What is Disney policy on intervening when children panic?

[Phatoomch]

OMG, you were forced to go to Disney and ride a ride?? Let's get you some therapy, snowflake.

Hmmmm.

Like I said earlier, I made my daughter ride something she didn't want to.

Of course she doesn't need therapy, thats just silly. But I do believe that I should have listened to her and allowed her to ride it when she felt ready.

Still, at 11, she won't ride anything remotely fast or with drops.

 

[Dizneefamily+4]

It sounds as if there's some sort of loose policy for CMs not to start certain rides if a child is clearly terrified. If only there was on for ADULTS who are being bullied into riding. My dh and kiddos bullied me into riding EE a few trips ago (I HATE rides with the slow click-clack climb preceding a straight-down drop.) I sobbed the whole way (quietly, so as not to infringe on anyone else's enjoyment ) I wish that CM would have asked if I truly wanted to ride!

 

[Rip]

Hmmmm.

Like I said earlier, I made my daughter ride something she didn't want to.

Of course she doesn't need therapy, thats just silly. But I do believe that I should have listened to her and allowed her to ride it when she felt ready.

Still, at 11, she won't ride anything remotely fast or with drops.

Oh I get that, no worries. My point was that some folks are equating making a kid get on a ride to child abuse, which is also silly. In most, not all, but most cases, no one is being "abused" and the parents know their children and how to handle them better than a stranger. It's just that so many people are nosy and are entirely too opinionated.

 

[torinsmom]

Oh I get that, no worries. My point was that some folks are equating making a kid get on a ride to child abuse, which is also silly. In most, not all, but most cases, no one is being "abused" and the parents know their children and how to handle them better than a stranger. It's just that so many people are nosy and are entirely too opinionated.

I don't find myself nosy and opinionated at all. I just don't want to hear another person having a tantrum while I'm trying to enjoy a ride It's as bad or worse than the chanting or the people who insist on flash photography on dark rides. I guess at least with the screaming child, I will know BEFORE the ride and I can ask to wait for the next vehicle. Hopefully, I won't have that problem this trip. We leave in 25 minutes!

 

[Rip]

I don't find myself nosy and opinionated at all. I just don't want to hear another person having a tantrum while I'm trying to enjoy a ride It's as bad or worse than the chanting or the people who insist on flash photography on dark rides. I guess at least with the screaming child, I will know BEFORE the ride and I can ask to wait for the next vehicle. Hopefully, I won't have that problem this trip. We leave in 25 minutes!

There's a difference in not wanting to have to put up with a bunch of screaming and accusing someone of child abuse. I don't like having to hear that crap either, but I don't assume that just because the parents are forcing the kid to do something that they are horrible, abusive parents.

Enjoy your trip!!

 

[Phatoomch]

Oh I get that, no worries. My point was that some folks are equating making a kid get on a ride to child abuse, which is also silly. In most, not all, but most cases, no one is being "abused" and the parents know their children and how to handle them better than a stranger. It's just that so many people are nosy and are entirely too opinionated.

Well yes, I kinda agree with that - the word 'abuse' and 'bully' is thrown around far too much now when a bit of tough love never hurts. Like I tell my daughter, the country you live in may be a democracy but under this roof there is no such thing

In the OPs case though, if it was that dramatic, then that is in-excusable behaviour and it just makes you wonder how the parents act in other situations ... that kind of behaviour doesn't suddenly materialise in Disney.

 

[ttintagel]

You don't need to be particularly nosy to notice a child kicking, screaming, fighting, and wailing as his parents shove him into a ride vehicle. I'd say anyone who wasn't affected by the sight and sound would be unnaturally introverted, and likely would have some kind of sensory impairment. You have the right to treat your child any way you like, with nobody being "nosy" - UNTIL it starts to impact the people around you in a public place. As my wise old uncle used to say, "My right to swing my fists around ends at your face."

 

[miami305]

Oh I get that, no worries. My point was that some folks are equating making a kid get on a ride to child abuse, which is also silly. In most, not all, but most cases, no one is being "abused" and the parents know their children and how to handle them better than a stranger. It's just that so many people are nosy and are entirely too opinionated.

Holding a child down and forcing them on a ride while kicking and screaming and crying is ABUSE. Just because you don't like the term, doesn't mean it is "silly." I can't think of any situation outside of Disney where adults could get away with this type of behavior.

Kids should be able to flip the script and make the adults face their fears. Send Mom screaming into a tank filled with spiders. Make dad wander a darkened maze filled with snakes. Have the bank call and tell the parents the account has been wiped out. Kids secretly go to a resort for a day while the parents are left hysterical and sobbing thinking the children have disappeared. Have a neighbor call when you're out of town and say your house burned down. Terror is fun right? Good times!

 

[OhioDisneyDad]

Kids should be able to flip the script and make the adults face their fears. Send Mom screaming into a tank filled with spiders. Make dad wander a darkened maze filled with snakes. Have the bank call and tell the parents the account has been wiped out. Kids secretly go to a resort for a day while the parents are left hysterical and sobbing thinking the children have disappeared. Have a neighbor call when you're out of town and say your house burned down. Terror is fun right? Good times!

Actually, for this dad, I would take the snakes over spiders any time. In my house, the kids know to call mom when they find a spider!

 

[eliza61]

Well yes, I kinda agree with that - the word 'abuse' and 'bully' is thrown around far too much now when a bit of tough love never hurts. Like I tell my daughter, the country you live in may be a democracy but under this roof there is no such thing

In the OPs case though, if it was that dramatic, then that is in-excusable behaviour and it just makes you wonder how the parents act in other situations ... that kind of behaviour doesn't suddenly materialise in Disney.

what behaviour? getting angry at your kids? losing your cool with your kids? Look, I have a kid who is an academy award winning princess. My neice would scream, holler, roll around on the floor and get butt ugly over some thing as silly as not being allowed to drink soda. Most of the time I would simply ignore her but I'll be honest there definitely was a time or two where I gave her a good swat across the leg. Now lets say you saw that brief instant in time when that happens.
50 million things contribute to her melt down and my poor reaction too it. suddenly I've got people like you who see this 30 secs of time and all of a sudden I'm Joan crawford in mommy dearest.
I'm not even going to pretend that I was a patient, kind, understanding mom all the time.
I have forced my kids to go on rides, I have grabbed them by their shirt collars and told them to get their act together and stopped being a spoiled pain in the you know what.
I also spanked my kids which I'm sure would have everyone here going into cardiac arrest.

I guess my point is that parenting is hard enough, let's try not to judge them based on 45 secs of what we see on what potentially could have been a major meltdown for the whole family.

my kids are young adults now and there have been days when I was not at my best. Luckily the love and laughter out weighs the bad days. My parents had them also and were the best parents a gal can have.

 

[Rip]

Holding a child down and forcing them on a ride while kicking and screaming and crying is ABUSE. Just because you don't like the term, doesn't mean it is "silly." I can't think of any situation outside of Disney where adults could get away with this type of behavior.

Kids should be able to flip the script and make the adults face their fears. Send Mom screaming into a tank filled with spiders. Make dad wander a darkened maze filled with snakes. Have the bank call and tell the parents the account has been wiped out. Kids secretly go to a resort for a day while the parents are left hysterical and sobbing thinking the children have disappeared. Have a neighbor call when you're out of town and say your house burned down. Terror is fun right? Good times!

No, it's silly. And no, kids don't get to "flip the script", that's more than silly.

There's actual abuse, and then there's "stuff I really disagree with so I'll consider it abuse".

I do not agree with physically holding a kid down to make him/her go on a ride, but doing so in itself doesn't necessitate abuse.

 

[Rip]

what behaviour? getting angry at your kids? losing your cool with your kids? Look, I have a kid who is an academy award winning princess. My neice would scream, holler, roll around on the floor and get butt ugly over some thing as silly as not being allowed to drink soda. Most of the time I would simply ignore her but I'll be honest there definitely was a time or two where I gave her a good swat across the leg. Now lets say you saw that brief instant in time when that happens.
50 million things contribute to her melt down and my poor reaction too it. suddenly I've got people like you who see this 30 secs of time and all of a sudden I'm Joan crawford in mommy dearest.
I'm not even going to pretend that I was a patient, kind, understanding mom all the time.
I have forced my kids to go on rides, I have grabbed them by their shirt collars and told them to get their act together and stopped being a spoiled pain in the you know what.
I also spanked my kids which I'm sure would have everyone here going into cardiac arrest.

I guess my point is that parenting is hard enough, let's try not to judge them based on 45 secs of what we see on what potentially could have been a major meltdown for the whole family.

my kids are young adults now and there have been days when I was not at my best. Luckily the love and laughter out weighs the bad days. My parents had them also and were the best parents a gal can have.

This, this, and so much more this.

 

[Phatoomch]

what behaviour? getting angry at your kids? losing your cool with your kids? Look, I have a kid who is an academy award winning princess. My neice would scream, holler, roll around on the floor and get butt ugly over some thing as silly as not being allowed to drink soda. Most of the time I would simply ignore her but I'll be honest there definitely was a time or two where I gave her a good swat across the leg. Now lets say you saw that brief instant in time when that happens.
50 million things contribute to her melt down and my poor reaction too it. suddenly I've got people like you who see this 30 secs of time and all of a sudden I'm Joan crawford in mommy dearest.
I'm not even going to pretend that I was a patient, kind, understanding mom all the time.
I have forced my kids to go on rides, I have grabbed them by their shirt collars and told them to get their act together and stopped being a spoiled pain in the you know what.
I also spanked my kids which I'm sure would have everyone here going into cardiac arrest.

I guess my point is that parenting is hard enough, let's try not to judge them based on 45 secs of what we see on what potentially could have been a major meltdown for the whole family.

my kids are young adults now and there have been days when I was not at my best. Luckily the love and laughter out weighs the bad days. My parents had them also and were the best parents a gal can have.

The kind of behaviour the OP describes. Yes, we all lose our cool with our kids and shout at them. But what the OP described didn't sound like a parent just losing its cool. Go back and re-read it.

Yes, parenting is very hard I know that. If I had seen a parent losing their cool with their child I wouldn't give it a second glance.

But if I saw a parent physically forcing a child onto a ride in the circumstances the OP describes, damn right I'd question it and even judge them. Part of being a parent is being able to keep your composure.

Where I come from we often say "you need a license to own a dog, why not to have children?"

 

[luvthemouse71]

what behaviour? getting angry at your kids? losing your cool with your kids? Look, I have a kid who is an academy award winning princess. My neice would scream, holler, roll around on the floor and get butt ugly over some thing as silly as not being allowed to drink soda. Most of the time I would simply ignore her but I'll be honest there definitely was a time or two where I gave her a good swat across the leg. Now lets say you saw that brief instant in time when that happens.
50 million things contribute to her melt down and my poor reaction too it. suddenly I've got people like you who see this 30 secs of time and all of a sudden I'm Joan crawford in mommy dearest.
I'm not even going to pretend that I was a patient, kind, understanding mom all the time.
I have forced my kids to go on rides, I have grabbed them by their shirt collars and told them to get their act together and stopped being a spoiled pain in the you know what.
I also spanked my kids which I'm sure would have everyone here going into cardiac arrest.

I guess my point is that parenting is hard enough, let's try not to judge them based on 45 secs of what we see on what potentially could have been a major meltdown for the whole family.

my kids are young adults now and there have been days when I was not at my best. Luckily the love and laughter out weighs the bad days. My parents had them also and were the best parents a gal can have.

excellent post.

 

[thestevied]

I started reading this thread but had to stop because it is so disturbing to me. Obviously the parents are abusive. I believe in karma and hope the parents get theirs someday. The parents are sub-human.

Well said. Totally agree.

 

[Rip]

The kind of behaviour the OP describes. Yes, we all lose our cool with our kids and shout at them. But what the OP described didn't sound like a parent just losing its cool. Go back and re-read it.

Yes, parenting is very hard I know that. If I had seen a parent losing their cool with their child I wouldn't give it a second glance.

But if I saw a parent physically forcing a child onto a ride in the circumstances the OP describes, damn right I'd question it and even judge them. Part of being a parent is being able to keep your composure.

Where I come from we often say "you need a license to own a dog, why not to have children?"

And part of the problem arises where someone "sees" more than is there because, in their opinion, parents should never lose it and yell at a kid. I'm not saying that is what happened, but in most cases what people get on here and call "abuse" simply isn't.

I physically forced my kid to play laser tag once because all he wanted to do was play laser tag and once we got suited up and were about to go in, he tried to chicken out. Now, as I said earlier, my kids know better than to throw a tantrum. He was, however, crying and "begging" not to go in. I tried bribing him, coaxing him, all to no avail. So I simply said "stop whining and come on", took him by the hand and pulled him in. In about 30 seconds he was having a blast and we played for 3 hours that very day.


Guess I'm an abusive parent.

 

[Hannathy]

what behaviour? getting angry at your kids? losing your cool with your kids? Look, I have a kid who is an academy award winning princess. My neice would scream, holler, roll around on the floor and get butt ugly over some thing as silly as not being allowed to drink soda. Most of the time I would simply ignore her but I'll be honest there definitely was a time or two where I gave her a good swat across the leg. Now lets say you saw that brief instant in time when that happens.
50 million things contribute to her melt down and my poor reaction too it. suddenly I've got people like you who see this 30 secs of time and all of a sudden I'm Joan crawford in mommy dearest.
I'm not even going to pretend that I was a patient, kind, understanding mom all the time.
I have forced my kids to go on rides, I have grabbed them by their shirt collars and told them to get their act together and stopped being a spoiled pain in the you know what.
I also spanked my kids which I'm sure would have everyone here going into cardiac arrest.

I guess my point is that parenting is hard enough, let's try not to judge them based on 45 secs of what we see on what potentially could have been a major meltdown for the whole family.

my kids are young adults now and there have been days when I was not at my best. Luckily the love and laughter out weighs the bad days. My parents had them also and were the best parents a gal can have.

Right there with you!

 

[KrazeeK120]

Holding a child down and forcing them on a ride while kicking and screaming and crying is ABUSE. Just because you don't like the term, doesn't mean it is "silly." I can't think of any situation outside of Disney where adults could get away with this type of behavior.

Kids should be able to flip the script and make the adults face their fears. Send Mom screaming into a tank filled with spiders. Make dad wander a darkened maze filled with snakes. Have the bank call and tell the parents the account has been wiped out. Kids secretly go to a resort for a day while the parents are left hysterical and sobbing thinking the children have disappeared. Have a neighbor call when you're out of town and say your house burned down. Terror is fun right? Good times!

Couldn't have said it better myself. Stop and think if the shoe was on the other foot for a minute. How would you feel?

 

[Rip]

You don't need to be particularly nosy to notice a child kicking, screaming, fighting, and wailing as his parents shove him into a ride vehicle. I'd say anyone who wasn't affected by the sight and sound would be unnaturally introverted, and likely would have some kind of sensory impairment. You have the right to treat your child any way you like, with nobody being "nosy" - UNTIL it starts to impact the people around you in a public place. As my wise old uncle used to say, "My right to swing my fists around ends at your face."

Big difference between noticing a disturbance and going around calling it child abuse.

 

[Phatoomch]

And part of the problem arises where someone "sees" more than is there because, in their opinion, parents should never lose it and yell at a kid. I'm not saying that is what happened, but in most cases what people get on here and call "abuse" simply isn't.

I physically forced my kid to play laser tag once because all he wanted to do was play laser tag and once we got suited up and were about to go in, he tried to chicken out. Now, as I said earlier, my kids know better than to throw a tantrum. He was, however, crying and "begging" not to go in. I tried bribing him, coaxing him, all to no avail. So I simply said "stop whining and come on", took him by the hand and pulled him in. In about 30 seconds he was having a blast and we played for 3 hours that very day.


Guess I'm an abusive parent.

And I have stated that all my posts have been based on whether the incident was as dramatic as the OP describes, if so that was unacceptable behaviour in public.

If I had been you and my child had wanted to play laser tag so bad then chickened out I wouldn't have forced him, I would have taken him home then he would have realised what an idiot he had been and that he would NEVER have the opportunity to go again. So sad, too bad, you missed out.

My daughter chickened out going camping with girl scouts (didn't want to sleep outside), I didn't force her. She still regrets it now. She'll think twice about chickening out in future.