What is YOUR Pet Peeve When Traveling @ WDW??

[disneyjunkie]

Originally posted by joshsmom
I am finally going to respond about boys in the ladies room . . .

DS will be 8 on Jan 5th. I'm a single mom and when I travel, grandma is the only one that ever goes with us. I am also a social worker and I deal with abused children EVERY day. At this point, I will NOT allow my DS to go into a men's room alone. I've seen what can happen to children and it's NOT going to happen to my child.

DS and I use the same stall. He always goes first because of his kidney problems. I stand facing the door to give him some privacy. When it's my turn, he faces the door to give me my privacy. We avoid HC stalls unless that is the ONLY one left (even though they are MUCH easier to use because of space). When he has to go--he HAS to go. So even though his challenges are not visibly apparent, he does have them. We exit the stall together, wash our hands, and go on our way. We have it down to a quick science and it works.

DS is VERY friendly and (sometimes unfortunately) talks with anyone who talks with him. Restrooms at WDW, hockey games, baseball games, etc., are HUGE and sometimes have more than one entrance/exit. I am still paniky when he goes into a restroom at a restaurant when I'm standing right outside the door.

So, although I completely understand why ladies don't want some little kid looking under their stall doors, I hope that you don't look down on me for bringing my guy into the restroom. It really is a matter of necessity. If DS EVER acted like that, he'd be grounded!!!!

I agree with you 100%. I'm also a single mom. I took my son into the ladies bathroom until he was 9 years old. He would use the stall first and then I'd have him stand outside the stall while I used it. I had a rule that I had to be able to see his feet at all times. This rule kept him from blocking others while he was waiting for me. There were times I'd get nasty looks from other women but it didn't bother me at all.

When he started going to the men's room alone I'd stand by the door. Many men gave me nasty looks or would point out the ladies room to me.

I don't think there's a magic age for when boys should go to the bathrooms alone.

I think all parents have to do what works best for them. No matter what we do there will be those who will think what the heck are they doing.

Boys in the ladies room doesn't bother me. Big kids in strollers and kids on leashes drives me nuts. We all have to do what we think is best for out kids and not worry about what others think.

 

[joshsmom]

IM (very) HO, each mother (or father) has to know what is in the best interest of their own children. My son's health, safety, and well-being HAS to come above the risk of offending others.

Talking Hands: my son probably doesn't qualify for the companion restrooms, as he does not need assistance (on a general basis.) Do you (or does anyone) know if they have Family Restrooms? That would meet our needs the best.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Originally posted by jann1033
please don't flame me but like I said and want to clarify HC stalls are not like parking spaces...it is illegal to park in a Hc space if you are not handicapped it is not the same with the stalls..they are mandated but not illegal to use if you are not handicapped so no one should assume they get the only dibs on them. maybe it is *polite* to let someone with a visible handicap use them first ,just like it is *polite* to let a mom with a little kid ready to wet themselves go first but it isn't illegal not to and really maybe the person using them ...even if they are not handicapped... needs to use it at that moment worse than the visibly handicapped one waiting. at worst you are waiting for a few moments more and what difference does it really make if the person in there is handicapped or not, you'd still have to wait if it *was* a handicapped person in there.

maybe the solution would be more handicapped bathrooms but truthfully I can count how many times you see a handicapped person (visibly) using them so I would guess there is a greater amount of handicapped stalls vs regular stalls in relation to handicapped vs not handicapped people ( park wide I mean)

it is obviously a need but lets not get crazy about this

Exactly.

 

[disneyjunkie]

Originally posted by Talking Hands
Disney has Companion bathrooms. These are for people who need to accompany a handicapped person to the restroom. Perhaps this is where mother's who insist their son's over the age of 6 or 7 ought to go. My brother never accompanied Mom and I to the restroom after the age of 6 and we travelled all over the world.
My daughters are victims of rape and molestation and are both extremely uncomfortable with boys in the women's rest room. In fact, they are so much so that my oldest will leave and find a companion restroom to use rather than be in the same restroom with one. She will also tell one to get the HELL out of the ladies room and tell he has no business in there and he should be ashamed. She can get quite nasty in such a situation and I wouldn't want to be the boy's mother or the boy. And no I will not stop her because I agree with her attitude completely and she has good reason for it.

I would think you and your daughter would understand why a mother would take her son into the ladies room. We don't want to run the risk of them getting molested. I can't imagine anyone getting nasty with a child and telling them to get the HELL out. If someone ever did that to my child, they'd have a MAJOR problem on their hands.

If what you said is true, I think your daughter is asking for trouble.

How can a victim of rape & molestation not understand a parents desire to keep his/her child safe?

I've seen a lot of things that parents do at disney that bother me
but I'd never SAY anything to the child or the parent.

 

[kevind65]

I did want to say that disney does have "family/companion" restrooms...I can't tell you exactly how many, but, I do know that they have them. I took my dd in them several times when she was young. BTW, these bathrooms are not only for handicapped people. they are just what they say they are: family/companion restrooms. I know this because I remember they had diapers and changing tables and the like......I would also say that a boy 10 or so years of age probably has no business in the ladies restroom, but, for the single parents out there; what are they supposed to do?

 

[kevind65]

Oh Yea, I also wanted to respond to Donna on the cell phone issue. I have posted this on other occassions, but, to refresh: some of us are small business owners whose business does not shut down while we are on vacation. As a rule: I never have cell phone on while in the parks(especially never have it on in lines or during shows), but, there are certain times during the day where I have to find a bench or some other out of the way place to check my messages and return calls if warranted. and no, I do not have someone else who can do it for me. I am a self-employed small business owner and most times the only person with the required info. I really don't appreciate the insinuation that I don't pay attention to my kids or can't enjoy vacation; ask my kids, 99.9% of my time goes to them!! After all, it's my business that allows and affords our family to go to disney world in the first place...please don't judge me on the few seconds you happen to walk by me...I think everyone needs to be a little more careful not to judge people we observe for 30 seconds to a minute....sometimes our impressions may be way off base...

 

[Figaro]

One thing that we noticed the last time we were at WDW is that the "family" part had been removed from many of the companion restrooms. Almost all of them just have the wheelchair symbol, male, female symbol and the word "companion." We talked with a few cast members and they said that this was being done because it was getting impossible for many people who had to have physical assistance to use the toilet to get into the bathrooms.

Of course, what this really means is that more companion restrooms need to be built, since everyone likes to use them. Another safe place to take children to use the bathroom is the baby care centers at each park. Very family focused, clean and safe.

And, again I will recommend Gavin de Becker's book "The Gift of Fear"(smile). It was my and my spouse's responsibility to teach our children how to keep themselves safe when using public restrooms. Since there was no way that one of us would ALWAYS be with them, protecting them meant teaching them how to handle any possible molestation situation that might happen when we weren't around.

One of the things that Gavin de Becker stresses is that predators approach. And that parents can lower the already extremely low risk of their child being molested in a bathroom by teaching their children which kinds of adults to approach for assistance. I always had great luck waiting (when my son was younger) for a dad with kids to come along and then ask him if he would mind keeping an eye on my son. Since I was doing the choosing (remember, predators approach), this worked very well.

Of course I would also wait right outside the restroom door, but I was always well aware that there is a whole level of risk assessment that takes place. Like there is a BIG difference between a deserted rest stop off of an interstate and a busy theme park restroom(smile).

 

[kevind65]

If the family restrooms are now intended for handicapped users only, then I apologize...It has been several years since we used them...I was only commenting on the way they were in the 96' to 99' era....again, i'm sorry if I gave out wrong info...

 

[MELSMICE]

Well, the issue of boys in ladies rooms has been addressed, but what about girls in men's rooms. I have 3 DD's. They are now 14, 11 & 11.

I am fortunate that we are a 2-parent family & I have always taken them into a restroom, however, there have been instances when I was not around & they had to use one. DH immensely disliked taking them into a men's restroom for 2 main reasons:

1. Cleanliness
2. No Privacy!!!!!!!!!!

Everyone needs to do what they are comfortable with. I used to take my DD's in the stall with me 1 at a time until they were about 5 with the other 2 waiting right outside the door (needed to see the feet ) After that, they each got a stall, knew they had to wash their hands when they were through & then we had a meeting place, usually by the mirror & we all left together to meet DH (who had been done practically for hours by that time!)

My point is that a men's restroom is no place for a little girl of any age as far as I'm concerned. Why should a woman's restroom be the place for a little boy to be that's 8 years old or older?

Okay - start throwing the stones! I can take it!

 

[Figaro]

kevind, I think there are still some that have family on (the one at the Castle in the Magic Kingdom comes to mind) and I'm pretty sure the one at Downtown Disney still have family on it too. I think most people with kids are going to see those two more often just because of the locations(smile).

It is just so frustrating to me that there aren't MORE of this kind of bathrooms, especially since they are so popular with families. It's pretty much the same way I feel about the wheelchair stalls...everyone likes the higher toilets and increased space so there should be more of them!

And don't worry about making mistakes...heck I tell my spouse all the time that one of the reasons I am so good at apologizing is because I am making mistakes all of the time(smile).

 

[ChairborneRangr]

kevind65,

You are definately NOT the kind of person we are talking about here on the cell phones. We are talking about loud, obnoxious types that always have their phones on and will take a call anywhere at anytime. The impression I get is that they would rather talk to ANYONE from work rather than spend time with their families.

Everyone has the right to use whatever communication devices they want. THis is America. It is the lack of common courtesy that irks me. If you turn your phone on and do business for a while during the day from a bench, more power to you! I have done that kind of thing many times. And, if I had to choose a place to take calls, I'd take the happiest place on earth too. But, I try very hard to not disrupt anyone else's time.

 

[Xtine76]

Whoever started with the characters and autograph books wasn't the brightest one in the book. All they do is create long lines and for someone who's daughter doesn't care about getting Minnie's autograph but just wants to give her a hug it is very annoying to stand in a long line while some annoying parent rolls up in a stroller with their kid that isn't even old enough to walk and hands the character an autograph book to sign. Yeah right like the kid really knows if they want autographs. I guess this is why I pay big bucks for character meals! So we don't have to wait in these lines.

 

[4greatboys]

Originally posted by Talking Hands
Disney has Companion bathrooms. These are for people who need to accompany a handicapped person to the restroom. Perhaps this is where mother's who insist their son's over the age of 6 or 7 ought to go. My brother never accompanied Mom and I to the restroom after the age of 6 and we travelled all over the world.
My daughters are victims of rape and molestation and are both extremely uncomfortable with boys in the women's rest room. In fact, they are so much so that my oldest will leave and find a companion restroom to use rather than be in the same restroom with one. She will also tell one to get the HELL out of the ladies room and tell he has no business in there and he should be ashamed. She can get quite nasty in such a situation and I wouldn't want to be the boy's mother or the boy. And no I will not stop her because I agree with her attitude completely and she has good reason for it.

Im very sorry to what happened to your family but that is no reason to be nasty to others who are trying toprotect their kids from the same thing. As a mom of 4 boys many times the only option I had was the womens room. If a family restroom is available we use it but if I was somewhere I didnt feel comfortable with my boys in the mens room then they went in the womens room with me. Now that my 2 oldest are big enough and watch out for each other I feel better with them in the mens room. But believe me its not unheard of for boys to be raped and it has happened in mens restrooms. If you think a 6 or 7 year old boys is old enough and big enough to fend off a grown man trying to rape him then you need to think again. And if I ever encountered your or your dd's nastyness I have plenty to dish right back at you. I would never put my child in harms way becuase you think its best.

 

[tiggerzpalz]

Originally posted by Talking Hands
Disney has Companion bathrooms. These are for people who need to accompany a handicapped person to the restroom. Perhaps this is where mother's who insist their son's over the age of 6 or 7 ought to go. My brother never accompanied Mom and I to the restroom after the age of 6 and we travelled all over the world.
My daughters are victims of rape and molestation and are both extremely uncomfortable with boys in the women's rest room. In fact, they are so much so that my oldest will leave and find a companion restroom to use rather than be in the same restroom with one. She will also tell one to get the HELL out of the ladies room and tell he has no business in there and he should be ashamed. She can get quite nasty in such a situation and I wouldn't want to be the boy's mother or the boy. And no I will not stop her because I agree with her attitude completely and she has good reason for it.

I am sorry to hear that as she has no idea who she might be yelling at or really using that kind of language. My brother is 11 and has Down Syndrome. There are times when my father or my husband is not with us and he has to use the restroom. He could never use the men's room on his own. He just doesn't understand yet. He would also be very upset to have some strange person scream at him when he simply has no choice and doesn't understand what he would be doing wrong. And quite honestly, I would be upset as well and come find you, the parent to yell at back. What are you teaching your children? For someone who is dealing with your own problems in life, shame on you. I would think you would be a bit more understanding.

 

[JVL1018]

Originally posted by kevind65
I would also say that a boy 10 or so years of age probably has no business in the ladies restroom, but, for the single parents out there; what are they supposed to do?

I have a 9 year old nephew, who I would NEVER take into a bathroom with me, that is too old. 6 or 7 is fine, after that, time to cut the apron strings.
If I am out with him without another adult male like his dad or my husband and I need to use the restroom he is told to stand RIGHT here at the exit, if he goes I wait right at the door for him to come out. Works perfectly.
Kids this age walk to school, the park etc by themselves-I am protective, but not overly so..and yes my brother and SIL do the same thing with him, so I am not going against his parents wishes.

As for someone who would curse at my child for being in the bathroom-even if he were 10, they'd better watch out-they would get an earful from me. No matter what someone has gone through, rudeness is something that one should teach their children is wrong, it is not to be encouraged because they were hurt previously in their lives. That makes no sense.

 

[tiggerzpalz]

Originally posted by Talking Hands
For you who seem to think it is alright to critcize me for my daughter's attitude I feel sorry for you. Being raped is devastating for a girl no matter what the age and she has a right to her attitude and good reason for it. Added to that, she is now an adult and I do not control her in any way. I am no longer responisble for her behavior in any way. So critcize all you want but don't lay it on me as it isn't my attitude or behavior. Still don't think boys belong in the ladies room beyond the age of 6 or 7. You people are too darn over protective.

So yelling at a handicapped person who is no bigger than a six year old is ok? Good to know. I understand families who have been through alot but it doesn't make it right. I hope my family, inlcuding my little brother are never there when you and your are.

 

[Talking Hands]

Joshmom due to your son's condition I think he has as much right in a companion bathroom as any other person with a handicap. His health is such that he should be able to use one. Btw I am so glad the docs are letting him go on vacation.

 

[Talking Hands]

Originally posted by tiggerzpalz
So yelling at a handicapped person who is no bigger than a six year old is ok? Good to know. I understand families who have been through alot but it doesn't make it right. I hope my family, inlcuding my little brother are never there when you and your are. [/QUOTE
I hope you aren't either but don't count on it since I am a semi-local. And I have been yelled at by plenty of able bodied people for being handicapped so your brother better get used to it. It goes with the territory. I've even been told I have no right to go to Disney because I am handicapped and on disability by someone who didn't even know me. Sorry but I'm not on disability, I work and I don't get a thing from the government.

 

[4greatboys]

Originally posted by Talking Hands
For you who seem to think it is alright to critcize me for my daughter's attitude I feel sorry for you. Being raped is devastating for a girl no matter what the age and she has a right to her attitude and good reason for it. Added to that, she is now an adult and I do not control her in any way. I am no longer responisble for her behavior in any way. So critcize all you want but don't lay it on me as it isn't my attitude or behavior. Still don't think boys belong in the ladies room beyond the age of 6 or 7. You people are too darn over protective.

That is even worse if she is a grown adult yelling at children. Im nto trying to make lite of what happened to your girls but if they still have problems dealing with others in everyday--such as screaming at young boys in the restroom--then she needs counseling. And it would be equally devestating for a young boy to be raped. You seem not to understand that it happens to them to. Being a boy does not make you immune to bad things that happen. And how do you know that some young boy she is screaming at wasnt the victim of rape also??
AS for it not being your behavior or attitude the apple doesnt usually fall far from the tree and you seem to be pretty supportive of it. Im having a hard time seeing how you can be to overprotective of a 6 or 7 year old Now if I was dragging my 16 yr old into the womens room that I could see but young boys?? Give me a break. Having bad things happen to you doesnt give you the right to treat others badly. And in light of what happened to your girls you think you would be somewhat understanding of others trying to protect their own children--Girls AND boys--from those same bad things.

 

[wdwdvcdad]

for anyone to complain about a parent taking children into a stall be it handicapped or companion is sickening. Until it says "for the exclusive use of the handicapped", I don't want to hear it. As for the woman who would yell at someone for taking a little boy into the ladies room. get a grip. (I am trying to be as nice about that situation as possible, but if she were to yell at my wife like that, there would be more than a little problem).