Yes I just corrected someone else’s kid at Walt Disney World. While I would love to correct strangers kids on a regular basis here, I typically refrain. I usually save the correcting for children that I see doing something that is or will directly impact my children. You know like the big kids splashing in the shallow end where Carson and Courtney are. But last night, I couldn’t stop myself. Now before I set the scene and tell you what happened, I want to say that I know as a parent, I too have moments where I am not being the best parent. Try me at 3 in the morning with a toddler who still doesn’t want to go bed and is fighting me with everything he has….(love that spectrum!)
So as we were leaving Magic Kingdom last night, just got off our monorail and we were walking from the ticketing and transportation center to our van. Patrick was giving me a much needed break from pushing the stroller and Stevie was bouncing along beside him. Becca and I were casually (ok our feet hurt and we were dragging) strolling a few feet behind them, when we saw it. At the corner of the t&t station there is a little gift shop, and in front of that gift shop was a little girl about 4 years old (ish) and another little girl, about 7/8 years old (ish), the three adults with them were a good 6 feet away walking up the sidewalk to the parking lot. Two women and a man. The younger girl was screaming and throwing a tantrum, as often occurs at WDW. No surprise there, but what happens next just makes my skin crawl. The older girl grabs the little girl by her wrist and starts yanking on her, pulling her. She has both hands wrapped around this little girls wrist and is yanking and tugging her along, while the younger girl is fighting her with everything in her to let her go. In my head I am thinking ok this mom is going to turn around and deal with this. So Becca and I look at each other and both of us are like, um this isn’t ok. After a few moments the parents have still not so much as turned around to even look at the girls, and I can take it no more. In my head I keep seeing a number of situations playing out. The little girl falls and gets hurt. The bigger girl pulls her arm out of the socket…. So that is when I hear myself, in a raised voice spurt out, “Hey, stop that!”, at the same time I hear my daughter also speaking up. I have no idea what she was saying or if she was talking to me. I just know I couldn’t believe these parents were not dealing with their children.
Well all of a sudden those parents can now parent their child and not leave it to their 7/8 year old. Now is when they turn and yell at me, that if I didn’t like it, then I can go buy their 4 year old a rootbeer. That is why she was throwing the tantrum apparently. Now I can appreciate being exasperated at a tantrum throwing child, but leaving the parenting to your other child, young child at that, is just wrong, especially when she is putting your younger child in danger. Oh they were all kinds of pissed that I told their 7/8 year old to stop dragging their 4 year old. All they could see was a tantrum throwing child. I mean come on people, how hard is it to walk over to child and if need be, pick them up and tell them no. If they throw a tantrum, just let them scream it out while calmly carrying them off to the car. Or heck take a minute and stand there and wait it out. It will stop, eventually. Even a toddler on the autism spectrum tantrums eventually stop. Trust me, I know. I just keep thinking if I had seen any of my children ever doing that to one another, oh heads would have been flying!
If you are a parent of young children, or child, and you are not aware that a tantrum will happen while at Disney. Then you are fooling yourself and living in a fantasy land of your own. If you are unable, ill equipped or just a plain old bad parent, then please stay home and do not come to Disney. I know for me and my family, it would be a much nicer visit if I don’t have to worry about your children.
photo credit - http://www.the-parenting-magazine.com/child-behavior-problems/managing-your-childs-temper-tantrums/
“Spare the rod, spoil the child”
It’s sad that so many parents feel like this is not a valid form of child discipline, even when we see in today’s world so much meanness and disrespect in the younger generations than ever before.
Thank you for correcting the child, but sorry that you had to be the one to do it. These days, some parents are off in their own little world, and forget that they have children that they themselves carried for 9 months.
Why does this not surprise me??? Sorry you had to deal with it…but at least it was on your way out, when you day was already done!!
I’ve done similar things myself. However, the only thing that bothered me about your article is that you basically said that all young children will have a tantrum at Disney. My children have been there 10 times, and none have ever had a tantrum. Maybe the majority will, but not “all”.
It takes a village.
Sadly, I see this all the time. I would have said something to the parents personally, what you did was nicer than what I would have done. They were ignoring their children, and making a child care for a younger child while they ignored them and walked far ahead. What if something bad had happened? I think you did the right thing, and you were nicer about it than I would have been!
While I may not have yelled at the girl, I probably would have said something like, “Sweetie, you’re hurting her by pulling on her like that!” If that didn’t stop the situation or gotten the parents attention, then I’d probably move on and make judgment all the way to the car! 😉
You need to do what you feel is right. So what if crummy parents yell, at least you got their attention and it might not happen again in the future. Sometimes…people scare me, but we have to try when it comes to the safety of a child.
You were absolutely NOT in the wrong here. I fuss at other people’s kids when they need it too. I’m not talking about when the parents are taking care of a situation but when they are completely ignoring it or, even worse, think a bad behavior is totally acceptable. And by “when they need it”, I mean when someone could get hurt as in this situation, or when other kids are being mean or rude to my own. And don’t think for a second that I don’t expect manners from my kids. Good for you.
Totally wrong. In this day and age, I can’t imagine disciplining a stranger’s child. You open yourself up to a very bad situation, ignoring that it isn’t your place to begin with. Speak to the parents, sure, but that wasn’t your child. Not your place. Maybe these child were also “on the spectrum” and the parents needed an outside voice of comfort – instead of judgement. Reading your comments about your own child make me wonder what situations the rest of us may have witnessed, and been kind enough not to throw you in the mud. Not your child – not your place. Speak to the adult. Call a CM. Never take it upon yourself to yell at a child.
Really? And this is why children are the way they are! Obviously their parents can’t control them! Sometimes it takes an outside person to put them in their place and make them realize that they are acting like fools! So many clueless/selfish parents these days equals lots of brats and BULLY’S that make it unpleasant for the rest of us!!!!
Yes, really. Yelling at a child could have escalated this situation into something you really don’t want to image. Trust me, I’ve witnessed well meaning (and very judgmental) parents in difficult spots as they try to explain why they dared to discipline another child. It’s in your best (legal) interest NOT to directly deal with the child. Call out the parents, if you must, but think of your own when doing so. The space that this supposedly happened in is so small, I can’t imagine that it lasted very long or it couldn’t have gone without notice from cast members. Call to them. We all feel like to feel as if we’re the superior parent, but two seconds viewing a situation doesn’t give you rights over that child. Protect yourself, said children, and your own by NOT directly involving yourself with minors if better options are present.
First, I want to say thank you for stating your opinion in a respectful manner. I have twelve negative comments in here that I can’t approve because of the language and the writers inappriorate attacks on well, me.
I didn’t touch the child, I only yelled, Hey Stop That. And I kept walking. As for cast members, there were not any around, this was at the TTC, near the gift shop, but past it on the sidewalk.
I really can’t stand parents like that. You see SO MUCH of it nowadays – people are just so complacent. I’m afraid I might have spoken up and said something as well.
I agree, I think I would of have said something too and I am not even a parent.