Observed a scary situation

[jngwright]

That is a very scary story, who knows what might have happened?

I do want to say that my dad has altzimers, and in his moderate stage, he loves small children. If we go out anywhere, I have to keep an eagle eye on him because he will walk up to strange children and start talking to them.

One day, we were walking in the local mall, and I did not notice he had stopped walking. When I realized he was not beside me, I looked back, and he was hovering over a baby carriage a few steps back. Scared the 'heck' out of me. I rushed over, and fortunately the couple were very kind, I told them about his disease, that he just loved babies, and then apologized PROFUSELY. What REALLY scared me was he had his hand out like he wanted to pick up the baby - He has never done anything like that before.

Since then, I have not ventured back to the mall with him. We go on long walks in the park, or long drives, or we can still go out and eat. Its sad that his walls are closing in on him, but I just cant risk what he may or may not do, even when I am super viligant.

I wondered if the grandfather in question had some sort of disease. I know, even if he did, the caretaker should have been right there with them, and corrected the situation, or not put him in the environment at all. But I will say, having dealt with this horrible disease, that people with altzheirmers progression appears not to be in a linear fashion but with huge bumps and dips. Sometimes they just totally shock you with a huge deviation in behaviour.

I totally understand what you are saying here! We had my Grandpa with us (he is going on 80, and a retired lifelong school principal) and he stopped a kid (maybe 11-12 years old) coming off Mission Space and asked him how it was, was it scary?, nauseating?, etc. The kid looked at him like... and I had to remind him that this is not 1960 anymore and you CAN'T DO THAT!! He thought he was just being friendly...The guy has a Master's in education, but common sense...sometimes he just doesn't think!
I am not excusing behavior like the OP was talking about-I wouldn't want some strange person of ANY AGE approaching my children! Sometimes, people of the Greatest Generation forget that times have-a-changed!!

 

[LuvsTinker]

Scary stories

We were at SeaWorld last week when I was about to go into the restroom and a man had his little girl (about 6ish) and was looking like he wasn't sure what to do. I started to ask him if he wanted me to bring her into the ladies room and then thought this man may think I'm crazy. He ended up bringing her in the men's restroom.

I didn't see a companion/family rest room like all the ones I saw while at Disney.

 

[hkeller27]

Even at Disney- danger lurks...
We stayed at Pop a few years back when my daughters were 10 and 11. We went to the gift shop as a family, but the girls wanted to look in another section together. I figured (like the abover poster) that they were old enough to walk around the same store with us, just in a different section. After about 5 minutes I heard my husband starting a fight with someone. I ran around the corner to see my husband blocking the escape of an 18 year old guy. My 11 YO daughter was crying and she said the 18 YO guy had walked behind her and placed her into a corner by walking very close behind her. He didn't push her in the corner, but his much larger presence moved her there. (My 11 YO DD is EXTREMELY short) My 10 YO daughter went to get my husband and when my husband got there, the 18 YO guy was reaching out to touch under her skirt. She was frozen with fear in the corner.
Security came over to help out and the guy claimed to not understand the language (he was from Canada) and his Grandmother (who brought him on the trip as a graduation gift) had very broken english. After a 2+ hour private meeting between police and the 18YO, they came into another room to tell us that the guy finally admitted that he hadn't yet touched my daughter, but he very much wanted to, so he could "get off". We didn't file charges because of the location (we are in VT and the guy from Canada) and the police stated that he didn't actually touch my daughter before he was caught by my husband.
Disney kicked him and his grandmother off the property and they moved us to POR. My daughter was not physically hurt, but she was emotionally distraught, Disney moved us all and our bags, they had dinner arranged for us at POR, so we could just go to POR and then to bed. We learned that we never leave them alone!!! Just because we are on vacation, doesn't mean the predators aren't either!

That is horrifying, and I am so sorry your daughter and family had to go through that! I think my husband would have actually killed the man right there in the shop. I'm sitting here with my 1 and 3 year old daughters, and thinking that they won't be going out on their own in this world til they are 25! It is such a shame that these things have to happen anywhere, but also at the happiest place on earth. Thank you for sharing your story.

 

[centurythree]

I was in line for the Dumbo ride and had been chatting with a mommy and her 1 1/2 year old while waiting. Nice lady! Her little girl threw her sip cup and the mommy turned her back just long enough to pick it up and again on the other side of the rope (older looking maybe a grandpa) said Hi to the little girl and asked if she wanted to ride with him. The little girl grabbed his hand and went right with him. The mother turned around and intervened but was very shaken that he would have attempted that. She said her daughter is not afraid of anyone and would go to anyone.
Now this guy may have been the nicest guy in the world but shame on him for even doing anything like that even if he was just joking. The sad part is you don't know if he was. Now mind you I knew who the little girl was with and I would have intervened myself before it went any further had mom not noticed but how scary. You don't know who is out there.
So I guess I just wanted to post not to scare people but to remind people to keep an eye on their little gems and to have the talk with their children about strangers. I just don't think we can do that enough.

There was nearly a worst-case scenario like this at one of our local theme parks when I was a kid. A boy went into the park with his dad and they got separated. A very alert employee later noticed the kid leaving with a different man (and a shaved head) and stopped them from leaving.

Glad to hear this story had a happy ending. Good for mom!

 

[skater]

I totally understand what you are saying here! We had my Grandpa with us (he is going on 80, and a retired lifelong school principal) and he stopped a kid (maybe 11-12 years old) coming off Mission Space and asked him how it was, was it scary?, nauseating?, etc. The kid looked at him like... and I had to remind him that this is not 1960 anymore and you CAN'T DO THAT!! He thought he was just being friendly...The guy has a Master's in education, but common sense...sometimes he just doesn't think!
I am not excusing behavior like the OP was talking about-I wouldn't want some strange person of ANY AGE approaching my children! Sometimes, people of the Greatest Generation forget that times have-a-changed!!

I understand what you're saying, but isn't it a sad world where a man can't talk to kids? My DH loves kids, but he knows he can't talk with them unless I'm with him and even then, its a fine line. Why have things changed? Is there that much more abuse?

 

[centurythree]

I understand what you're saying, but isn't it a sad world where a man can't talk to kids? My DH loves kids, but he knows he can't talk with them unless I'm with him and even then, its a fine line. Why have things changed? Is there that much more abuse?

Maybe, maybe not. People are certainly more willing to recognize abuse and report it now. I spent part of my summer dealing with child predator cases and, well . . . you probably don't want to know. Just keep a sharp eye out no matter how "safe" the person looks is my best advice.

 

[tdryl98]

We leave for WDW in 12 days. This time we are taking my sister and her 2 daughters 10 and 4. Mine is 10 also and has been driving me nuts asking to go on rides with only her 10yr old cousin. Boy are we going to have a talk! You think that just going on a ride everything is going to be okay. I have asked myself time and again "what could happen"? So I suppose I will live with an angry 10 yr old. Much better that then anything else.
Once while going on some of the rides in Fantasy Land I kept seeing the same man over and over. He really stuck out because his outfit was so colorful and he had some kind of toy hanging around his neck. He wasn't with anyone else and he just stayed in that area going on those rides over and over. We walked back through later in the day (3 hour tops) and he was still there. It struck me as creepy. Why would a 40ish year old man hang out in Fantasy Land all day?

 

[~Kik-Kik~]

Okay, so I'm going out on a limb here. When do you think it's okay to let your kids out of your sight? I'm really trying to give my DD12 (almost 13) more freedom and I guess I just need to trust that everything will be okay. I did let her sit by herself in the lobby at ASMo in August, and I also let her sit by herself in the food court while me and my mom shopped in the boutique. I even sent her into the bathrooms at WDW by herself occassionally, or had her wait for me outside. My point is, I don't think it's ever going to be the right time, but I can't keep her within my eyesight forever, and I certainly don't want the first time she's by herself to be in high school, so for those of you with older children, how/when do you let go?

13 is not old enough to give freedom too. Especially if it's your daughter. Any man could over power her, she is only 13. In Disney (assuming your not taking friends) she would be alone. That is just what these people what, a 13 year girl alone. If it was a boy I would let him wait in line alone, but that's all. I would be by her side at all times.

 

[centurythree]

That man does sound interesting, but it's often the "normal" looking people that cause the most problems . . . and I hate to say it, but leaving a 13 year old boy alone is just as much a risk as leaving a 13 year old girl alone.

 

[jlatina32]

This is the way of the world my DIS people. Its so scary how we can't allow our children to grow and experience independence like we did when we were there age.

I am very protective of my two kids for the reasons posted here. I live right across the street from where my children attend school. I will walk both of them to the front doors of their school till I see them disappear walking down the hallway together to class. I will never have my DD or DS go to the bathroom by themselves anywhere including Disney. I think they will be 18 years old before I let them do anything alone.

 

[TomLovesBecky]

I totally understand what you are saying here! We had my Grandpa with us (he is going on 80, and a retired lifelong school principal) and he stopped a kid (maybe 11-12 years old) coming off Mission Space and asked him how it was, was it scary?, nauseating?, etc. The kid looked at him like... and I had to remind him that this is not 1960 anymore and you CAN'T DO THAT!! He thought he was just being friendly...The guy has a Master's in education, but common sense...sometimes he just doesn't think!
I am not excusing behavior like the OP was talking about-I wouldn't want some strange person of ANY AGE approaching my children! Sometimes, people of the Greatest Generation forget that times have-a-changed!!

I think this is really sad. I would have asked your son the same thing, and not felt bad about it in the least. Your dad WAS being friendly, and he didn't do anything wrong. The day I teach my kids to ignore strangers in public places even when the risk of danger is very low...MANY people around, the guy was with his family for goodness sake, and asking a totally innocent question, not trying to entice him to do anything or go anywhere. I am a protective mom, but at some point it becomes self-destructive for a child to fear every person he doesn't know well. I would be comfortable with an 11-year-old interacting in a NORMAL manner with someone asking a friendly, innocent question. I don't buy this "teach your kids every stranger is dangerous" crap. I know that's the least of my children's worries. They are more likely to be abused by a family member or friend who can get them alone over and over and over than a man WITH HIS FAMILY asking a completely normal question about a ride in a theme park. A stranger is statistically more likely to help a child in trouble than hurt them. By all means, teach your kids every sign of danger, every strategy for escape or attracting attention, that you will never be mad if they tell and that they should tell immediately...if not you, then another adult they trust. But never will I teach them to look at people like they are all potential child molesters or murderers. That's living in fear and I won't have it. By the way, I realize a lot of people will disagree with me and that's fine. Teach your kids that strangers are all scary and potentially want to hurt them if you want to, it's your right. I simply disagree and won't do that to mine.

 

[LoraJ]

I understand what you're saying, but isn't it a sad world where a man can't talk to kids? My DH loves kids, but he knows he can't talk with them unless I'm with him and even then, its a fine line. Why have things changed? Is there that much more abuse?

This whole thread makes me sad. I'm sure the gentleman meant no harm. The mother was right there. The child was probably looking at him and he just said something. What a paranoid society we have become. I never see kids playing outside anymore or riding their bikes. I think the over-protectiveness of parents these days will do more harm than good.

 

[ConnieB]

Years ago I worked with this girl that told me a terrible story ~ Her brother and SIL took their 3ish year old daughter to Disney and they were looking at goodies at one of the carts...they turned for a minute and when they turned back the little girl was gone. They immediately informed a CM who sent out word all over the park...since there is only one way in MK the parents were told to go to the exit and look at the FACE if every child leaving...just the face. Sure enough..a couple of hours later a man was carrying their daughter out and he had already cut and dyed her hair and changed her clothes. Just terrible. Ever since I heard that story it scared me so much that my now eight year old has never been in a bathroom without me. Not even a school or Brownie field trip.

Anything can happen anywhere.

She told you an URBAN LEGEND that has been going around the Internet for about 10 years. The location changes...and small details like where the child was found (leaving with the kidnapper or in the bathroom, etc). But...it's an urban legend and the folks at snopes do an incredibly thorough job of trying to prove or disprove things like this, and they were not able to prove this happened anywhere. If it had happened, especially at Disney, there would be police reports and it would have been all over the local (if not the national) news....but there are no traces of any reports.

Read about it here:
http://www.snopes.com/horrors/parental/kidnap.asp

 

[ConnieB]

This is a long-running urban legend that has been debunked many many times over the years. This same story shows up constantly -- sometimes it was in a mall, sometimes at a theme park, sometimes at the county fair. This has NEVER happened at Disney. I'm sure it probably happened somewhere -- or that some of the story happened somewhere and was then embellished -- but this abduction never took place at a Disney park.

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/parental/kidnap.asp

You beat me to it, WDSearcher! This type of behavior is another reason to not judge parents who keep children on a child leash. While bad things do happen anywhere, this sounds like the old Snopes myth.

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/parental/kidnap.asp

Ooops...sorry, looks like I should have read a little further down the thread before posting.....but hey Great Minds and all that.

 

[linzbear]

Any man could over power her, she is only 13.

Any man could overpower me, and I am 27. At some point you do have to 'let them fly' and pray that you taught them how best to stay away from and react to bad situations.

 

[jngwright]

I think this is really sad. I would have asked your son the same thing, and not felt bad about it in the least. Your dad WAS being friendly, and he didn't do anything wrong. The day I teach my kids to ignore strangers in public places even when the risk of danger is very low...MANY people around, the guy was with his family for goodness sake, and asking a totally innocent question, not trying to entice him to do anything or go anywhere. I am a protective mom, but at some point it becomes self-destructive for a child to fear every person he doesn't know well. I would be comfortable with an 11-year-old interacting in a NORMAL manner with someone asking a friendly, innocent question. I don't buy this "teach your kids every stranger is dangerous" crap. I know that's the least of my children's worries. They are more likely to be abused by a family member or friend who can get them alone over and over and over than a man WITH HIS FAMILY asking a completely normal question about a ride in a theme park. A stranger is statistically more likely to help a child in trouble than hurt them. By all means, teach your kids every sign of danger, every strategy for escape or attracting attention, that you will never be mad if they tell and that they should tell immediately...if not you, then another adult they trust. But never will I teach them to look at people like they are all potential child molesters or murderers. That's living in fear and I won't have it. By the way, I realize a lot of people will disagree with me and that's fine. Teach your kids that strangers are all scary and potentially want to hurt them if you want to, it's your right. I simply disagree and won't do that to mine.

Just to clarify-yes, my Grandfather was with his family-but this boy was exiting Mission Space by himself. In this situation-it was not appropriate to approach him, because the boy was alone (and no-I wouldn't have allowed my boys to be on an attraction alone at this age). Anyway-I think that families interacting with each other is fine, it was the idea that he approached a child who was alone..

 

[BillyM]

This whole thread makes me sad. I'm sure the gentleman meant no harm. The mother was right there. The child was probably looking at him and he just said something. What a paranoid society we have become. I never see kids playing outside anymore or riding their bikes. I think the over-protectiveness of parents these days will do more harm than good.

i agree someone is just trying to make something out of nothing she was probably staring at him getting on the ride so he talked to her and asked it she wanted to ride just playing with the child and her mother was right there

 

[Purseval]

Six Flags has a big problem, and I would be very surprised if WDW didn't have the same one. In order to save money on daycare there are parents who buy their children season passes, drop them off every day and pick them up every night. Not only do they spend the entire day unsupervised and alone, after a few weeks of that (even at a place like WDW) they must be bored out of their minds.

 

[Disneyholic]

When DS was about 12 we were staying at WL in a courtyard view room 4th floor. He asked if he could go down to the pool himself, so I watched till he got on the elevator and then went back to the balcony to watch him. He was swimming for a while and then a boy about his age started talking to him and asking him to go somewhere with him. DS yelled up to me to ask if it was OK. I said No. All I could think was that this kid could have been used by an adult to lure my DS someplace. When he came back to the room I explained that I just felt uncomfortable about the fact that the other boy had just started talking to him and then wanted him to go somewhere with him.

Just another situation of people who look OK, but may not be.

At 15 I did drop him and a friend off at DQ for the evening and at 17 I let him take a bus to WL to transfer to DTD bus to go to DQ by himself while we stayed at HS for Fantasmic. He had to call us on the cell phone to let us know when he got to each place. This year he's 21 and we're going on the Disney Cruise for 4 nights and even though he is of age, there will still be rules to follow because I still feel responsible for his actions.

 

[BridetobeDisney]

This thread scares me out of my mind. I'm so overprotective with my DS. However, I am so scared to let him go somewhere with my DH or my MIL. My MIL is scatter brained and I'm sure would not pay attention to DS 100%. My DH is great but it still scares me that he is not worried by these things, like kids being snatched. It happens!

As far as older people and just not realizing things have changed, my grandma went with us for a day at MK this summer. We were crammed in Philaharmagic and a little girl, maybe 5, was right behind her. I think my grandma's elbow hit the girl in the head, which the parents did not notice, and my grandma turned around apologizing to the little girl and reached down and kissed her on the head. Now, my grandma is literally the sweetest lady I know. But I felt so embarrassed and uncomfortable that my grandma did that because the parents didn't know what was going on and just saw my grandma kiss their daughter on the head. I looked at the mom and she had the kind of weirded out/angry face on. But we are from the deep south and are just kind and nice like that. Now, I know better because I am an educator but I can see how she just felt awful that she hit the kid right in the head. As a grandmother of 4 and a great grandmother of 1 at 72 years old, she saw that girl as another grandchild and that's how she apologized. I didn't say anything to her because she meant no harm and she is very sensitive. She might have broke down and cried right there if she thought I was reprimanding her.

Also, please no flames for her behavior. I am just sharing how people can be innocent in their actions but ultimately were wrong because of the situation. I would have been freaking out if a stranger kissed my DS!!