The worst parenting I ever saw in Disney was...

[Juliet25]

I totally agree. I have to admit, I always worry when I open a post like this: "Will it be about me?" Probably my dumbest moments have come when my two were little and I was still sleep deprived and overwhelmed.

LOL! I'm wondering if I'll find any incidents from my trip last week with my 2yo and 4yo. I'm sure I had moments where bystanders (with selective memories of the toddler years) could tsk tsk at my poor behavior management skills. I sure wish I had their practically perfect parenting abilities.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Um if you read what I wrote I didn't say she should have changed her child out in public but in a regular restroom. Last I checked changing costumes isn't going to the bathroom. If there are only four or five places some people can use to relieve themselves and everyone uses them to change their children into costumes, well it can be a long wait and that is just not right.

And I have changed a child's clothing in a regular stall. Tightbut can be done, even with another child in the same stall.
Also if you read what I wrote is said they are for people whose disability or other situation prevents them from using the regular restroom. So a da with a young daughter who is too young to go alone and too old to go into the men's room etc.

While I can see your point, I didn't think it was really necessary to clarify in my original post that my older one used the toilet and I did a diaper change for the younger while one all of this was going on. i.e. it was more than a trip to simply change into costumes. The fact that I have to post back on here to clarfify this b/c of said response is ludicrous.

And...Maybe I should have clarified that a CM urged us to use this one instead as it seemed crazy to them to try and change two little girls in one stall. They felt that said bathrooms were ideal for our situation and are used in said fashion all the time. I really saw no need to clarify this aspect of the story when what we did was OK w/and promoted by WDW employees. i.e. to them, there was no wrongdoing. I'm sorry if you disagree, but I just don't get the need to vilify a person on gross assumptions especially when the bathroom used wasn't the focus of the post in the first place.

 

[fallen_angel727]

the parent i saw tonight inline for TSM. The little boy, maybe 2 - 3 was exhausted he sat on the floor in line and was throwing his toys...when the line movex the parents went way ahead and just kept calling his name to come. people behind just kind of walked around the boy as we had to keep moving and the parents let him sit there crying about 5 minutes before he finally ran to them


Posted from DISboards.com App for Android

 

[A Mickeyfan]

You can believe what you like, and as I said *personally* letting your kids have coke every day is not good parenting and yes, too much cake is bad for you

too much of any food group is bad for you, be it a healthy one or a "bad"one.. too much is just too much period.. milk is healthy.. too much is not good... cheese is healthy.. too much is not good.. cake is not healthy.. too much is not good. everything is fine in moderation.. nothing is good for you in large volume period...

 

[Celine]

Actually, we witnessed something that was pretty incredible just this past September. I think it was more of a situation where other cultures have a different set of ideals when it comes to what's proper discipline than we do here in the states.. we were sitting in that big restaurant that's in Fantasy land.. the name escapes me at the moment.. and there was this mother just slapping the dog piss out of her daughter's face. I mean just full force slapping this little girl maybe all of 3 or 4 yrs old. She must have hit her maybe 6-7 times before people started to intervene, me being one of them, and the mother grabs her daughter and yanks her to the companion bathroom and from outside the door (because a BUNCH of people followed, including me) you could hear that child wailing and the repeated slaps.. they were so loud! I was so shocked I really didn't know what to do.. I mean, who does that??? Or at least so publicly?? Then this man starts hammering on the door demanding she open up and she doesn't.. by this time a CM has been called over and they call some others via radio and before you know it, there's a whole group of CMs backing us all away while asking the mother to please come out of the bathroom, through the door. When she does.. we all realize, she doesn't speak a word of english and doesn't understand anything the CM is saying to her.. she pushes past everyone and drags the daughter to her table where the rest of her family (I assume) were waiting and all of the CMs surround the table. By some means, they managed to get the family to leave the restaurant and took them somewhere.. I don't know what happened after that, but the whole place was just buzzing with how horrific what they had witnessed was.. and the man that was banging down the door.. had tears in his eyes. I did too. The whole scene was just very upsetting for everyone.

 

[BigGreen73]

Are there 42 ounce soft drinks for sale anywhere on Disney property?

I would agree that excessive sweets combines with lack of exercise can lead to health problems. Excessive is a relative thing.

I drank soft drinks all of my life - and am not overweight, have good blood pressure, no diabetes, no cancer. Many, many, many people (far more than have health problems) have done the same.

As stated before, my daughter is 16, has drank soft drinks most of her life. She weighs 115 pounds soaking wet.

My oldest son is 14, is athletic (very fast), is challenging for a varsity baseball spot at his high school as an incoming freshman.

Neither have health or weight problems.

But tell you what - the number for child/family services for my locality is 205.554.1100. Feel free to report my child abuse. Maybe a loving relative can take these kids off my hands, or save their younger siblings before they, too, are subjected to the horrors of soft drinks.


I am again AMAZED at this sort of sanctimonious behavior in the midst of a discussion about ACTUAL bad parenting. This kind of holier than thou attitude just takes the cake.

Wait, cake is bad too, right?

Eh, didn't want to get into this, but gotta put in my 2 cents. I bolded the piece above that is 100% correct. Yes, "bad" food or most food in excess is bad...but the real problem is the sedentary lifestyles of the kids today.

I have two nephews who pretty much drank soda daily AND ate moz sticks and pizza etc all the time. Know what? They never were overweight and were always active and healthy. They played soccer and baseball and were always on the go. It's all about balance.

The difference now is that a kid who has soda every day doesn't do much. Playing a baseball is on a video game system now and hanging with friends is online w/ Facebook. Kids don't need to even need to leave the house now never mind exercise. So is it bad parenting, that a parent give their child an iphone or let lem play x-box too?

Everyone goes after the food industry for obesity, why don't they go after Sony, Apple, or Microsoft for promoting sedentary lifestyles? There is even the commercials for the new phone that you can have a conversation w/. So kids don't even need to develop social skills and make real friends now?

The country gets lazier by the day. Just the reality of it...So anyway, don't judge parents by what they let their kids eat or drink. You don't know the situation, and you don't know how things are at home. It's not child abuse, it's not bad parenting and doesn't fall w/in the guidelines of this thread.

If a child is really obese or out of shape, then the problem stems from home and regular habits, not the large soda they are having at Disney. These things need to be address by parents, family, and teachers at home.

 

[Jaybird6]

Sad thread. Amazing, however, that in the face of the child abuse, meltdowns, and everyday insanity we see posted here, we also have a small (but vocal) contingent of sanctimonious posters who somehow equate a soft drink on vacation with people choking and threatening their children.

Do you folks realize how absolutely disconnected with reality you are?

Here's a hint: choking a child not only introduces physical harm, but can emotionally scar that child for life. A soft drink yields some empty calories. Which is honestly worse? Please, use some logic on this question.

If you choose to ban soft drinks at all times for your family - good for you. If you feel that vacation is no excuse to deviate from your chosen lifestyle, more power to you. If you want to look down on the rest of the unwashed masses who sully their children with carbonated poison, be my guest.

But do everyone a favor, please - discuss this in another thread. Only a lunatic would honestly think that giving a child a soft drink is the same kind of example of bad parenting as some of the other craziness posted here.

Thank you, sanity.

Well said!

 

[LSchrow]

regarding soda and other "treats", moderation is my motto i was brought up with only healthy, home-cooked foods (except for a few, select and excellent restaurants).......first thing i bought when i went away to college was a BIG can of chef boyardee ravioli, chips, and soda
balance is key with children: too many or too few restrictions is not healthy for them overall, imho

cute story:
adult DD loves stitch, so when we saw him with a little girl and no line, we asked the handler if we could take a photo with him (we've never gotten one despite many, many WDW visits).
the little girl finishes, and as DD is standing by stitch for her photo, a father pulls his 3-4ish-yo boy between her and stitch, pushing DD to the side. the handler looked at me, shaking her head, so i smiled a bit and mouthed "it's okay..we'll wait". (yes, the father should've at least said "excuse me", but we felt it was not an appropriate time to teach dad manners).
the father continued a while with his photo-taking until the handler informed him that stitch had to go.
i guess stitch saw how crestfallen we looked that we weren't going to finally get a photo with him, as he grabbed first DD's, then my hand, and started skipping with us through tomorrowland i have no idea how i didn't fall as i was laughing so hard......it was one of the most fabulous, magical memories ever, and came about because of an inconsiderate parent

 

[t_catt11]

Eh, didn't want to get into this, but gotta put in my 2 cents. I bolded the piece above that is 100% correct. Yes, "bad" food or most food in excess is bad...but the real problem is the sedentary lifestyles of the kids today.

I have two nephews who pretty much drank soda daily AND ate moz sticks and pizza etc all the time. Know what? They never were overweight and were always active and healthy. They played soccer and baseball and were always on the go. It's all about balance.

The difference now is that a kid who has soda every day doesn't do much. Playing a baseball is on a video game system now and hanging with friends is online w/ Facebook. Kids don't need to even need to leave the house now never mind exercise. So is it bad parenting, that a parent give their child an iphone or let lem play x-box too?

Everyone goes after the food industry for obesity, why don't they go after Sony, Apple, or Microsoft for promoting sedentary lifestyles? There is even the commercials for the new phone that you can have a conversation w/. So kids don't even need to develop social skills and make real friends now?

The country gets lazier by the day. Just the reality of it...So anyway, don't judge parents by what they let their kids eat or drink. You don't know the situation, and you don't know how things are at home. It's not child abuse, it's not bad parenting and doesn't fall w/in the guidelines of this thread.

If a child is really obese or out of shape, then the problem stems from home and regular habits, not the large soda they are having at Disney. These things need to be address by parents, family, and teachers at home.

Agreed with the above. Do note that I don't believe in lawsuits against fast food chains. I don't believe in lawsuits against video game companies.

Would we encourage lawsuits against the makers of cordless drills if a large number of ninnies started drilling holes in their own hands? It is not the fault or responsibility of a company if their products are misused.

I have five children. I allow soft drinks and junk food in my house, within moderation - we set strict limits on the number of servings per day, and when those limits are broken, kids get grounded.

We will absolutely do what my mother would do to me when I was a child and underfoot - kick them outside to go play.

We take the little ones to the park. I pitch with my boys in the back yard. We encourage the use of bicycles, skateboards, etc.

If you have a child who is obese (and not due to some glandular issue... PLEASE don't crucify me over the plight of those with thyroid or similar issues, we're not talking about that), the fault does not lie with McDonalds or Sony. The fault lies with YOU, as a parent. If you see a bad trend in your child's life, it's up to YOU to correct it.

It is NOT up to some judgmental, out of touch (dare I say trollish?) person on some internet message board to lay down arbitrary rules on how everyone should raise their children, or on what substances should or should not be allowed. For those who have implied (or outright stated) that allowing the use of soft drinks is BAD PARENTING, I sarcastically applaud you - your life must be in incredible order for you to be able to judge others on something that is 100% none of your business.

How many of you, I wonder, show up to church every week to bask in the fellowship of other believers, and to feel warm and fuzzy about how good you really are? I challenge you to go look up the passage in the Bible where Jesus talks about a mote and a beam, then get back to me with your moral superiority and hints about courts taking my kids away over Coca Cola.

Amazing. Just amazing.

 

[BemaniAK]

It is NOT up to some judgmental, out of touch (dare I say trollish?) person on some internet message board to lay down arbitrary rules on how everyone should raise their children, or on what substances should or should not be allowed.

I have to agree with this.
It's just Soft Drink, get to know the people and you'll probably notice that they aren't bad parents, they just don't have the time in their lives to dedicate themselves to having perfect dietary knowledge (You'd be surprised just how many people have no idea how terrible Soft Drink is for the body)

 

[t_catt11]

I have to agree with this.
It's just Soft Drink, get to know the person and you'll probably notice that they aren't bad parents, they just don't have the time in their lives to dedicate themselves to having perfect dietary knowledge.
That's when a friend with that perfect dietary knowledge can come in handy, as catt said, it's not up to a random person on the internet, it's up to them, and the people they trust.

I hold two college degrees. My wife holds a college degree in healthcare. We understand dietary needs. We understand that the best beverage to give is water.

I am again a believer in moderation. Kids enjoy soft drinks. I enjoy soft drinks. Moderate use in an active lifestyle is not an issue.

Feel free to disagree, but don't presume to label me a bad parent - especially, not on a thread with kids being neglected, bullied, an physically abused

 

[BemaniAK]

I hold two college degrees. My wife holds a college degree in healthcare. We understand dietary needs. We understand that the best beverage to give is water.

I am again a believer in moderation. Kids enjoy soft drinks. I enjoy soft drinks. Moderate use in an active lifestyle is not an issue.

Feel free to disagree, but don't presume to label me a bad parent - especially, not on a thread with kids being neglected, bullied, an physically abused

I'm not sure how you got to the point where you thought I was calling you a bad parent.
As I said, I agree with you, *Agree*, it is up to the parent, not up to random people on the internet who have never met the parents they criticize.
The world does not need criticism, it does not need a billion McDonald's lawsuits, it needs free, easily accessible, and well-known dietary information that parents AND children can access and understand just how simple it is to cut down that liter of Coke into a bottle of water.
Go ask the average person where they'd go to find dietary information, see how many people actually know where to go, what to do, and how simple it is.

 

[t_catt11]

I'm not sure how you got to the point where you thought I was calling you a bad parent.
As I said, I agree with you, *Agree*, it is up to the parent, not up to random people on the internet who have never met the parents they criticize.
The world does not need criticism, it does not need a billion McDonald's lawsuits, it needs free, easily accessible, and well-known dietary information that parents AND children can access and understand just how simple it is to cut down that liter of Coke into a bottle of water.
Go ask the average person where they'd go to find dietary information, see how many people actually know where to go, what to do, and how simple it is.

No, not at all! I apologize, I did not at all take that from your post - I was referring back to posters who use blanket statements (and one that outright called me the same). I only meant to chime in on your post, I took no offense from it, and apologize if I caused any with my own comment.

 

[BemaniAK]

No, not at all! I apologize, I did not at all take that from your post

I'm probably too used to videogame forums, I see myself quoted and take the post as a direct and personal response.
No harm done

 

[ConvenientTruth]

Interesting how a thread on examples of bad parenting became a debate about soda, kids, "bad parents". diets and moderation.

First, it is wrong to judge a family and their parenting skills based on the very small snippet we catch at an amusement park. You are looking at individuals who are 1) out of their element, 2) in a situation that can and does cause stress on all people and 3)most likely exhausted. There is no excuse for physical abuse (or even verbal/mental abuse), but a parent losing their cool is something completely different. Keep that in mind when judging others.

Second, it is not your place to get involved unless that child is physically being harmed. Those of you who felt the need to comment on another's parenting (to them) only makes you look pretentious.

Finally, The soda debate....as other have said, moderation is the key. If you want to deny your child soda...more power to you, but assume that I care little for my children when I let them have a Sprite at lunch while on vacation.

 

[BigGreen73]

Agreed with the above. Do note that I don't believe in lawsuits against fast food chains. I don't believe in lawsuits against video game companies.

Would we encourage lawsuits against the makers of cordless drills if a large number of ninnies started drilling holes in their own hands? It is not the fault or responsibility of a company if their products are misused.

I have five children. I allow soft drinks and junk food in my house, within moderation - we set strict limits on the number of servings per day, and when those limits are broken, kids get grounded.

We will absolutely do what my mother would do to me when I was a child and underfoot - kick them outside to go play.

We take the little ones to the park. I pitch with my boys in the back yard. We encourage the use of bicycles, skateboards, etc.

If you have a child who is obese (and not due to some glandular issue... PLEASE don't crucify me over the plight of those with thyroid or similar issues, we're not talking about that), the fault does not lie with McDonalds or Sony. The fault lies with YOU, as a parent. If you see a bad trend in your child's life, it's up to YOU to correct it.

It is NOT up to some judgmental, out of touch (dare I say trollish?) person on some internet message board to lay down arbitrary rules on how everyone should raise their children, or on what substances should or should not be allowed. For those who have implied (or outright stated) that allowing the use of soft drinks is BAD PARENTING, I sarcastically applaud you - your life must be in incredible order for you to be able to judge others on something that is 100% none of your business.

How many of you, I wonder, show up to church every week to bask in the fellowship of other believers, and to feel warm and fuzzy about how good you really are? I challenge you to go look up the passage in the Bible where Jesus talks about a mote and a beam, then get back to me with your moral superiority and hints about courts taking my kids away over Coca Cola.

Amazing. Just amazing.

Nicely put..couldn't agree more!

 

[BigGreen73]

I have to agree with this.
It's just Soft Drink, get to know the people and you'll probably notice that they aren't bad parents, they just don't have the time in their lives to dedicate themselves to having perfect dietary knowledge (You'd be surprised just how many people have no idea how terrible Soft Drink is for the body)

No doubt about, but a big problem that there is that I just thought of is many, many parents use treats, junk food etc to shut the child up. My DW works at a local supermarket and sees this daily.

Family pulls up to cash out...child is already eating cookies, or donut holes, or drinking soda that they haven't even bought yet.

Child is crying, or misbehaving. Be good and I'll give you X candy bar.

Child already has a treat picked out, get to the cash out and sees something else they want (IE Soda), makes a fuss, parent doesn't want to deal with it so gives them what they want.

A child crying or acting up is not fun, but giving them junk food to quiet them is not the way. Children need to know what no means. Just giving in all the time associates bad behavior w/ rewards. Then what?

 

[BigGreen73]

Just thought of a few parenting infractions. Not too bad but they just make you go... Really!?

Hot day in May at MK. It's afternoon and the suns high in the sky. My DW goes to use the restroom by Space Mtn so I am waiting out side. A dad, mom, w/ child in a stroller rolls up. Dad's on his cell and mom goes to use the restroom. Little girl of maybe 5 is in the stroller crying and red faced. Looks sun burned from what I can see. Dad finding the girls crying distraction to his phone conversation walks away and leaves the little girl alone in the stroller to talk on his cell and I'm not talking 5-6 ft either. I'm talking 20+. The poor thing was even facing way from where her dad walked to and he wasn't even looking at where she was. Really?!

Another hot day in May, this time at EP. DW and I were in line for Aladdin and Jasmine. Two families in front of us. 1st family goes, no biggie. Second family goes. It's mom, dad, w/ son around age 7 maybe in a Disney stoller. The child is in the stroller passed out asleep, no shirt, no shoes, no socks, just shorts on. The kid is burned from head to toe. But the mom and dad just wheel the kid in the stroller between Aladdin and Jasmine and happily take pictures. Wow, again Really?! Aladdin and Jasmine even looked at the parents a little funny...

 

[kprena19]

i myself am not a parent. but i am always shocked by the parenting i see by people in disney!
some parents seem to think it's ok to let their kids roam free at the resorts: (i guess on our 2010 trip is when this happened)
my dad had gone up to the room to get the video camera so he could get film us in the pool. he was on his way back down and was coming to a corner. a girl, probably no older than 10, came running around the corner and bumped into him, causing him to drop the camera! she said nothing and continued on. the camera was broken and there was no filming for the rest of the trip. when we got back home my dad got it fixed (thankfully) but for acouple hundred dollars! needless to say he was beyond upset.
i find the floors in the pofq extremely slippery when wet. i dare not run on those floors!(rain or shine) lol my sister and i have slipped on them countless times lol
our past trip in 2011 left me shocked though.
i was in the resort pool at the pofq. i was near the end of the slide waiting for my sister to come down. i was not by the slide. you know how it's set up. i was parallel from the end of the slide. and one little kid had just slid down and was swimming to her dad. she proceeded to swim infront of me. now i don't mind the splashing. i was in a pool in disney on vacation i couldn't complain. but she kicked me in the face! (no i could not avoid it unless i was gonna hit my head on the wall) and the worst part is she continued to swim to her dad! no apology, or even acknowledgement of her actions! and i'm about 98% sure her dad saw and he said nothing about it. my dad and sister stayed at the pool but me and my mom left to the hot tub and stayed there for a while. when we returned to the pool the kid was thankfully gone!
(i didn't let her ruin my vacation though, it was still a great trip! )

and about the soft drinks:
i don't drink them anymore (haven't for about a 1 & 1/2 years now) not because of the sugar but because i used to have braces and it wasn't good for them really. (i'm 16 btw) only soft drink i've had was a sip of one cause i was dying of thirst and refused to drink the gross florida water on our trip in july 2011 and ginger ale when i'm sick but they aren't all bad. the caffeine in them acts as a stimulant. my sister has a touch of add/adhd and i can't remember exactly how the doctor worded it but it's like coffee for adults in the morning. it helps get her going/ focused (weird i know but i'm pretty sure that's what it does) we come from an area where the tap water is some of the best in the country and our stoumachs cannot handle the water out of disney's water fountains! yes they sale bottle waters (we normally bring sme with us) anyway i'm going off on a rant... i don't think soft drinks are the sole cause of child obesity.

 

[luvmyguyz]

But about 10 minutes before the show started, my youngest son started telling me he felt sick. Then he started telling me he was going to be sick. And then . . . well, luckily there was a garbage can right there. This is where I turned into a terrible mom. I turned to my husband, and said 'take him to first aid - I'm staying for the show'. And he did, and I did, and I still feel like a lousy mom. After the show, me and the other kids tracked them down in first aid, and there was my little boy, all pale and sweaty and sick. And my DH took great delight in welcoming me, since he had told all the nurses and staff people that I sent my sick son on ahead so I could stay to see the show - the looks they gave me! And I deserved them.

Ah, don't beat yourself up - we all have our bad mom moments!! Mine usually happen in the middle of the night - I am sooooo not on my best behavior when I am woken up from a deep sleep. My husband knows that if one of the boys needs something between midnight and 4 AM, he needs to take care of whatever it is or answer the wrath of the angry tired version of his wife!! LOL