I'm Sure This Will Get Me Lynched!

[momtoBrandon&Jacob]

Well here come my standard answers...

1. Should parents of young kids never take vacations because the "kids wont remember it"?

2. Should the parents of young children not throw birthday parties until "the child can remember it"?

3. Should the parents of young kids stay at home under cover for fear of their child getting upset & "ruining" someone else's time?

4. Should the parents of young children never be able to share something THEY enjoy with their children/family because they have young children?

5. Who gets to say what the "magic" age is for Disney?

6. Should the parents of young kids shake their head & think "What were THEY thinking" when they see a family aruging with the temper tantrum throwing preteen or teenager in Disney (yes it does happen)?

Peopls should take their kids to Disney at whatever age they want to & works for their family. Period. I dont pass judgement on those who take babies, I dont pass judgement on those who wait until their "kids can remember it", I dont pass judgement on people who wait until their kids are teenagers. It is THEIR vacation, let them do it THEIR way.

Me, I am to busy enjoying myself with my husband & son to worry about other people & their vacation. I am just enjoying MY vacation.

I couldn't have put it better myself!

 

[jodifla]

My family and I just returned from 9 days in the World. My kids are 9 and 11.
That being said, for the majority of our vacation we were inundated with crying babies and over-stimulated toddlers throwing tantrums and crying. Parents were sniping at each other, just terribly nasty!
My husband and I both agreed that waiting til the kids were older was the right choice.
What is the attraction to taking your kids there when they are so small? I'm not trying to sound nasty, but it seemed to me that the majority just were not enjoying it at ALL. The parents looked exhausted and as I said before, taking it out on each other.
Case in point. We were on the boat at DTD waiting to come back to our resort. The captain told us that a lightening storm was in the area and we'd all have to disembark and use alternate transportation. No problem for us. But the family ahead of us turned it into a disaster. It was a mom, dad, a three year old and an infant with a double stroller.
The mother started arguing with the father because we had to get off the boat. The poor guy didn't stand a chance. She sniped at him the whole way back to World of Disney where we took another turn. I mean, it's not his fault a storm was coming. She *could* have stayed on the boat in the lightening while sitting on her metal seat. lol
This was common place. People just nasty to each other. It was very hot and that makes tempers run short, but geez. This is supposed to be a vacation. And no one is enjoying it.
Is it worth the money for a few photo ops? The kids won't remember it. And the most expensive souvenier is going to be the marriage counselling you'll need afterwards.
I felt so badly for so many parents. Can someone tell me what I'm missing here?

But you are just seeing a snapshot of somebody's day. You have nothing to put it in perspective with.

Maybe they had a great other 23.5 hours in their day, and you just caught them at a bad time.

I'm sure my DS has some meltdowns at the park when he was young. But for 95 percent of the time, he was really great. I can't even name a tantrum there, but since he was so young, I'm sure it happened.

But if someone caught us at a bad moment, they would get a totally wrong picture.

 

[mom2aredhead]

It's the parents fault if the kids are tired, hungry, overstimulated and being pushed too far. The poor kids probably just want to go back to the hotel and rest.

No, my son probably isn't going to remember the trips he took up to this point (or probably the next few) - but I will. For me, the trip is more about having fun as a family and seeing my son's face light up - not getting my money's worth out of the admission price by running commando thru the park and dragging my family all over the place to make sure we see everything.

I'd be willing to bet that the parents that are here reading these boards, researching their trips ahead of time, knowing what to expect, and preparing plan A, plan B, and the emergency contingency plan are not the ones you hear screaming like lunatics. Those poor folks probably didn't know it was free dining time so can't get into a restaurant, thought September would be cooler weather because summer is over...overwhelmed and unprepared.

And BTW - All of us families with toddlers are not horrendous...I've seen some pretty horrible teen and tween behavior too.

 

[thepeach80]

We went when our kids were 11months, 3, 5, and 8. We had a wonderful vacation.
Some people are cranky and miserable no matter where they are.
I would definatley recommend taking small children, but yes you do have to have patience, and you can't drag the kids around for 12 hours at a time.

ITA. We just came back w/ our 3, 10 mos, almost 3, and 4. They loved it and we never had any meltdowns or hysterics and the older 2 stayed w/ DH, I, and my dad till 10:30pm. We had our stroller and they were allowed to ride if they wanted to (and sometimes if they didn't in the case of our 2yo) and the youngest 2 took naps as well and we had plenty of rest time shopping, eating snacks, and 2 meals in the parks. It was great! We did have one breakdown, but it turns out the Winnie the Pooh ride is a little too much for my poor Evan, he was terrified by it!

I think it's sad that people would not do something b/c the kids won't remember, I'll remember and their grandparents (and uncle and greatgrandma) will remember being there for their first trip to WDW. This is part of why I'm such a fanatical picture taker (we have like 200 pics on our photopass cd), I want them to have some memories, even if it's just pictures of the trip. I went to WDW for the first time when I was 6, I remember almost nothing of that trip, but I have a few good pics that I can look back at.

 

[teresajoy]

Well here come my standard answers...

1. Should parents of young kids never take vacations because the "kids wont remember it"?

2. Should the parents of young children not throw birthday parties until "the child can remember it"?

3. Should the parents of young kids stay at home under cover for fear of their child getting upset & "ruining" someone else's time?

4. Should the parents of young children never be able to share something THEY enjoy with their children/family because they have young children?

5. Who gets to say what the "magic" age is for Disney?

6. Should the parents of young kids shake their head & think "What were THEY thinking" when they see a family aruging with the temper tantrum throwing preteen or teenager in Disney (yes it does happen)?

Peopls should take their kids to Disney at whatever age they want to & works for their family. Period. I dont pass judgement on those who take babies, I dont pass judgement on those who wait until their "kids can remember it", I dont pass judgement on people who wait until their kids are teenagers. It is THEIR vacation, let them do it THEIR way.

Me, I am to busy enjoying myself with my husband & son to worry about other people & their vacation. I am just enjoying MY vacation.

That is pretty much what I was going to say!!!

I also wanted to add, that I bet if you had started looking for familes with young children having fun and enjoying themselves, you would have found them. If you had been looking for kids your kids ages having a rotten time, you probably would have found them too.

My poor son didn't take his first trip to Disney until he was almost 4. Poor boy. The girls have been going every year since before they were born! Serisously, I have more issues with a teenagers attitude and meltdowns than I ever have with my little ones! Corey (my teenager)is great most of the time, but there is always a day when he is just being, shall we say, "difficult"!

Anyway, check out this picture of Lydia at 4 months and tell me I shouldn't have brought her!
She is smiling at Timon:

 

[marenian]

We just got back from our trip last week with a ~3yo and 10mo. We only had 2 days at the parks. We went to AK on the first day and ended up going all day...wasn't really planned that way but a thundershower trapped us at Pizzafari after lunch. We did the safari and then really should have headed back to the resort but really wanted to see Nemo...it's one of the few Disney-Pixar movies he really knows and likes. So we got in to see that and when that was over we were trapped by the parade. DS was really good up until we got back to the resort and then was on meltdown alert. We realized this and just got burgers at the snack stand at OKW and headed back to the room. He had a couple meltdowns while waiting for the food but I'm glad we did all that we did at AK. If we hadn't we would have missed having Mickey, Minnie and Goofy wave JUST to DS as they went by on the boat. We would have missed 10mo DD having a BLAST at the Nemo show. We were close to the stage and she clapped and 'danced' through the whole thing and Dory came right up to her at the end.

The next day we did MK in the morning and went back for a nap, then Epcot and back over to MK for Spectro and fireworks. That break really helped DS make through to the fireworks. We went on all of 3 rides at MK and only 1 at Epcot but that was fine because we were going at DS's pace. He may not remember everything but I sure will. He already is asking to go back to see Mickey.

And, honestly, DH and I had something of the opposite experience as far as the griping. We can get at each other pretty easily at home but at Disney, even with the unbelievable heat, and walking, and tired kids, and heat, and walking, we never snarked at each other once! To me, that was truly magical! I think it really depends on the personalities and attitudes of the individual people.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Maybe I live in fantasy land because I have never seen couples fighting or kids throwing themselvs down in a full out tantrum. I have occassionally seen a crying child but once Mom or Dad comforted them they were alright. FTR- my dh and I don't have throw downs in WDW or anyplace else for that matter. Honestly- I don't think it matters if you are in WDW or Stop and Shop. If you fight and have a short temper it is not going to magically transform once you get to WDW. Have my kids cried? Of course. Was it because we were dragging them all over. Nope. Some kids are more dramatic than others and will cry about nothing huge. I have however seen super rude teenagers. But again- that is not limited to WDW. Oh and my 5 year old remembers alot from the trip we took when he was 2.

 

[mickeymouseclubhouse]

Well here come my standard answers...

1. Should parents of young kids never take vacations because the "kids wont remember it"?

2. Should the parents of young children not throw birthday parties until "the child can remember it"?

3. Should the parents of young kids stay at home under cover for fear of their child getting upset & "ruining" someone else's time?

4. Should the parents of young children never be able to share something THEY enjoy with their children/family because they have young children?

5. Who gets to say what the "magic" age is for Disney?

6. Should the parents of young kids shake their head & think "What were THEY thinking" when they see a family aruging with the temper tantrum throwing preteen or teenager in Disney (yes it does happen)?

Peopls should take their kids to Disney at whatever age they want to & works for their family. Period. I dont pass judgement on those who take babies, I dont pass judgement on those who wait until their "kids can remember it", I dont pass judgement on people who wait until their kids are teenagers. It is THEIR vacation, let them do it THEIR way.

Me, I am to busy enjoying myself with my husband & son to worry about other people & their vacation. I am just enjoying MY vacation.

Bravo! Well-said! ITA!

We just back from the World with our 15 month old and 4 year old. Seeing the expressions on both the baby's face and my 4 year old's were priceless. Did we have a few tantrums-sure, but we have them at home, at the store, etc. I'm not going to keep my kids home just because I might run into someone like the OP...I was too busy enjoying our vacation to pass judgement on other Disney loving families and their children or to worry about how my children's behavior might be affecting YOUR vacation!

Cut families with small children some slack, afterall, WDW is the most magical place on earth for kids of ALL ages.

 

[sherabby]

Maybe I should cancel my trip! I never realized how much pressure Disney could put on your marriage!!!

Anyway, I see what you are saying....but it is a huge generalization to think that all parents will have a terrible time taking there 2 year old and it will ruin everyone and their dog's vacation if you do.

This will be my first time taking a toddler, though I was taken to Disney World as an infant many times with no problems (because I was an angel, of course). I think that parent's need to go into it with a realization that it will not be a fast paced, high powered, adrenaline run trip. Slow down and enjoy it WITH your child, at your child's pace. As for them not remembering it..that's true....but the parent's will and so will the older siblings if there are some along as well. As in my case, I always knew I wanted to take my daughter when she was around 5 or 6. I wasn't going to miss that chance with her just because her little sister was too small to remember the trip. And I do not believe in taking separate family vacations. I would suggest blocking out the other families around you and just enjoy your own at the age they are!

When are you going in August? We are thining of planning another August trip. Mid august since my brother is getting Married Aug 23rd. Either that or we will go right after his wedding and my parents will come too!

 

[vanillarum]

My DW and I agree ( and my 2 kids(DS 15, DD 10),do also. I know its to each his/her own, but sometimes ya gotta ask yourself "Is it worth it ?" We waited till our kids were 6 yo before we took them to WDW, and even at that age, there is so much information overload going on, neither one of them remember much about the first trip ! We just don't get why people bring very young children to Disney. It's enuf work with older kids. Our children are 4 years apart, so when my DS was 6, my DD was only 2. So we left her home. Now, maybe some people don't have this option, but it worked for us. Now when we are at WDW and we see kids and parents screaming and crying we all say "Happiest place on earth !!" Have fun !!

 

[sherabby]

Maybe I should cancel my trip! I never realized how much pressure Disney could put on your marriage!!!

Anyway, I see what you are saying....but it is a huge generalization to think that all parents will have a terrible time taking there 2 year old and it will ruin everyone and their dog's vacation if you do.

This will be my first time taking a toddler, though I was taken to Disney World as an infant many times with no problems (because I was an angel, of course). I think that parent's need to go into it with a realization that it will not be a fast paced, high powered, adrenaline run trip. Slow down and enjoy it WITH your child, at your child's pace. As for them not remembering it..that's true....but the parent's will and so will the older siblings if there are some along as well. As in my case, I always knew I wanted to take my daughter when she was around 5 or 6. I wasn't going to miss that chance with her just because her little sister was too small to remember the trip. And I do not believe in taking separate family vacations. I would suggest blocking out the other families around you and just enjoy your own at the age they are!

When are you going in August? We are thining of planning another August trip. Mid august since my brother is getting Married Aug 23rd. Either that or we will go right after his wedding and my parents will come too!

 

[sherabby]

Maybe I should cancel my trip! I never realized how much pressure Disney could put on your marriage!!!

Anyway, I see what you are saying....but it is a huge generalization to think that all parents will have a terrible time taking there 2 year old and it will ruin everyone and their dog's vacation if you do.

This will be my first time taking a toddler, though I was taken to Disney World as an infant many times with no problems (because I was an angel, of course). I think that parent's need to go into it with a realization that it will not be a fast paced, high powered, adrenaline run trip. Slow down and enjoy it WITH your child, at your child's pace. As for them not remembering it..that's true....but the parent's will and so will the older siblings if there are some along as well. As in my case, I always knew I wanted to take my daughter when she was around 5 or 6. I wasn't going to miss that chance with her just because her little sister was too small to remember the trip. And I do not believe in taking separate family vacations. I would suggest blocking out the other families around you and just enjoy your own at the age they are!

Okay, this will probably get me lynched too: I feel bad for kids that don't get to experience Disney at a young (under the age of 6 or so) age. I'm not being snarky--I seriously do.

There's something so magical when they think the characters are real. The look on my 4 year old's face when she met her hero, Ariel, was priceless. And although I'm sure they'll love WDW just as much when they get older (I hope!) those years when they really believe it's Tinkerbell flying out of the castle can never be repeated.

I went to WDW for the first time when I was 10, and I wish my parents had taken me when I was younger. At 10, I could've cared less about the characters, knew Cinderella's castle wasn't really where she lived, and was "too old" (or so I thought) for rides like Dumbo. I didn't even ride it that trip!

None of my kids's cousins have been to WDW or DL yet....and I feel sorry for them. My 6 year old niece looked through our Disney photo album last week, and was exclaiming over everything...all excited, and saying she wants to go to Disney world. Dh and I both said we wished we could've taken her with us, because it'll be years (if ever) before her parents take her. I almost felt bad we had let her look at the photo album.

Kelly

I waited to take my son to Disney due to his food allergies. Dummy me didn't know how awesome they handle it there or we would have been going EVERY SINGLE Year. My son is 7 and he missed out on some of that magic. He saw a zipper on the back of Pooh and he didn't quite know who was real and who was not after he saw Peter Pan.

 

[Big J]

Just my experience, not anyone else’s. Our family has gone 3 separate week long trips with young children, all during the summer months. Trip 1 DD 2 years, Trip 2 DD 3 years, Trip 3 DD1 4 years DD2 1year.

These were no doubt 3 of the greatest weeks of my, and our family’s, lives. We had gone many times before we had kids, and we made some alterations to our usual plans. Great fun, great memories for all. Next tip is planned this upcoming August.

I would have hated if we missed out just because we thought the kids were too young. With proper expectations and knowing yourself and your kids, you can have a great trip.

 

[NotUrsula]

You just can't generalize. We have been taking DS10 to WDW at least twice yearly since he was 2, and I can honestly tell you that he has never once had a meltdown at the parks. He's just not a kid who melts down. When he gets tired he goes to sleep; doesn't matter where he is, he just goes out like a light. We used a stroller at WDW until he was 5 for this reason. (We have pics of DS sleeping all around the world -- the real world. Having a child in tow has never stopped us from traveling internationally, either, and believe me, WDW is nothing next to the 30 hour planes, trains and automobile marathon we have to do to get to my family's home overseas. DS did cry unconsolably once in the middle of that; when he was 16 months old and got jet lag. We learned from the experience.)

We just took our new baby to WDW in early September when she was 10 weeks old. Again, no screaming -- she's a pretty mellow baby. She was perfectly happy hanging out in her sling, either snoozing, nursing, or watching the world go by.

DH and I don't get into arguments in public, it's just not something we do. We're very experienced travelers. We do our homework, make careful plans that always include a backup, and we make them with the children's needs and capabilities in mind, so we never try to do what they can't handle. We might get aggravated, but we don't blow up, because that really does no one any good.

Most of the people you see who have issues in public are people who are pretty much amateur travelers -- they don't do their homework, and though they *say* that they want to go with the flow, they get unhappy when the flow doesn't fit their preconceived notion and it isn't as simple as they think it will be. The general discontent spills over, and the experience is bound to go sour before they are done.

 

[Morley Dotes]

My daughter is 2.5 and my son turn 4 the other day. They have been to WDW 3 times and DL once....and we are going again for Christmas this year. The only problem we ever had with the kids was on the way back once when my son caught an ear infection and on the plane he cried a little. I offered drinks to the people around me, most were understanding, one guy was a jerk....there is always one. As for in the parks, we never had a problem, though it was exhausting....but we were careful to keep their schedule and give them their naps (we took naps as well) and everything was great. My daughter probably did not remember much from her first experience that she coculd verbalize, but I promise you she learned quite a bit and also absorbed a lot. My son, remembered everything, and still talks about people he met on the trips. Perhaps we did not "maximize" our trip by going on all the rides, but the real joy, at least for us, is being with our kids and watching them enjoy themselves. I can't count how many time we went on It's A Small World (both kids have always loved the ride). I am sorry to hear that you had such a bad time, I see cranky people sometimes, but I never let it ruin my fun. I hope that your next trip is better. While I am sure that you and your husband are right to wait to bring your children when you feel they are ready, I suspect other parents think the same way and have their own reasons for bringing their children....and are just as right in their thinking as you are in yours.

 

[antree]

First you have to remember you are in a place with thousands and thousands of people, you are going to see melt downs, rude people and people looking happy and sad and everything in between. It not just the toodlers and babies that always have a melt down. We have been going since my DD was 4 she is now 13 and her melt downs started about 2 yrs ago when we don't go to the ride she wants to go to at that exact time. So should I give in to that behavior at 11 yrs old, when she can understand we will go to your ride as soon as we get done what we are doing at that moment.
I have had my melt downs when I just wanted everything to go perfect.
My DH has had his melt downs, still trying to figure out why, He wanted to eat, come on you'll get food, grow up
My now 5 yr old has been going since he was 10 mos old and has not had a melt down, yet. I am sure this trip he is going to, He has been having a lot of them lately, because he can't have what he wants when he wants it.

I truely believe our melt downs have to do with all of us being together 24/7
what family is, we are not use to seeing each other that much. My DH works alot and it is me and the kids alot of the time and when you put all of us together, for 10 days or more for 24/7 it gets to be to much trying to catch up. So it not the toddlers and babies, it is everyday life and if you think you can get through the day with thousands of people and no tension, then you live in Fantasy World.

We love going to Disney and it does bring us closer together, we have wonderful memories, like my 13 yr.old walking back from MGM holding my hand, laughing and talking. My DH looking into my eyes with all his love and telling me he loves me. My then 10 mo. old sitting on the ground playing with Capt Hook and Mr Smee. And then every year after watching his face light up everytime we drive through the Arches, screaming we are in Downtown Disney World.
So should I let all that go because we might have a melt down one day while we are out.

Every Child, Woman and Man has had a melt down one time or another in their life.

 

[eliza61]

This happened to us last March but unfortunately it was the Moms having meltdowns. We saw more women with small children yelling, screaming , bullying and cursing. A women at Tony's town square actually called the cm at the check in podium a fat B%$h because she was told there were no availabities until 7:00 pm.
I waited until my kids were 6 because it was my vacation also (I never brought into the whole "disney is just for kids" rountine) and I wanted it to be as enjoyable as possible.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

My DW and I agree ( and my 2 kids(DS 15, DD 10),do also. I know its to each his/her own, but sometimes ya gotta ask yourself "Is it worth it ?" We waited till our kids were 6 yo before we took them to WDW, and even at that age, there is so much information overload going on, neither one of them remember much about the first trip ! We just don't get why people bring very young children to Disney. It's enuf work with older kids. Our children are 4 years apart, so when my DS was 6, my DD was only 2. So we left her home. Now, maybe some people don't have this option, but it worked for us. Now when we are at WDW and we see kids and parents screaming and crying we all say "Happiest place on earth !!" Have fun !!

I guess here's the difference. I don't consider my children "work". For me personally work is something I have to do but don't really want to. My kids are not work. I may take a little more gear for them but I truly enjoy them so it doesn't bother me. To each their own.

 

[everylastbreath]

Maybe I should cancel my trip! I never realized how much pressure Disney could put on your marriage!!!

Anyway, I see what you are saying....but it is a huge generalization to think that all parents will have a terrible time taking there 2 year old and it will ruin everyone and their dog's vacation if you do.

This will be my first time taking a toddler, though I was taken to Disney World as an infant many times with no problems (because I was an angel, of course). I think that parent's need to go into it with a realization that it will not be a fast paced, high powered, adrenaline run trip. Slow down and enjoy it WITH your child, at your child's pace. As for them not remembering it..that's true....but the parent's will and so will the older siblings if there are some along as well. As in my case, I always knew I wanted to take my daughter when she was around 5 or 6. I wasn't going to miss that chance with her just because her little sister was too small to remember the trip. And I do not believe in taking separate family vacations. I would suggest blocking out the other families around you and just enjoy your own at the age they are!

xoprincessmomxo- Please read the thread I wrote after we returned from Disney w/my 2 year old Grandson, I wrote it exactly for this reason. There are so many people who can't understand why someone would bring small children on such a vacation, please read my thread and you will understand. There is nothing like it, you will not be sorry you went. Please read.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1565254

 

[Cruz91]

...by a snapshot. Huh?! By that I mean that you're seeing families and judging them by what you see at a given moment. If people saw us on our way back to the room for either the mid-day break or at night, I'm sure they'd think we were sadistic bringing such whiney brats on vacation. What they may not have seen, however, is the blast we had en route to getting that tired.

For me, personally, the reason I wanted to take my kids at the young ages (first trip DD was 4 and DS was just under 2) was because everything was just so magical for them then. There was no doubt to DD that she was talking to THE Cinderella. You lose that magic by the time they get to 5 or 6. I wouldn't change a thing we did - despite some of the less-than-perfect moments experienced during the trips.