5768]

I agree that you have to tailor your vacation around the needs of your small children-they just are not up to the commando style touring. We took our youngest when they were 24 months and just 5. We had a blast!!! We took breaks everyday, kept them on the same nap schedule they had at home and everything was wonderful. My DS had just turned 2 and all he really wanted to do was ride the busses, boats and monorail-it was so funny.

 

[>>^..^<<]

I have seen families in that "Disney Dazed" condition too, yelling at the kids to change their attitude - "or we'll go home right this second" and the kids are just so tired or they see something they would like to do and there is "no time" because there is a schedule to be kept.

Having said that - I know that we have been to Disney before and we go to Disney again. (barring some life altering trauma)

What we do not get to experience this time.. we can do another time. This is a wonderful luxury to have.

Some families however, save for months maybe even years and this is a once in a lifetime trip.. they want to see/do everything and end up being their own worst enemies.

I don't know how I would be if I knew this was my one and only trip ever... I might push the envelope and sacrifice the luxury of just relaxing to try and do more/see more... I don't think it is necessarily stupid but more of a panicked human reaction to the circumstances.

I sure do feel sorry for those "Disney Dazed" families though.. no one is having a good time.

My only other thought is there is just two of us when we travel so we don't have conflicting agendas.... when you start getting into larger families with everyone having different priorities of things to accomplish.. the sparks can fly!

My sister saved forever for a trip to Disney with her kids and when they arrived one of them came down with strep throat and they 4 spent days in the hotel room.... sometimes you just have bad luck and you can't plan for these things.

>>^..^<<

 

[merryweather's twin]

WDW is about MAGIC! Remember that kids are only kids for a very short time and any fit they throw today will not matter tommrow or in 20 years! Never let it affect your trip! I bet if you look you will see40 smiling happy kids for every 1 sad one!

I am a firm beliver that the type of person you are is magnafied 4-5 times at WDW. If you are a happy person you will be very happy and if you are allways looking for the down side then you will find it big time.
I am sorry but mabie the way you are seeing WDW is the problem.... I mean to say if you look for the negative like yelling unhappy familys you will find it . What do you see when a child is yelling ? I see a great kid having one of those moments and I allways make a point of looking in the parents eyes and smiling at them !!! I think it relaxes them and lets them know that we all have had those ( I want to crawl under a rock moments) and we understand their is nothing they can do!

I think your kids will do on any vac. what you expect of them at home.... By this I mean if you let them throw fits... scream at them or get stressed by them or hate it when they throw fits in public, they will do it to you in a pressure situation....

As for kids at a young age at WDW I think that if you are going to bring young kids the trip must be their trip! I like Ducklites approach.... Let them eat ice cream and have fun and skip naps or nap in the stroller and go slow and smile big!!!

I think that if you expose your kids to nice restraunts and WDW from birth they will know how to behave and the whole thing will be old hat to them by the age 3-4yo.
I think most Kids who have a hard time with the meals and the pace and the Char are kids who have never been in those situations and are over 2-3yo (that is when they start to fear things they have no memory of) And alot of the time it is the parents fault for not exposing them sooner. Example a 6mo has no fear so costumed people will not bother them! A 2 yo who eats out 2 times a week knows how to sit still and is less likely to scream!
I allways get complements on my kids and I have very few melt downs anywhere even at WDW. Why you say??? I do not sweat the small stuff!
My kids know they will be spoiled at WDW !!! I have a firm no no "no" policy at the parks! I mean no grumpys no give- mes no gripes from anyone even me or we all get a time out! even me!They all get a toy, they all get ice cream, they all get drinks,time to smell the roses and have fun !
Thank God in heaven that they are all so young that they do not want jet ski's! I hope I have not offended anyone and mabie you will look on the brite side next time!

 

[tidoublegger]

I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted at the end of a Disney day! Dragging little ones all over creation without slowing down the pace to an enjoyable level is a recipe for disaster! No one can expect to have angelic well rested kids if they've been to the parks all day, stay up late for special events, drop into bed *late* then get up early to do it all again! I think keeping little ones as close to their bedtime schedule as possible, pacing the day to accomodate little ones, and keeping it all in perspective is KEY!

 

[pnelson]

I agree with a lot of what is said here. However, please keep in mind that what you are seeing is one moment in a family's vacation and not their whole trip. We have taken our son since he was 3 years old and there were a few times when I really lost my patience and melted down and yelled at him. Of course, this would make him cry and have a tantrum. I'm sure anyone seeing us thought what many of you thought. However, what they didn't see was afterwards when we did get to take a break, take a step backwards and calm down. We've had a few bad moments in a TON of wonderful vacation memories. So, try not to be so quick to judge some families going through it. We've definitely learned from the bad moments.

 

[LAWalz23]

My twin niece and nephew are getting ready to go on their third trip to WDW and they are almost 5 1/2. The first time we took them they were 3 1/2 then a year later and for the third time this year. Not once during the past two trips did they have a meltdown, not even last year when first my nephew had a stomach virus and threw up at Chef Mickeys then my niece had an ear infection and had to be taken to a doctor. We always took it at their pace. When they were tired, we rested or went back to the room, they ate at regular times, not always the regular food but what is vacation for anyway. They went on the rides they wanted to and if they did not want to go on a particular ride we did a baby swap, no big deal. That being said these two kids have been going to adult restaurants since they were infants and if they ever gave us trouble they were taken out of the place. I think this only happened twice because they know when something is said there will be follow through.

 

[tink2]

While my child has not had a meltdown YET, my niece has the past two trips we've taken. She is more prone to meltdowns than my DD. And yes, the last time it was because she was tired. However, the first trip she was around 4 and it was the second day there. I forget what it was that sparked the 'fit', butit was bad. It was in the photo center near the entrance of MK. A few minutes later, she was fine and went for the rest of the day. I think it totally depends on your child's personality. Some children are more prone to these type of things. Yes, a lot has to do with the parents and the child being tired, but not all the time. I think the worst thing someone could do is look at the family judgmentally. This does nothing but make the parents feel worse. I agree with the post above that said they were always sure to make eye contact and smile. It is hard enough when your child is doing this, the last thing you need is to feel like everyone around you is judging you.
By the way, I am really worried my 2 1/2 DS may be one of these children this trip. I'll do everything to avoid it, but we'll see.......

 

[Mainebound]

Well, we had a WONDERFUL, FABULOUS family trip with my 3 year old and 1 year old baby in March, so my views about how young to bring your kids are clear. If YOU want to go, then by all means bring your little ones!

But on the topic of parents screaming at kids at WDW...
I always think this MUST come from people with no children, or children they didn't have much hand in raising, or with children so grown that they forget what it was like. It must also come from people who have never been to a supermarket, a Wal-mart, any chain restaurant, a daycare, a school, or any place that children and their caregivers interact. Because if you go to any of those places, you will notice that occasionally, children and parents disagree, and these disputes can only sometimes be handled rationally and quietly by ALL parties. Our family is our family, whether we are in WDW or Shop n' Save. And I'm sure that must be true for a lot of folks.

Finally, on the issue of judging other parents ...
I, too, was expert at raising other people's children -- until I had my own. I have a Ph.D. I am actually a professor of ethics. And yet, I have found that I know so little about even my own children. Every day, they teach me new ways to parent them. Except in rare cases, you really cannot discern from a 15 second encounter the character of a person, whether s/he is a parent or not.

There, I've said my piece!

--Mainebound

 

[Hillbeans]

I agree with Tink2 and Mainebound...I have a 2 year old DS and he's 95% of the time very good in restaurants, out in public. etc. His meltdowns usually occur because i'm trying to stop him from doing something he wants to do (ie, walk in the street, not hold my hand while crossing the parking lot, etc) so what may seem like me being a bad "mommy" is just me trying to protect him. I usually let him have his fit and 2 minutes later we move on.

I completely agree that screaming at your kids isn't really helping any situation. Unfortunately Disney can be such an overload on a 2, 3, 4, 5, etc year-old sometimes a kid is only crying because of that.

Just my .02 cents.

 

[mad4themouse]

AMEN, Mainebound!

Before kids, I used to see parents dealing with a child in meltdown-mode and I would think, "Oh, that poor child!"

After I had children, I began to think, "Oh, that poor mother (or father)!" It is amazing how your perspective can change.

 

[mslangen]

Hi,

In most posts that I read in this thread, the reason for yelling children shoulb be because of their parents wants to do as much as possible and see as much as possible, while their children should want to slow down.

I can tell you a whole other story.
OK, I and my brother were maybe a little bit older like 8 or 10 years old. This was not to Disney, but a themepark here in my country. It was a tradition to make a day trip to that park every year.
At that age I was waiting weeks and weeks to go to the park and was very excited about it. If it was me and my brother we should be go as early as possible. In our opinion we must be there before opening time and we should stay till the last attraction was closed, so we have as much time as possible to do the attractions.
But wat is the fact. My parents are more slow down types. First what they want is a cup of coffee and in our eyes it takes forever to prepare for the trip in the morning. Sometimes we were very frustrated about it. Also in the park. Many times they want to sit on a bench to drink coffee, while we want to do rides.

Of course this happens maybe only to early themepark lovers. It was no surprise that I bought an annual pass there as soon as I was able to go there on my own.
Now my father don't want to go to a themepark anymore. He was going there every year because of us. My mother does really like to visit a nice themepark (not thrill rides).

Maybe this is another look of the subject why childs are crying and people look frustrated while it should be a place to have only pleasure.

Marcel.