Sorry, I didn't have the time to read the entire thread so if I repeat something, I didn't mean too!
As a parent, my kids are grown up now, I can say that most of the criticism of parental behavior is probably coming from people without children. They cannot understand what goes on in a family of young children or the frustrations that some, not all, children are capable of dishing out. They see only the end result and not what lead up to it. Believe me, some behavior of the kids can be unreal.
I have three grandchildren. All three are pretty good kids but one has a head of a mule and is not concerned in the least about punishment. He just wants what he wants and no amount of discussion or reasoning will alter his path. If you tell him no, he just looks at you and grins (4 years old) and does it anyway. He carries on like he was tortured when he is disciplined (which is often) but then returns to the same behavior seconds after. He is extremely intelligent and has figured every angle and every button to push when he is in public. My daughter is at her wits end about what to do and even after raising two children of my own, I do not have a clue about what is the appropriate response to this situation.
That being said, if one knows the situation they will be able to recognise the difference between kids that are tired and cranky and those that are doing whatever it takes to get their own way. Children are not as innocent as they are said to be. They embarrass their parents and then when the parents try to get them back in control some do gooder steps in and chastises them for "child abuse". My son in law offers to let them deal with him for an hour or so and see if they still feel the same at the end.
I have seen kids berate their parents in line, call them stupid because they didn't get a Fastpass. When the parents didn't respond it only got worse. My children knew that there would be no yelling but that inappropriate behavior meant an end to the day. Back to the hotel, no pool, no TV and if it got bad enough we would head home. I didn't care how much I spent on the trip, it would have happened and they knew it. All of us have a different way of dealing with this problem. Sometimes a child needs to know just who is in charge and the response that is needed isn't always pretty, but sometimes very necessary.
My message is that when you observe this try and remember that you do not know the whole story. Also remember that discipline is not always a bad thing. If the worse a kid gets is yelled at, he or she will heal from it and maybe learn proper social behavior as well.
I have always been an advocate of not bringing children that are too young to a place like WDW. Don't do it until they have reached an age of understanding and reason. It is much easier to talk to a 6 year old and get comprehension than a 3 year old. There is no greater age for self absorption then those early years.
The example of the adult yelling at his wife and children because he wasn't getting his own way is in no way comparable to the rest of this thread. He was a child that didn't get disciplined as a youngster and still thinks that the world revolves around himself...he is a total bore with, in my opinion, no redeeming values. Kids can still learn and should be taught what is acceptable behavior and what isn't. This needs to be done at an early age, before they become a social problem.
