Spread a smile

[TwingleMum]

I was reading the posts about crying kids & yelling parents and wondering if maybe we all were looking at it the wrong way. Maybe we all could try Merriweatherstwin idea & bump it up a notch and smile at child & parents and say something like " Boy I get frustrated / tired too. Disneys a lot of work. Have a great day." I'm not all that creative about what to say but I do have 3 kids under 3 . (5 mos old twins and almost 3 yr old) and you can do everything right and still someone will have a meltdown. Its embarrassing and sometimes your at a loss at what to do. Rather then judge what if we all took the + approach and tried compassion. We can spread magic too by our support and letting the families know they have an ally. Sounds simplistic I know but I saw this work. I was looking for Easter outfits for the twins (don't get me started on how girls have a million clothes choices & boys 1 pair of pants & shirt. Can you tell I have 3 boys??) Well anyway it was lunchtime & a workday I was trying to get the outfits & get pack to work. There was a woman at the cash register w/ a pile of clothes. She had a 8 mos old in stroller. There were 2 women ahead of me & 2 behind me. It was taking FOREVER. Everyone was getting frustrated & the baby in the stroller was having fits. Well you could see they Mother wanting the earth to swallow her up. BUT a wonderful thing happened almost simultaneously The woman behind her chuckled & said "You couldn't pay me to do a baby again I'm glad mine are all older. " The woman behind her took the bottle off the stroller and offered it to the baby. (the mother didn't freak either the woman did it smiling and cooing) I tried peek a poo. Point being baby settled down Mom's face & shoulders unclinched and she smiled at everyone & thanked us for helping. The atmoshere became very relaxed & pleasant. Sooo why not apply this to Disney? I pledge not to get uptight if you tryto make my kid smile and I'll return the favor if I can. Sorry so long.

 

[Trinity721]

TwingleMum, that is a great point and I totally agree.

I have had an experience similar while traveling. My DD was 2 months old when we were traveling just us two going back home to DH. We were at the airport, and I had DD, her bag, her stroller so my hands were full. And she just would not sit in the stroller! So this kind lady approached me, said that she too had a baby at home DD's age, and asked me if I needed help with the stroller. To which I eagerly said YES!!! It made my trip much more manageable. Thank God for people like her!

It's tough being on a plane also, and having a fussy baby, and having to sit through the disapproving looks and cynical sighs. It makes me feel horrid. On that same trip, when DD was getting fussy near the end of our ride the man next to me was soooo nice about it. He tried playing with her, and making her smile. It made me feel so much better!

So I would say, instead of looking at frustrated mothers and criticizing them, try to lend a helping hand. It means more to them than you can imagine!

 

[Simba's Mom]

Thanks so much for the suggestion! I have never had the courage to try to smile at children when they're grumpy-I'm so afraid that in this day and age with all the strangers in this world, someone might mistake my intentions. However, I remember on one of my solo trips, a woman got on the bus like a "pack rat" (many of us have been there)-carrying baby, lugging stroller, diaper bag, jacket for her, jacket for toddler with her, etc. Not only did I offer her a seat, I offered to hold some of her stuff. The thankful smile on her face cheered us both up for a while.

 

[Hayley]

I saw a guy do something on the monorail that I loved so much that I copy all the time. A mom, dad, and their 4 kids were all al the end of their respective ropes. A little girl about 3 was crying and screaming at the tops of her lungs - most of us were about ready to change cars! An older man had heard the mom call her Sarah, so he said, " Hey there, Sarah - you scream pretty good! Scream for me; OK?" Sarah was stunned - she stopped screaming and looked at him. "Come on Sarah!" he continued " I know you can do it - I just heard you! Scream for me!" Now Sarah was really embarrassed - we were all laughing and Sarah's head was buried in her dad's shoulder - by the time they got off, the whole little family was all calmed down and much happier.

 

[pointandshoot]

This thread reminds me of a comment a Disney Store CM made to me. She had completed an internship at WDW and being a psych major, loved to talk to children. She said "At WDW, you could talk or be nice to a child or stranger, and not be considered odd".

Being parents, we all know to protect our children as gold. But I have had many kind gestures towards my child from strangers at WDW. Little things like giving a child a pin, letting them move in front of your to see a parade, or entertaining them with in a ride queue can help turn a meltdown day into a nice vacation. And it does come back to you.

 

[house_of_princesses]

A professor of mine once told me that Americans give freely but have a difficult time receiving. I've evidenced this numerous times. A mom frazzled, my offering a helping hand, and her refusal of assistance. I, too, have refused a helping hand! (Where was my head?! ) Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is, I think many of us would love to reach out, and try to do just that. But should you find youself on the recieving end of assistance, smile, accept it gladly and know that there really is great kindness to be experienced and it's ok to accept it!

 

[jwsqrdplus2]

I too have had the nightmare trip from you know where, but thanks to the kindness of strangers, I was fine.

DH was in Vegas and DDthen18mo and I were flying out to meet him. Due to a weather delay, DD and I missed our connection and were trapped at DFW for 6 hours. The airline had a "playroom" area where they kept minors travelling alone between flights, so they let me stay in there. DD has toys to play with and I could put down the carseat, diaper bag, stroller combo!

When it was time to catch the new flight, it too was delayed by another 2+ hours. It is now close to midnight and DD had just fallen asleep!! The airline offered us some box lunches, and two fellow passengers asked if I wanted anything and three other passengers picked up box lunches for me. When it came time to board, fellow passengers again grabbed all my stuff so I could carry the sleeping baby. One parent even installed the car seat for me. We finally got to Vegas at 1 am PDT (3 am on our body clocks). Same passengers helped me off the plane as well.

Despite the nightmare trip, the kindness of strangers will never be forgotten.

 

[Matty_Disfan]

Yeah, wow. That's a really good way to look at it.

Instead of being cynical or wanting to say something sarcastic I guess I should try and help out.

Kudos to you guys.

I'm gonna want help when I have kids, so I should help others when they have kids.

I'll put this to work when I am in WDW (less than two weeks) and I'll try to remember to post my good deeds when I return.

Cheers!

 

[minivan3]

This is an excellent thread!! We should all try lending a helping hand instead of standing back in judgement. Of course, this means we have to come out of our comfort zone. It is much easier to take the easier road and pass judgement than it is to actually make a difference in someone's life. But look at the rewards! Warm fuzzies for everyone, including those that read this thread. Great ideas!

 

[TwingleMum]

Great Big sprinkle of Pixie Dust to everyone who replied & sent positive thoughts, Random acts of Kindness beget more acts of kindness. In a scary time in this world its nice when people reach out with warmth & compassion. Pass it on.

 

[bigsis1970]

I always travel with Lolipops for this reason.. Getting on the plane for our Nov. trip last year in boston a little girl was getting really upset as she needed to sit in her car seat on the plane and her dad had to sit in another row ( she was with the mom ) and nothing was working so i pulled one out , caught the mom's eye , she nodded and then they handed it up .. took about a minute and that was the end of it.. she ate the lolipop , then took a nap.

I also hand them out when we are waiting in a LOOOONG line , or waiting for the parade. Michelle

 

[vicnmickey]

You make me smile, I will make you smile Our last trip in 2000 my kids were 8 and 9. I remember being in MK it was early afternoon and 100 degrees My son was getting on my last nerve, I remember telling myself(Pixie Dust Pixie Dust) We had ressies for the Cindrella's for dinner and really didn't want to leave. But I looked at my kids and said lets go swimming!! The excitement on their faces was enough to make up for the missed dinner at Cindy's. We had a wonderful time at Typhoon Lagoon that afternoon and evening.

My other experience was at MGM. There was a young mom and her crying daughter sitting on the curb waiting. We were standing in line for icecream and I over heard the mom tell the little girl, "We can't get icecream honey, we have to wait till Grandma gets back with our money". I proceeded to buy each of them a vanilla cone". I didn't know if the mom would except the cones, but to my suprise she started to cry when I handed the cones to her. She wanted to pay me back when her mom got back and I just said it wasn't necessary. She hugged me and said Thank you a million times.
The little things make someones vacation

 

[house_of_princesses]

Sometimes even a mundane grocery shopping trip can transform someones day. I was standing in the checkout line, watching the cutest little girl play with a helium filled balloon her mom gave her to play with in the store. When it came time for them to check out, mom took the balloon away. She never had any intention of buying it for her. Just something to occupy her while in the store. The little girl didn't say a word, just hung her head while the tears fell. I bought six balloons and asked the bagger to bring them to her. Her face was priceless! I'm so happy I stepped out of my comfort zone and did that for her. Her mother wasn't too happy with me, but she really wasn't my concern then.

 

[JetMom]

This is a great thread! Remember, you can always sprea Pixie Dust. I was at Wal-Mart on saturday night at 11 p.m after work - A very rude, unpleasant man was yeling and cursing at the poor checker because he felt that he had to wait in line too long. I changed lines to get behind him and bought the poor girl a Hershey Bar. I know it wasn't much--- but she needing to know that not every customer is selfish and rude.

 

[Hayley]

I don't know if this is what you'd call spreading pixie dust or not... , but I just had the same thing happen in a mall store where a really unpleasant woman was yelling at a young clerk (about my daughter's age) about something that was not in the clerks control. I mean, this lady wouldn't shut up - it was like she thought if she kept yelling what she wanted would just magically happen or something.

I took about as much as I could take and then -- butted in. I said, "Hey, what's your problem. It's not this girl's fault! She's been very polite with you and helped you as much as she possibly can. Give her a break, will you?!

Then the lady said something about it being none of my business, mixed in with a lot of swear words, and I said, "You know I think it <i>is</i> my business if you are going to try to intimidate this young girl!"

The lady huffed out - and now, I get embarrassed. I told the clerk that I was sorry if I'd made too much of a scene. She said, "NOT AT ALL!" And she thanked me a hundred times. She said, "I'm glad <i>somebody</i> said something!!!" (Meaning her supervisor, a man, was cowering in the back, afraid to come out and help her!

Like I said, don't know if that's exactly pixie dust.....

 

[emmagata]

Originally posted by pointandshoot

Being parents, we all know to protect our children as gold. But I have had many kind gestures towards my child from strangers at WDW. Little things like giving a child a pin, letting them move in front of your to see a parade, or entertaining them with in a ride queue can help turn a meltdown day into a nice vacation. And it does come back to you.

What's really sad that it's not more like that. I can understand the cautiousness but I think that some parents go overboard (although they think that there is no such thing) in isolating their children from the world.



I've done some of those things while at WDW (and other places) and it does two things. It makes both of you feel good.


On the otherhand, there are quite a few (but probably well meaning) strangers that overstep the boundry between a simple gesture of kind (only human) interaction with strangers and sticking their nose where it doesn't belong.

 

[house_of_princesses]

Hayley,

I'd call it Pixie Dust! Someone needed assistance, and you helped! Let's hope the other customer went home and thought about what happened, and promised herself not to do it again!