And if YOU are going to quote, get YOUR facts straight.
I said that the double standard some parents had makes me SAD. If someone is going to firmly put princesses and dolls in "Girls' Toys" and won't let their sons look at or play with them, then likewise cars, trucks, and so forth should be firmly in a "Boys' Toys" category and their girls should be scolded for looking at them also. I feel the most sorry for the little boys who don't understand why their sisters can look at and play with the same things they can, but they can't look at and play with the same things their sisters can. I personally don't agree with the "Girls/Boys" division - kids should be allowed to play with what they want IMHO - but if someone is going to be rigid about it, they should be rigid both ways.
And while not all four-year-olds have impulse control, there are some who have been taught how to behave around others and not do something they want to do. If there are consequences for acting badly on impulses (biting someone, hitting someone, bullying someone, etc.), the child WILL learn "This is not good behavior." That is what parents, grandparents, and caregivers INCLUDING the "counselors" in kids' programming are supposed to help teach them. And it's all about finding what motivates them. The biting/hitting/bullying kid likes computer? They do the behavior, they get no computer time or are removed from the computer. They like to play with a certain toy? They behave nicely and control themself in a stressful situation, they get the toy. Etc. It's called behavior modification - and if we don't get taught impulse control early on, we end up as adults with no impulse control.
From the report, it was clear that the "counselors" on NCL did NOT step in to stop the bullying when it was occurring or watch for it when it had been reported. Instead, as too often happens if those responsible for the safety of the kids aren't paying attention, the victims of the bullies are the ones that got in trouble when they had had enough of it and reacted.
And I'm not stupid. My school shares space with a Middle School. So I know that they do bully, and it's even sneakier than adults want to think. But there are signs and things to watch for - and IMHO the counselors for Edge and Vibe should be getting training in watching for the signs and symptoms of it and what to do if they suspect it or even directly observe it.
I think I've read all the comparisons that have been posted in the last few months. We are not quite ready for sailing in Europe yet (DS is 7, would definitely get too tired/whiny with the long tours), but the ship itself sounded awesome! I'm also hoping some others chime in about the kid stuff. I feel like I'm maintaining a mental list of "near future" vs "a number of years from now", and Vista seemed to potentially be in the latter category until I read more. It got oddly bad reviews on cruisecritic when I looked there a month or so ago. Not that I trust cruisecritic so much; I refuse to officially join b/c every time I've searched for a specific topic, I end up on a thread where the responses are rude or sarcastic or just plain mean.
