What is up with people not watching their kids???

[Tracie]

We were at MK on Sun. 15th and 2 little girls (maybe 8 & 6)walked off the BTMR with us, we stopped at the bottom of the hill to make sure we had all 8 of us together. the 2 girls were holding hands and walking around in circles, so my friend and I wondered if they were lost. My friend said the adults were riding behind her and the girls behind them and the parents walked off the ride without the girls. When the girls started walking away toward the main walkway in Frontier Land and did another circle walk I decided to ask them if they had lost their parents and see if I could help. they said they were lost and that they lost their Mom and Dad when getting off the ride. I walked them back toward the exit of BTMR to see if they could see their parents or find a CM. When we got close to the walkway from the exit they said there they are. The Mom and dad were standing about 20ft from the exit smoking, so I walked over with the girls and told them we had found them leaving the area. The Mom said "we knew they would come back when they saw we wern't with them"!! found another little girl at DTD walking and crying for her Mom just past the RFC, her Mom had stopped with her little sister to look at the RF shop, when we found her she didn't know the girl was not with her. This little girl told me she was 5. I also found a little boy at the World Traveler shop just inside International Gateway, his parents were at England and did not know he was missing.

Sorry so long, Our kids are all older but we managed to keep up with the 4 of them, and if we didn't see one of them we knew right away.

 

[Disbabe]

That sounds really terrible - my heart would lose a beat if I thought one of my kids were going to get lost.
We always make sure that we hold their hands when we get off things or that they are holding on to something we are carrying.
It can get quite bad at the end of the day in the parks when everyone is heading for the exit at the same time, but even then I've not lost one yet.
Sounds like some parents don't really care and expect someone else to sort the problem out.

 

[>>^..^<<]

Tracie.. great job looking after stray kids

Could be a new career for you.

I don't know whats up with some parents.. sheesh.

>>^..^<<

 

[Tracie]

My husband tells me I am the Wendy for the lost boys and girls I seem to find them all the time lots of places we go, but this is the first time I did not find their parents looking for them in a frenzy!

 

[NCRedding]

Tracy: That has always been me--I seem to find lost children in many different venues. Last week, DD and I were at the beach, waiting for our elevator to arrive on our floor--it was a 10 story. When the door opened there was a small girl--maybe 3 who was crying. She started to get off the elevator, but we stopped her and asked where her mom was. She didn't know. So we, got on the elevator and hit the buttons for the next floors. Finally 8 floors up, we met her mother who snapped at her "I told you to hurry" She didn't comfort her crying child, just grabbed her by the hand and jerked her down the hall--without even looking our way or speaking. When we went back down to our room, DD just said "She didn't act like she cared about that child, did she?"

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

I have either "found" lost children and returned them to their parents once I found them (rather quickly though- usually looking frantically for their child) or to a close by CM if I couldn't find the parents- and I have only been to WDW TWICE! I also helped look (almost as frantically as the mother!) for a child that got lost in the crowd coming out of the Big Bear show on our first trip. He was only lost probably a minute or so but I couldn't help ordering DH to grab our kids and stay put while helping her look because she was about to lose her mind with panic (just as I would have been if I'd lost my 3-4yr old child).

So, so far I haven't found any children that the parents weren't watching and didn't care if they found them.

I, however, have found that my only stress (granted only went once during the busiest season- with the kids... went once alone and noticed a huge difference in my stress level) while there is constantly worrying about losing my kids and keeping them with me (they can be "wanderers" at times- smelling the roses, so to speak, as we go along LOL). So I don't "get" how some parents don't even know their kids are lost and act like they could care less. It is constantly on my mind when any place like that where they could get lost easily in the crowds and such a large place to look for them! Constantly... in fact I wish I could chill out a little about it- but I can't. It doesn't help when I see other children lost and frantic panicky parents trying to find them. Just makes it worse (my worry/fear) actually. LOL

 

[PatriciaH]

Ugg.. that is awful. I see this a lot too. The travel agency I work at is in a discount store and I can not tell you how many children wander in every day alone. Their parents just let them walk around alone all over this huge store. I am talking about 4 and 5 year olds too-not teenagers! A lot of them let their children scream bloody murder for an hour while they shop too. They just totally block them out and go about their shopping! I feel bad because something must be wrong for a child to be crying like that.

 

[Harambe]

Oh - my worst moment at WDW! We were at AK walking along when a little group of "butterflies" walked out and began to do a little song and dance. For some reason, they walked right in between me and DD (6 at the time). I will never forget the look on her face when she looked around and found she was alone.

I screamed her name and she saw me, and ran right through the performers.

I truly will never forget that look of panic!!!

 

[cleo]

"And then some confusion happened.............!"

Truly a parent's worst vacation nightmare. I 'lost' my son when he was around 6 years old, at Blizzard Beach. He wanted to do the T-bar ride at the Ski Patrol Training Camp, so I walked with him up to the shelter area, then went to meet him at the splash-down pool. There was a fair sized line, and at some point he decided not to wait any longer. He got confused as he was looking for the way down to the splashdown area, and wandered down the wrong path. When it became obvious that he should have appeared at the T-bar, I went into an absolute panic. Realizing what had happened and seeing a little blonde boy in the same swimsuit going up the steps to the top of Mt. Gushmore, I took off running, trying to catch up to him. I never would have guessed that I could take those stairs 2 at a time all the way to the top in 90 degree heat and not die from the exertion! It turned out not to be him, but when I came back down he was holding on to a CM's hand (God bless her, the angel!!) and they were looking for me. I simply cannot describe that moment.

Another time, we saw a little boy who spoke no English, being cuddled by a CM who said they'd been looking for this child's parents for 3 hours. I can't imagine the horror those parents must have suffered, unable to speak English and with their child missing. My heart broke for them, and for that frightened little boy. Disney CM's are truly the most incredible people around in a crisis, and I will be unendingly grateful to the girl who cared for my boy while he was missing.

 

[eeyore0062]

Having worked at a very popular store for kids in the mall, I cannot tell you how many times parents would actually drop their kids off at the front of the store and go on their merry way. I don't know if they thought that because we catered to kids, and sold kids' product that we were also the babysitters for the mall. Of course, we couldn't and wouldn't send them out to find their parents, so we would call and report it to security, who would come pick up the child and take them to their office, while another member of security tried to find the parent. When the parents came back to pick up their child and we told them that since he/she had been left alone in the store, we thought that the child was lost and called security and they could go their to retrieve their child. They couldn't understand why we would do such a thing. Of course, we couldn't understand why THEY would do such a thing as to leave their kid, either. Our store didn't allow children unattended, below the age of 12.

 

[Jordan's MOM]

I too seem to be one of those people that tend to "find" lost kids. Now i know even the best parents in the world can loose a kid, and I "lost" mine for a few minutes once at a indoor minature golf, BUT... I can not get over how many parents, are mad at the child when I help the child to find their parents. This holds true both in and out of WDW. I have led a crying child back to his mom many times just to have the mom shout, "i told you to stay in the toy store", or "you should have kept up with me". I have even had parents, swat a child for "getting lost". Guess we still have to keep am eye out for little ones to make sure they get back to a safe place.


Jordans' mom

 

[epcotfan]

I've seen a lot of lost little ones on my vacations as well. I'm always ready to find a cast member when I see a child in that situation.

The thing that irks me is when parents force you to be a guardian to their child because they won't get on a ride. I decided to ride Big Thunder Mountain by myself on one occasion and some woman shoves her kid in my car (after I'd be put in the row by myself by the cast member) She says, "oh will you watch him while he rides?" First of this kid was maybe 4, and I didn't want the forced responsibility of looking after a child I didn't know. Nor did I want the kid vomitting on me if this was his first rollercoaster. It was a very awkward situation. I should have said no. I didn't want to ride with a child that might freak out. I should have said a loud NO but the vehicles started moving before I could do anything.

 

[WDWfanatic288]

everyone-claps to yall for helping all the little kids that are lost...that is so thoughtful of yall

and it doesn't surprise me people don't watch their children, I see all around the parks! it annoys me very bad!

 

[Castillo Mom]

I'm also amazed at the fact that some parents scold their child for becoming lost. If I lost one of my boys I would be too happy and relieved to have found them to even think of getting angry. My MIL and FIL were entertaining out-of-town guests once and took them along with my then seven year old son to Mexico (we live in California) and lost him! My husband and I didn't find this out until over a year after because my in laws made my son promise not to say anything. Can you imagine six adults to one child? Apparently my MIL let go of his hand and she got distracted while shopping. When my kids were little, I wouldn't go to crowded places like the mall alone with them for fear of losing one of them. I guess it can happen to best of parents but some are just too careless.

 

[Mackey Mouse]

Good for you Tracie for following it through and seeing them back with their parents... I could say a few more things about their attitude but decided maybe I better not.... Bravo Tracie..

 

[patman]

Once in Busch Gardends, Williamsburg on a water slide there were two way to go down My son went one way and I went the other, He was 7, I looked for 5 min before I found him.
Luckily he just waited at the bottom of his ramp. a attendant then told me about the other "way". Then another time in Tampa the play house has more than one exit and they did not tell us.
Now we always ask if they are other exits, of ramps before we let him ride.

 

[tc]

I got lost, and was pretty nervous, and I'm an adult. I hate crowds, and keep Stephen (dh) in my sites at all times. I have real issues with getting lost, or losing him in a crowd. He's very understanding and patient with this overwhelming fear of mine. I entered a bathroom in MK (not sure which one) and exited out a different door. He is always waiting so I can see him. But he was not there that time because I went out a different door. I just stood there, paniced. A very nice CM approached me, after seeing the look on my face. She told me about two entrances. She walked back through the bathroom with me and out the other door. There he was, pateintly waiting for me. I thought this had taken a long time, but he said he didn't think I was gone that long. I thanked the nice CM. Stephen said he knows the "look" the CM saw. If I come out and look left and he's standing right, I get that "look" for just a moment. I can't imagine being a child and getting that feeling. BTW, he did not get angry with me at all. Just hugged me and said he'd've stood there for hours because I knew where to look for him.

Not quite the same, but scary to me.

 

[nicknamy1996]

Several points....

1) elevators and kids scare the heck out of me. We were recently in a hospital labor and delivery waiting room it was on the 7th floor of a 10 story hospital. There were about 6 little ones running around and 3 elevators off the waiting area. I stood in front of those doors for hours watching my kids and all the other ones. What if? What do you do? Where are the steps? Which floor do you go to? Do you hit the button and wait for the elevator to come back? What if it's empty? Did it go up or down? Which floor did it stop at? SCARY!!! I'm just under 6' and over 260lbs w/ plenty of muscle on me, it takes a lot to scare me, but a stinking elevator and some kids can bring me to my knees.

2) I was against it but my wife insisted that we bought the little harnesses "leashes" for our little ones (1 1/2 and 3 1/2) We had a lot of people asking where we bought them, even a few offers for them. I was prepared for a negative comment(with some ammo I got from these boards) but never needed it.["...better on a leash than a milk carton]. I hate to say my wife was right but they worked out great. We always held their hands (the little one was usually in the stroller) but If I had to let go to get my wallet or open up a trash can to slide a tray in, it was nice to not worry.

The biggest thing that scared me about the leash was... and I think it would be OK if they outlawed them at the themeparks because of it...was what if it got snagged on something when you were on a ride. For most rides we would leave the harness on, and take off the strap.

For a lot of pictures we would take the harness completely off, and wouldn't you know it, on our last day there right next to the Want n Mickey statue I'm looking through the viewfinder filming the surprise celebration and I look down and the 3 y/o is not in the stroller. My stomach dropped. He was 3 feet away (trying to climb a fence to get a better look) I grabbed him and put him in the stroller "don't you ever walk away like that". My boys are my life, but for that 2 seconds before my stomach bounced back. I was angry. Then it quickly turns to relief and love. Then back to embarrassment because I just yelled at my son at the happiest place on earth. But in semi-defense of all those parent that scold their children I think it's a combination of anger at themselves for losing the child and embarrassment for doing it but mostly just that fear inside them coming out.

Ok, I've got more but I've rambled on long enough, and I need to get back to work.

 

[peachgirl]

I was waiting for the right subject to post what I saw happen during our trip 2 weeks ago and this is it!

We had just sat down on a bench in our favorite spot waiting for the fireworks at MK. There was a woman with a young girl in a stroller standing next to us. Every 30 seconds ( I swear you could have put a clock on it) the woman would turn around and yell the name " Jacob" at the top of her lungs, then the little girl would chime in and repeat it. This went on for at least 10 minutes. I thought that perhaps Jacob was her husband or friend and she was trying to catch his attention.

This must have been going on before we arrived because another guest finally walked over to her and told her that if she'd just tell him what the "kid" was wearing, he'd go looking for him! She calmly told the man what her child was wearing, hair color, size etc...and off he went. A while later he came back with a child that couldn't have been more than 6 years old.

Why hadn't she left and gone looking for her own child? She didn't want to give up the "great spot" she had for fireworks and since she didn't want to leave the 3 yr old alone in the stroller to hold the spot( at least she has SOME limits), she decided to drive the rest of us insane yelling for him. That's got to be a first for me...a woman who values her viewing spot for fireworks more than her own child!

 

[twinmomplus2]

Once when my Daughter was 3. Auntie was watching her while her dad and I went out to pick up some incidentials, We were at The Hyatt in Boston... Anyway, we were gone a totel of 20 minutes. came back my daughter was in the room with Auntie eating room service watching tv. Noone said anything. well That Night we dressed to got to dinner and a worker from the Hyatt, approached my Dh, ( we had been there lkie 4 days at this point) And told him that earlier he had found my DD alone in the glass elevator!!!!! No Auntie in sight, But, He knew who she was and brought her back to the room. Where Auntie was smoking on the Balcony and did not know she was gone!!!!Can you imagine? Anyone familar with Boston's Hyatt? One side of the property is the Charles River, The other Storrow drive. My sister still says we overreacted To this day she has never watched any of our kids again!