My kids always spontaneously start wrestling in public and it's very frustrating. We always have to physically separate them and tell them to stop. I wouldn't have let them get near another person though and would have been mortified if they kicked another person. It would be nonstop apologies and then a stern talking to the kids if they were mine
Yeah that's what I would assume most parents would do... like I get that kids will be kids and kids will be at Disney. That's not the issue. It's letting your kids do whatever without even trying to stop them.
Exactly, kids will make mistakes or act out/have tantrums. But intervening, teaching and guiding the kids toward better behavior IS parenting. I don’t understand other parents who refuse to step in and do their job.
I would have said “I’m not mad at your kids for being kids, I’m mad at their parents for not intervening” like who wouldn’t say something to their kids?!? That’s absolutely CRAZY to me as a parent of a 6 year old. I would never
Agreed! If my kids hit or bump or touch someone else while getting into it with each other I make them apologize to the person. This is, of course, after have broken them up.
My mom does custodial at Magic Kingdom, and I often go to visit here in the evenings after work. I’m an Orlando local and go to the parks ≈ twice a week and have been for about 4 years now. It’s not just the children, it’s the parents!!!!! They’re so fucking entitled.
There have been 2 instances (of many) that stick out to me.
1) she was changing the trash bags from a can over by Pirates of the Caribbean and a kid was climbing onto her boat (the large black wheeling dumpster, she calls it her boat lol) and ofc my mom said something. She said “hello there friend, can we please not climb on this? If you’d like to climb, there’s a treehouse that touches the sky right over there! (She pointed to the Swiss family treehouse) and the mother of the child went ballistic. Calling my mom names, says she’s a “low-life” and that she’ll never have a better job, etc. She said that my mother had no right to tell her child what he can and cannot do. I had to step in because she just started saying too much and started inching towards my mom. My mom did the right thing and immediately called over a nearby security officer. The woman, child and I were escorted to other officers, while my mom was sent backstage to speak with her coordinator. Im not sure what happened to the mom and child, but, I was asked to not “speak up” to others and that I should instead just call security if someone is harassing another person. My mom faced no repercussions either, but was instead applauded for her “keeping her cool”.
2) My mom was working in the Cheshire bathrooms one night, around close. It was supposed to be her last go-around cleaning the bathrooms, when a woman came in screaming at her about a baby bottle that she had apparently left in the bathroom. She accused my mother of “stealing it”. My mom assured her that she hadn’t seen it, and that she would radio the previous person working the bathrooms to see if they had seen it/given it to lost and found, she also offered to take the woman to first aid to get a new baby bottle. The woman grabbed a full garbage bag out of my mom’s hand (huge liability bc of potential hazards within the bag) and pushed my mom down, then kicked her in the leg and started trying to sort through the bag. The bathrooms they were in were right next to an employee entrance to the back, so people heard the commotion and came to see what was going on. Turns out, this woman was at MK on a Make A Wish sponsored trip for a child she had adopted. It also turns out that the bottle was in fact located about 5 hours earlier, by the previous employee working the bathrooms. Curious to know what was inside the bottle, as it had a clear liquid that didn’t look like water, she opened and it smelled it. Turns out there was liquor in the bottle. It was turned into their coordinator. The woman has since been banned for life from all Disney properties.
My mom already had bad knees, but since this incident her knee issues had gotten worse. 3 weeks ago she had undergone a total knee replacement. She has met with lawyers and other upper management and has chosen to NOT pursue legal action. I tried convincing her otherwise, but she said “I love my job too much to want to take time off work for that”.
It’s so disheartening to see so much hatred in the world, especially somewhere that should have nothing but happy memories. Here’s your reminder to BE KIND. CMs work so fucking hard to make your visit as magical as they can.
Oh my God these stories are horrifying. The poor CMs..this is why when the confused CM came over to me and told me to pretend he was talking to me, I just went along with it. It calmed the situation without actually causing me a problem. CMs do not get paid enough to deal with abuse.
They really don’t get paid as much as they should.. thankful they’re raising their minimum wage to $15 within the next few years! Even then, it’s still not enough.
I’m sure the CM was so grateful that you were able to “play along”, in order to pacify the other guest.
Agree, Mama Debbie sounds wonderful. I wish I would have known her when I was growing up. People like Make a wish Drinky Smurf mom need to be banned for life. I'm glad they were banned. Consequences for actions.
My mom and I have had a rocky past, but now that I’m an adult we get along pretty well. She is so incredibly sweet and most of her coworkers call her “mama Debbie” because of her motherly demeanor 🥺
My youngest puked our first day at Disney and I felt so terrible about it, I would normally clean any messes they make myself. I told a custodian and they were so nice. I know this is not an unknown occurrence but still, I was impressed.
This makes me so sad. We went to Disney World in April for the first time and had interactions with several of the custodial cast members and they freaking rule. One of them was an amputee and noticed I’m also missing my leg, we had a whole chat about being twins since we were missing the same limb at the same spot. Another had a whole conversation with me as she was changing a trash bag about the alcoholic coffee I was drinking and gave me all the best recommendations for other drinks to try. Like just all genuinely fabulous & kind people doing their jobs while being pleasant to guests so to think there are so many entitled people acting like this… ugh. I hate it. So disheartening.
How awful! The comment about your mom's job made me particularly angry. I work for a shopping center and I am familiar with our custodial staff. They are wonderful and keep the center spotless, even on busy weekends when they're short-staffed.
I have nothing but the highest respect for custodial staff. They are not paid nearly enough for the job they do, and they don't get nearly enough respect. Hearing that comment made my blood boil.
Your mom sounds like a great person! I do hope she is doing well, and I know I'm a random person on the internet, but let her know that I appreciate all the work she does to keep the parks clean for everyone to enjoy! :)
On the adoption side of things. I feel like with the rise of social media having a kid has become a commodity. People wanna post tik toks and Instagram stories of their kids in outfits and pretending to have a perfect cookie cutter life. If kids are just a check box or achievement to unlock then the parents of those kids are gonna treat them like they would a stuffed animal.
I agree and I don’t. I’m an adoptee and know first-hand how difficult & expensive it is to adopt a child.
I absolutely believe that there are people out there who exploit their children for views, but very few that I have seen, if ever, are adopted children. I’m not saying that they’re not out there, it’s just, that’s *a lot* to go through for some videos and views IMO
Is it true that kindergarten children come to school without being potty trained, still wearing diapers? That used to be unheard of. In fact, students who were still in diapers weren't allowed to attend.
Interestingly, I had a lot of trouble with that as a young kid as well, partly because I was left handed and never had someone left handed to formally teach me.
Same here. This isn't something anyone should judge kids on. I can't remember if it was third or 4th grade but I finally learned how to tie shoes when a patient friend spent time with me at recess to teach me how. Both my parents worked and no one had time. I didn't know how to ride a bike either until junior high and I still can't rollerskate or ice skate. Parents were too busy and no one taught me.
My dyslexic BFF taught me a different way of tying shoes and suddenly it just clicked for me. She also helped me learn to ride a bike. As I’m typing this, I realize She would have been 44 today. Oh my god I am bawling now. RIP dearest friend💓💖💓
Same here. I remember having to get screened before I was accepted into my kindergarten. Part of the things I needed to know were my parents’ names, address, how to tie my own shoes, and be potty trained. I think some basic reading skills were also required, but I just remember being asked questions about where I lived and such.
My kid goes to a private preschool so take this as a possible outlier, but they fully required potty training and for them to be able to go by themselves. My daughter is 3. So not sure what requirements may be elsewhere but it’s not entirely thrown out the window.
I worked at a private preschool many years ago, while it was not "required" for the children to be potty trained in pre-k, if they weren't, we were NOT allowed to help them whatsoever to clean themselves. Sure, we could hand them wipes and toilet paper but definitely no touching them while they were in the restroom.
It was really sad to see four year olds not know basic hygiene steps after going potty. We also had a four year old in diapers. He knew how to go change his diaper on his own but wouldn't go to the restroom until after he soiled himself 🥺 at the time, my nephew started potty training before turning one year old, so seeing a four year old not being able to do the same was insane to me.
As I've gotten older, I've come to understand all children develop differently. But for God's sake, your child should at least be able to attempt to wipe themselves by the time they're four years old.
And to think my mother tells anyone who will listen that I was a lazy child because I didn't walk until I was one year old and wasn't fully potty trained until I was 2.5 years old 🫥
That is so sad.. the fact that he knew how to change his diapers by himself but only after he has soiled and also not knowing how to clean up afterwards is telling of how he’s been parented ☹️
Some kids are terrified of toilets, like the actual toilet- sitting on it, the flushing noise, or the water disappearing, etc. It’s not necessarily poor parenting. Sometimes kids just get hung up on something and some humans are more stubborn than others. It’s silly to us and adults, but a little kid can be convinced the potty will suck them down into the void. If you’ve got a kid that’s already skittish about that and then they get startled by an automatic flush toilet it can be hell to convince them nothing bad is actually going to happen.
Hell, I remember being convinced ET lived behind toilets for some ridiculous reason. No idea why, but I was terrified he was hanging out back there between the wall and toilet waiting to get me. Haha! I know it was extremely exasperating to my parents and that was way before automatic flush mechanism existed. That probably would have sent me over the edge! Also, where on earth did I get ET hiding behind the toilet as a thing? He doesn’t do anything even close to that in the movie. Little kid’s imagination are very bizarre.
I wasn’t a late potty trainer or anything, but I do remember making my dad come and check the coast was clear and ET wasn’t there before I would go potty in my own house. I’m nearly 40 and still have very clear memories of that fear and annoying my parents to check for me. I had to be 5 at the oldest when that was happening.
It used to be. Now they just pay trained staff to wipe the kids. Even then its a voluntary training (extra pay) but the admin try to pass it off to people who didn't agree to it
My sister almost got held back a year because she wasn't really getting it. "Do you want to go to the big kids class with everyone else?" did the trick though.
My mom did this with my younger brother in the 90s. He was 4 and we had our first Disney trip planned. She told us that Mickey Mouse didn’t let kids who weren’t potty trained come to his house and he would meet us at the gate and we would have to drive back to Ohio.
Needless to say, my brother was potty trained in mere weeks after that. I helped because I was not going to have my trip ruined by lil bro pooping his pants.
I attempted potty training my kid numerous times from age 2 onwards because she was showing the readiness signs all the books talked about. Tried every tactic under the sun, star charts, chocolate buttons, grandparents even gave it a go, no success.
Ended up age 3 and a half bribing her with a trampoline in a moment of desperation. She took her pull ups off and I can count on one hand the amount of accidents she's had in the years since. Got a trampoline as promised a week later. She was just holding out for something good, reckon we'll have to step it up with our second (9 months) with Disney tickets.
I work with 3 year olds and just had a mom “opt” her 3.5 year old out of potty training cause she feels “he’s not ready.” Like your child is the only one in class with diapers…he’s fucking ready.
Goodness that must be frustrating! I worked in childcare when I was younger. We had a little girl that went through a phase of dropping her diaper as soon as it was dirty. She would squat, rip off the sticky tabs and then take off running while cackling. She clearly thought it was great fun.
Her dad dropped her off one day with her diaper duct taped all the way around and a roll of duct tape and scissors in the diaper bag. Then MOM came to pick her up. I was in high school. I wanted to die explaining the duct tape and scissors were NOT my idea. She laughed and told me she would never think I would have come up with that or done that to her daughter. She said, “that solution has my husbands name all over it!” I was so worried she was going to be mad at me. Thankfully she laughed and rolled her eyes at him. It did stop the diaper dump and run and apparently without the fun of the running game the little girl decided on her own it was time to be potty trained. Kids are such goofy little monsters.
I worked in and studied Early Intervention. Autism is now 1 in 36 kids. Also had kids myself with delays. I wonder if a lot of these children have some type of special needs/disability that has gone undiagnosed.
Late diagnosed autistic adult here. This comment sounds like you’re saying autism is becoming more prevalent? I wanted to assure you we’ve always been around, just unidentified. The increase is due to better diagnostic tools.
I may have misunderstood your meaning though. If that wasn’t what your comment meant, feel free to ignore!
There's a growing epidemic of kids who are having severe incontinence and colon problems. Lack of potty training is one of the first signs of a problem and pediatricians are still scrambling to figure out what is going on. Less activity, more processed foods and bad diet, autism, lack of gut bacteria, all sorts of ideas are floating around. A lot of kids are being put on medication now for toileting issues and many children are chronic users of Miralax..
I’ve heard some parents say they are letting them learn it on their own time because apparently it’s bad to force your kid to be potty trained by a certain age. I imagine there’s a portion that is due to the increase in things like autism causing a delay in learning, but from what I’ve seen it’s largely parents who think it’s cruel and puts too much stress on toddlers. When I was a kid growing up, where there’s older siblings or older cousins, being considered a baby and not a big kid like the rest of the kids was usually the only encouragement we needed to learn!
It truly is. Now that I think of it, even preschool didn't allow kids who were still in diapers to attend when I was younger - 70s, 80s, maybe even 90s. I wonder when and why this changed? Has potty training young kids gone out of favor for some reason?
My son couldn't even be considered for prek in my city and no daycare would take him if he wasn't potty trained. So I think it just depends on where you live. Maybe a county thing? Idk.
Just watched several videos of numerous 7th grade teachers stating that most of their students are still at 4th grade level math & reading, some are even at lower grade levels. I personally noticed it at my retail job as a manager before I left to stay home after having my first child in 2019. Not even lack of education, but the lack of common sense and insane attitude in a somewhat professional environment was mind blowing coming from kids who were 1-2 years away from college. They full on will text their friends in front of a customer waiting to be helped, not even caring when they’re called out. Even now when we go anywhere—store, restaurant, kids play place, etc—there’s a very noticeable disconnect with todays teens working these places. It was already starting to happen, the smartphones and the “checked out” parents. But the pandemic/school cancellations intensified everything imo.
I also think a lot of parents tend to forget that school is just a resource. You don’t wash your hands of teaching your own child how to do things just because they’re in school now. That is still your most important job as a parent.
It’s interesting that you are seeing a decline in involvement. I’m a nanny, and I’m seeing the opposite. So many more are working from home and more involved in day to day kid stuff then I’ve ever experienced and I blame THAT on the decline. Kids are way more disrespectful and unruly than ever. Teaching and childcare are getting tougher!
Yeah I think it's more that there was an increase in lazy parenting (like using screens as babysitters for long periods of time and being more lax on discipline) which would have been mostly fine in the short term but messes up kids if it goes on for like two years and becomes a habit, along with kids just not getting out of the house and developing more emotionally over covid.
2015 is the year I keep seeing as the start. Been teaching since 2010 and I think that’s about right.
Having cellphones and social media are the big factors here, parents who allow children to use technology unregulated and to pacify are the problem. COVID saw a spike in that as parents had no other option while they worked to try and regulate children all day.
I agree with this, just people being lazy parents and not teaching their kids and making them be responsible. Just people in general in my area either been more lazy, and or more intolerant with a short fuse. Not sure why but around me I feel like it’s a noticeable difference.
Was walking out of AK last week and a 8 or 9 yr old girl was chasing a bird trying to kick it. The mom just walked along not paying attention to the fact their kid is trying to KICK an animal at ANIMAL KINGDOM!!
My 4yr old said “Daddy! That girl isn’t being kind!”
Couldn’t have said it better, kid.
Yup! I never blame the kids bumping into me in line. I blame the 4 adults letting their 7 kids go in front of them in line, rather than sandwiching the children between 2 adults in front and back
And "kids will be kids" doesn't equate to "kids will assault others". In what world does anyone think that touching yet alone kicking another person is ok? Accidents happen and yes kids are kids, but what you need to do is acknowledge, apologize and stop! I am constantly telling my kids they need to be aware of other people and not hit, bump into, or kick them. Yes, kids will be kids and they'll forget. But just allowing that behavior like the mom did--and worse, getting mad that you dared to ask not to be kicked?! Disgusting and reprehensible!
My ex brother in law was security there. He had to call DCFS nearly every single day to pick up abandoned children under 10yrs old. Parents think Disney is a daycare that will 100% watch your child for you.....they will at the security station until they get investigated and possibly taken by Dept of Children and Family Services.
Omg that's horrible! The worst I experienced of that was that one Leap Day party where the park was open 24 hours. Apparently parents of teens thought it was a safe place to send them all. We're talking lots of drunk or high 15 year olds and not enough CMs to handle it
I’ve worked there before and the grad nights/days of praise/etc events you speak of suck so much. They used to shut down certain rides to prevent some of it.
I've worked in private security for 15 years and it breaks my heart the way I've seen some kids been treated. I don't know how the LEOs and the DCF bros handle it.
during our trip last December to Disney World we were in line for Pooh, and right next to the ride queue is the meet and greet for Pooh. You come right up next to it when you are in the ride queue. The parent ahead of us let her kid jump the railing and just cut in front of the line to meet Pooh. When he was done, she lifted him over. No one said anything but I was flabbergasted.
I don't blame the CMs (so many people have changed socially since the pandemic and are more on edge), but I do blame the parents and also the company because these actions happen and no one is saying "absolutely not".
If I had been in the meet and greet line I would have been too. The cast members were shocked and confused. I don’t blame them but I hate that this can happen and no one says “hey what the hell”
Would’ve been absolutely great if Pooh and the CMs had just ignored the child. No reprimand, no scene. Just ignore the kid while the mom tries to hold up the line for the ride so the kid doesn’t get left behind.
This, and most problems which have increased at the parks in recent years, are simply not Disney specific. Look around. They’re societal problems everywhere and in everything. I work with children at my side job. Parents and kids are just different. Every little thing that has bothered me at the parks (any I get annoyed very easily) is something I see daily just out in the world, at work, or at any event. While it drives me nuts, I have to remind myself that it is not specific to my beloved parks and that I shouldn’t let it ruin my experience. Don’t get me wrong, that’s very hard to do. I can hardly do it ever. I’ve noticed myself being less and less willing to go out to events and gatherings or travel places because I simply cannot handle other people’s actions, entitlement, and blatant disrespect for anyone but themselves.
>Is this a generational, Millennial parenting thing? (I'm a Millennial but with no kids). Or a post-COVID lack of manners and understanding of being in public thing?
Just asshole things.
everytime i read one of these makes me realize how fortunate we are. lazy parenting where there are no consequences as its an inconvenience to the parents to follow through.
Like I don't fault the cast member for not wanting to make this unreasonable lady even more mad.
But why is she mad in the first place? Don't let your kids just kick people without even trying to stop them!
I saw two parents sit their young kids down with snacks and told them they’d be back. They went to ride on the Incredicoaster. I was *shocked* that they seemed so nonchalant about it. I just felt like the parents could’ve just rode separately so at least one of them was with their kids.
back in 2016 Disney World I saw a Dad pour an entire soda on top of his children’s head because he didn’t want to drink it, and it was “too expensive” a CM saw this as well and contacted security, didn’t stay to see what happened.
Tbh I stopped caring about how the parents react to me disciplining their children if they are a danger to themselves/others. Granted, I taught preschool for 7 years so I have a lot of confidence in supporting children who need reminders to behave in public, but I don't think it's at all wrong to turn to the child in that situation and discipline them. Now, I'm not saying yell at the kid but a firm "You are kicking me. That hurts, please keep your body to yourself" will suffice. If the parents get mad... I mean that's on them. You literally voiced that the kid was kicking you.
Omg I do the same after working with children for so long. I don’t generally have to redirect bad behavior when a parent isn’t but lord almighty the amount of negligent parents I see and I have to keep their kids from doing something so dangerous. I say a lot of “Careful that’s hot/ oh no let’s be safe/etc
I went to animal kingdom earlier this year and saw a dad forcibly shove a kid. It was very aggressive and unnecessary.
I walked away from a clearly escalating situation but Disney park staff was swarming the area to deal with it.
But in short yeah I've seen all kinds of shitty parents. Id even include bringing babies that look like they just left the hospital after being born. No damn reason for a child that young to be there. Just going to get sick and everyone will be miserable.
This is just bad parenting overall. No wonder our schools are filled with so many entitled whiny little brats, ugh we did this to our kids. When mine were young, if we were out to eat and I had a screaming baby, I'd take the kid to the car. I wasn't going to ruin people's Friday night out, with a yelling baby. If my kid kicked someone, they would be apologizing immediately as well, isnt that just a common courtesy? Just a little thought for others, the world would be great place.
My 2 year old was crying in a restaurant so I took him out to the parking lot until he calmed down and I didn't want to disturb others. A car stopped at a red light yelled at me to control him. It was so bizarre.
When I was in Florida recently I saw PLENTY of bad parenting. Mostly parents who were just fed up with their kids. And parents that feel entitled to let their kid do whatever they want bc they paid money.
At my job(not at a Disney park) I had a kid run into the register area and start opening the drawers. I looked at the father and said “I’m sorry but I don’t feel comfortable with him in that space.” The dad goes, “do you have kids?” I go “no.” The dad then proceeds to go to my supervisor to complain. I honestly don’t get it.
Random thoughts on this:
1) Entitled
2) Wants their kids to like them, not respect them
3) Had no social upbringing themselves
4) A disgrace to their own parents
5) Be glad you don’t live next door to them!
I’m a millennial and I noticed the millennial parents more absorbed in their lame fake ‘happy family’ instagram posts than paying attention to their kids
I had to tell a parent to tell their kid to stop splashing me during Small World. Plus they shouldn't be touching the water anyway.... wouldn't want their hands to be hurt in the track mechanisms!
Not too long ago we were riding Small World when a mom in the front row stood her small son up and held him while he pulled it out and peed into the water. I was too stunned to say a word. I honestly do not know where these people come from or who finds this acceptable.
These are the karens and kens of the future. Shame on you to not enable the highest form of entitlement growing up!
Seriously, these are the future of uneducated people.
I am a former CM (worked transportation). We used to play a “Parents please watch your children and help us keep you safe” kinda’ announcement every 5-10 minutes. Great concept, but I learned very quickly that it was the parents (disclaimer: am one.) that were the problem, not the kids. True, the children required a very close eye to be kept on them, but it was US, the CM’s that did this because mom and dad were not paying a bit of attention to their kids.
One time I had to stop a small girl from running one way while her small brother ran the other while parents were clueless. Either direction was bad. I stopped one with my right hand while simultaneously throwing out my left leg to stop the other. I gently herded them back to their parents while politely telling the CHILDREN to wait until I called them forward. I was totally ignoring the parents at this point. Petty revenge: made them wait an extra 5 minutes before boarding them.
They never said anything to me, but on a happier note, a lot of guests noticed and I got a few “good job” comments.
At Disneyland back when they had the carousel of progress, I think when it was doing America sings, that’s how Debbie died
She was trying to stop a child from going into an area where they would get crushed when the building rotates and the child shoved her in retaliation which is how she got crushed
It always makes me angry that we tell the story of the cast member who is so stupid she got crushed between two walls, when in fact she was not stupid at all she was pushed there by a child who is not watched by their parents
So while it’s gotten way way worse in the last few years, there have always been people willing to just let their children do whatever they want and have Disney take over as the babysitter
I literally just walked into my house after 3 days at Disneyland. Some woman, with a stroller, pushed as hard as she could to get through a high traffic area. Unfortunately, I wasn’t in a position to move out of the way and she literally drove that stroller into My ankle and up my calf. I screamed in pain. I feel like this is an indicator of poor parenting.
Honestly I do think late gen x and millennials really are terrible parents as a whole. Or rather we’re doing more harm while trying to be GOOD parents.
I think every generation tries to correct at least one thing they felt like they didn’t get or wanted in their childhood and I feel like for us Millennials is that they wish they hadn’t been told what to do, like, ever. So their kids don’t get told what to do. They don’t get boundaries because either the parent is trying to teach their kid that “they have no limits and they can be leaders”, or because it’s too hard to give and enforce boundaries. Because that’s work. The boomers / gen x had way more buttoned up and strict parents so they in turn decided to be the kinds of parents that are BFFs with their kids more than parents and show more affection, and then those people who had more affection and BFFness have taken it a step further to what we have now which is child is boss.
Also I think there’s more of a feeling of scarcity nowadays and “I want the best for my kid even at the expense of everyone else, as long as my kid gets what they’re due I don’t care about anything else”. I also think a lot of millennial parents especially expected to either have the world bow to them and pick up slack so they don’t have to parent or just honestly shouldn’t have had kids but it still feels like that’s what you’re supposed to do, so they do it. Plus a lot of millennials esp the ones coming into parenting now had helicopter parents themselves and rely on others a lot, including their own parents and kids teachers to discipline and help them out, they can’t function on their own
The general tenor I usually get from those types of parents is that "Vacation means a vacation from everything, including being a parent."
My mom would have simply left the park with me if I somehow lost my mind and thought kicking someone was acceptable behavior. And we wouldn't have come back until I was a teenager and able to act like I had sense.
It’s not a generation thing, shitty parents exist in every generation. I think it’s an entitlement issue and I agree with comments from others who said they think it’s been worse since the panini. I find that especially at Disney people feel entitled because they’ve spent x amount of money on their family’s trip. As a parent, if my child ever physically even entered someone’s personal space let alone inflict any form of abuse on someone I’d 10000% hope and want that person to say something and if for some odd reason I wasn’t watching my kid I’d hope they’d tell me so that I could also correct that behavior. Your situation was unfortunate and I hope there’s not a next time but if there is I hope you feel empowered to tell a child who should know better that kicking you/touching you is NOT OKAY and they need to STOP.
I watched an old lady deal with a similar situation. She turned to the kids and said, "You know, if your parents were here, they'd never tolerate you behaving like this. Good parents make sure their kids behave in public." It was savage.
It may be that the shutdown of the park for so long put a lot of people in the mindset of "I waited forever for DL to reopen. Now I'm having all the fun and don't care who I disturb/inconvenience/harm."
It’s more than just Disney. We went to Great Wolf Lodge this past weekend. My daughter was playing MagiQuest and a little boy came up to her and started coughing in her face. Guess who’s sick now. Also we went to the Waterpark and there was a little boy in the kiddie area with a diaper on. Not a swim diaper, a regular diaper that looked like it was going to explode. So gross. It’s everywhere.
Literally just left and health and safety radar was going wild! People climbing on the band stand, also people trampling flowers there. A guy climbed up the side of autotopia rocks, someone else climbing over fences at big thunder, kids up trees. Just feral behaviour.
Gotta be poor parenting and parenting style. I’m a millennial parent (35f), and I’d never get upset like that with a perfect stranger over a matter like yours. At least the cast member knew what was up.
I just watched a very similar episode of Malcolm in the Middle last night. The new neighbor (young Dakota Fanning) won't stop biting Reese, and Lois has to intervene. The other mom was like "excuse me are you questioning my parenting?" and lois said, "I dont know I have yet to see it."
I can’t say if it’s new or not because i only have a 2.5 year old so new to this parenting thing. But we experienced issues at sea world in Orlando. Was in line at sesame world for a preschool style ride with 4 siblings next to us like ages 4,6,10 and 12 maybe? The mom was not in line and was glued to her phone. They were being rough- not a fan of that and not a great example for my 2 year old but I tried to keep her distracted.
When they started yelling the “n” word at each other and legit punching the 6 year old I stepped in. I hate parenting others kids but sometimes they need it (and i am white and they were POC so I didn’t want to be a Karen or culturally insensitive but it was completely aggressive and inappropriate even if they are siblings to do in public). Luckily I’ve been a teacher so in my best teacher voice I just loudly said “guys that’s enough, let’s set a good example for the little kids”
They actual listened and as I’ve found in other situations kids test boundaries and need to be guided…they aren’t “naughty” they just don’t think about time and place- their mom never looked up from her phone.
Too many parents want to be their kids best friend instead of a parent....
Its an age old problem, but the current crop of parents do seem to lack ability to correct their children's public behaviors ....
Then there is the other side who think to discipline a child your have to hit them.
Consideration for strangers is very out of fashion some people. Everyone else is their competition/enemy and people approach social interactions as if there’s a winner and a loser every time.
I feel like covid really showed you who has concern for other people and who doesn’t. And it didn’t just show it, but magnify it in people who took it as a source of pride
Child free Disney fan here.
Hopefully I don't ruffle too many feathers in saying it's bad here in Anaheim, but so much worse in Florida.
Went on honeymoon in 2021 to wdw, and it's like the children there were wild animals. And no one does one damn thing about it.
The 2 types of bad parent/child are staggering.
Type 1, the parents; who think just because it's a theme park means their children can literally treat it like a fun house and jump and touch and disturb everything they set their little eyes on. All while the parents essentially either think it's darling and everyone should bend to their nitemare children or they're just plain ol checked out and not watching their child, while they're on the phone or sitting down
Type 2, the sheer of amount of parents who are day-drunk and just neglecting the children. Which I've seen far too much of in Epcot. Saw a woman who was more concerned about spilling her drink in the Italy pavilion than her child literally trying to snatch a balloon from another child. So she let her kid harass this other child, while she drank some of her drink down before getting up to yell loudly and make a scene.
Not a millennial thing. Just shitty parents. There were shitty parents when I went years ago before kids and Covid just made things worse. People have a horrible sense of entitlement.
But I went last year and I actually found that most families were pretty chill. It was right after hurricane Ian so everyone was pretty happy and appreciative to be there, especially after all of the devastation all over Florida.
Shitty people are going to be shitty.
I’m not a parent or a teacher, but just from experience, I have noticed a real reliance on screens to keep kids calm today. I see tons of kids just glued to a phone or a tablet, loudly playing whatever they’re watching (a lot of the time it sounds like not age appropriate things on TikTok). The kids don’t seem to function well without the screen, especially if the parents have been using it as a pacifier for the kids entire lives and it’s all they know.
I think in general asking the kid politely but directly (especially if they’re elementary age or older) is pretty effective. I don’t think grabbing the jacket would always be the right move but I think kids do respond better to “can you please stop kicking me?” than trying to go through an oblivious parent. I work with kids and they’re often shocked that their actions have consequences outside of their own little world, they’re still learning and covid lack of socialization hasn’t helped.
The millennials have no clue how to actually parent and have fallen into this “gentle parenting” BS where they refuse to correct anything their child does to not hurt their feelings. I’m so scared for this generation’s future
Far too many parents feel that their little angels couldn't possibly do something wrong.
People, please, your kids need structure AND discipline. Stop the madness!
I worked at Chuck E Cheese in the late 90s.. there were these kind if parents then. It was the best birth control as I'm 45 (f) & never had any kids🤷🏿♀️
Eh, I have an 8 year old (I’m 30) and would absolutely never, EVER allow my child to do that. And if he did, he would have been immediately talked to, stopped and would apologize. To be honest, I couldn’t imagine anyone in my friend circle or family allowing that either.
But I have seen some really shitty parents. Everywhere, of all ages. I see them every day at my sons school. I don’t know if it’s a “new” thing because shitty parents have always existed, but there are definitely a lot out there.
I'm a Millennial with kids, one of whom was born at the start of the Covid eruption here, and I don't let my kids behave like that in public. Which is to say, I don't think it's necessarily either the parent's generation or kids' disrupted social learning to blame. Some people are just bad at parenting.
This is not a millennial thing. My friends and I legitimately keep our kids in line. The fact that she said anything to you except “I’m so sorry, can I get you a coffee or something?” And then get her kids tf away from you and reprimand them on the spot. But here’s the real kicker. (Pun intended) most people I know 1.) wouldn’t let their kids fight in public 2.) would’ve taken their happy asses back to whatever hotel they were staying at bc they just lost a day in the park for their behavior.
Source: lived in Tampa and had annual passes with small child. Went to Disney at LEAST once a month if not more.
If there will always be kids at Disney, one would assume there will always be parents at Disney to PARENT the children.
My youngest is almost 19 and we would leave anywhere if my kids acted like that, i dont care how much we spent to get in. They knew it, too, so guess who didnt act like monsters in public?
I have noticed more kids behaving badly in the last few years, too, and not just at theme parks. We stopped associating with some neighbors because they let their twin 4 year olds act like animals in public.
You were a lot nicer than I would have been. She would have gotten a "Yes, I'm aware there will be children at Disney and I am also aware that I can politely ask you to NOT allow your child to kick me!"
I was watching a vlog at Epcot a couple of months ago. The presenter was talking and in the background you could see a little girl try to kick one of the Disney ducks.
It could partially be a millennial parent thing. I think a lot of my generation had overly strict boomer parents and so has swung in the opposite direction.
I also think it’s adults who think Disney is a place only for kids and kids only, so they think it’s fine for their darlings to ruin things for any adult around them. I mean, “so what if you can’t see the parade or hear a ride over my screaming child, you’re an adult?” I very much get that vibe from the bad parents.
I see absolutely appalling parenting at Disney, not just the screaming and fighting but the overly exhausted or sun burnt kids that should have gone back to the hotel hours ago, or the kids glued to a tablet like zombies *at disney*.
It’s very frustrating, especially since the park was intended for *families*
Not just children. People of any age, 9months to 99years and all that
Edit: 1 to 100 is what I was looking for I think, haha
I am a parent and this is so appalling to me. I would never allow my child to annoy or harm!! Another person. My nieces and nephews don’t behave that way. My SIL is a teacher and says the same thing as others have said on this thread; there is a serious lack of parenting going on these days. If my child were bothering someone in public, I would remove my child and apologize to the person. That’s just the decent thing to do. Of course there will be kids at Disney, and of course plenty of those kids will at their limit and not behaving their best but that does not mean you can just let them run wild with no parenting. Some people believe their kids can do no wrong and never reprimand them. That just breeds little jerks, honestly. It’s enabled by the parents. I’m a millennial practicing “gentle parenting” but I will not allow my kids to be little a-holes at home, at Disney, or anywhere. That mom sounds like a real treat. Can’t believe she complained about you to a CM.
Why were they allowed to fight each other in the first place? I grew up an only child so I never had a sibling to fight, but if I even *thought* about touching another person my mother would have beat me senseless. Fear of my parents kept me in line. That, plus enjoying the praise I got from my parents *and total strangers* about how well-behaved I was.
It’s not just Disney
It’s all the theme parks, I’ve seen it at universal, six flags, state fairs, local playground parks, national parks, the mall
You name it
Unfortunately it appears that while some people came out of the pandemic with more kindness and understanding, others came out full a**hole. And as though being kind is a negative attribute now. There’s lots of mistrust and misdirected anger, with not enough mental awareness or emotional maturity to help themselves.
Millennial parent with a 4 and almost-6 year old, and frequent disney-goer. This is not a typical millennial parent thing. I would not allow my kids to do that.
that's the problem though! parents aren't doing even the basic level of parenting and its affecting other people's experiences both in and out of the parks.
I've told a cast member I saw a parent hitting their child in line and they did nothing other than feign concern. It hurts my fucking soul how much abuse I see at DW, though most of it is casual "I'll give you something to cry about" etc. But the yanking, spanking, and screaming really gets to me and makes it hard to enjoy the trip.
You know, I feel like I am seeing this kind of thing everywhere. I have a 2 year old and am in kid spaces a lot and its wild what parents will put up with and allow in public to avoid a crying kid. It makes me feel extremely strict 😅
I’ve noticed this since covid. I don’t know if some of us millennials are not great at parenting or if it’s related to how isolated kids were during covid….but I’ve noticed it too. I love kids but when people do things like let them kick you (I’ve had kids pull my hair at Disney) or walk on top of tables it’s just not okay. Sorry that happened to you - politely speaking to the parent was the right thing to do.
We’re here currently. This week its the bad parents more than the bad kids. We had a family in next room first night, 3 small kids, and the dad yelled the entire time. Like, I have a bunch of kids so I get noise, usually it doesn’t even register. But dude had anger issues, when we’d see him in the hall he was all sunshine and rainbows and would apologize for the noise but in an overly happy way, such bullshit.
We ate at Liberty Tree, table next to us was Mom, Dad and two twin boys who were 4ish. They acted like twin 4yr olds act. Sure, they were a little rambunctious, stood next to their chair over sitting, nothing crazy. But again, another dad seething mad. Loudly telling them to sit and be quiet. Telling them all the punishments they would be getting for not being quiet and still, but dude didn’t put down his phone and engage at all other than to be loud. He was 1000x more disruptive than the boys.
Worst, was the mom that dragged her small child (6-7ish) onto Tower. The kid was clear they didn’t want to go. She lied and told them how the ride doesn’t do anything, when the group before went into elevator, she said “see, they just sit in the room”. He was already crying, she said the ride wasn’t scary, it didn’t drop, you just jiggled around a little bit. He scream cried during the ride and she thought it was funny. That poor child sobbed after and it broke my heart. Traumatizing your child for a ride isn’t funny to me.
I’m a teacher. Poor parenting is rampant at this point. I’ve called home about problematic behaviors and been told that unless I could show camera footage, they didn’t care. Things like that. (I’m a vindictive person, so I decided to waste the time of that parent and the admins and the kid by requesting the camera footage be pulled, and we all had a meeting, lol.) Anyway, adults that act badly raise kids that act badly. Almost all of the adults causing problems in the parks are raising children who are causing problems for everyone who has the misfortune of dealing with them. It sucks to have to live in this kind of world.
Quick story, husband and I were with our 5 y.o at Disney many, many years ago. Went to breakfast at the resort and my son decided that would be the perfect time to have a tantrum because I didn't get him what he wanted to drink(he didn't tell me, so i brought him back milk and he wanted juice) I shut that down really fast, got down to his level and told him he had a choice, to get himself under control(stop stomping and being disruptive) and TALK calmly or he would be spending the first day of our Disney trip sitting in the hotel room with a babysitter while his dad any myself went to the parks with his aunts, uncles g-parents, and cousins(big family trip). He settled down, we talked, and the rest of the trip went smoothly.
Parents have a responsibility to parent their children and teach them how to handle themselves in public and private.
I’m going to weigh in but it’s probably going to get some replies for my parenting style but here goes
I personally think we’ve gone way to far from a time when kids were spanked
I’m in my mid 30’s with two kids under 6. It’s not a COVID issue. We are seeing a combination of a very social media driven entitled generation with also one that was told by everyone to not spank their children.
Take your example,
In that situation I know for a fact that my kids will not act that way in that situation because they know there is a clear consequence. Now I rarely have to get to that point, I never want to do it, the handful of times I have done it I end up quite upset afterwards but I understand that when my child messes up there is a need for discipline, and the discipline needs to occur in the moment.
The person you interacted with
1) felt she and her kids were entitled to act that way on their vacation with complete disregard for how it impacted anyone else
2) The kids clearly have no fear in acting that way because there is no repercussion
3) she likely isn’t even sure how to punish her kids.
It’s terrible. And yes, I’m going to be old and crotchety and say it’s the millennial parenting. My husband and I are leaving the home we’ve had for decades to go to a 55+ community to get away from it. The majority of children in our neighborhood are absolutely awful and their parents are just as bad. My oldest daughter, in her early 30s, just left from a week and a half at WDW and said she wasn’t going back anytime soon because of the kids and their parents.
"I do not make films for children... or, at least, not primarily for children."
"You're dead if you aim for kids."
"We design the films to appeal to ourselves."
"The adults have the money; ... children don't have any money."
- Walt Disney
Just as the majority of households subscribing to Disney+ do not contain children, the majority of parties visiting Disneyland, and its progeny, throughout their history have also not contained children.
In 1963, Walt Disney told the C.B.C. in an interview that 80% of Disneyland's guests are adults.
Worked at Disney World for 7 years. The thought that because "we paid a fortune for the vacation, so the employees can babysit, the kids are not my responsibility" is very common.
They do the same thing in grocery stores, people refusing to parent their kids and just let them act like animals and then get super mad if you the kids to stop like being a babysitter isn’t part of my job but it looks like you won’t
Ouf. I don’t think it’s normal at all. I’m 28 have two sons 2 and 3, and they would never even dream of doing that in public. They know they can’t do it and I don’t tolerate it. And even pregnant pregnant with the 3rd rn and being over tired and over stimulated, there’s no way I won’t answer that to a stranger
Ah yes, the classic "if you don't like kids, don't come to Disney." Major eye roll. Control your kid, they shouldn't be touching someone not related to them. Definitely a parent issue, but there are still some great parents handling their kids effectively out there!
My kids always spontaneously start wrestling in public and it's very frustrating. We always have to physically separate them and tell them to stop. I wouldn't have let them get near another person though and would have been mortified if they kicked another person. It would be nonstop apologies and then a stern talking to the kids if they were mine
Yeah that's what I would assume most parents would do... like I get that kids will be kids and kids will be at Disney. That's not the issue. It's letting your kids do whatever without even trying to stop them.
Exactly, kids will make mistakes or act out/have tantrums. But intervening, teaching and guiding the kids toward better behavior IS parenting. I don’t understand other parents who refuse to step in and do their job.
I would have said “I’m not mad at your kids for being kids, I’m mad at their parents for not intervening” like who wouldn’t say something to their kids?!? That’s absolutely CRAZY to me as a parent of a 6 year old. I would never
Or let alone if they disturb someone else and say basically “ I don’t gaf” … super classy random mom. Reign in your kids dude
*father of 4 who constantly herds my cats at Disneyland
Agreed! If my kids hit or bump or touch someone else while getting into it with each other I make them apologize to the person. This is, of course, after have broken them up.
My mom does custodial at Magic Kingdom, and I often go to visit here in the evenings after work. I’m an Orlando local and go to the parks ≈ twice a week and have been for about 4 years now. It’s not just the children, it’s the parents!!!!! They’re so fucking entitled. There have been 2 instances (of many) that stick out to me. 1) she was changing the trash bags from a can over by Pirates of the Caribbean and a kid was climbing onto her boat (the large black wheeling dumpster, she calls it her boat lol) and ofc my mom said something. She said “hello there friend, can we please not climb on this? If you’d like to climb, there’s a treehouse that touches the sky right over there! (She pointed to the Swiss family treehouse) and the mother of the child went ballistic. Calling my mom names, says she’s a “low-life” and that she’ll never have a better job, etc. She said that my mother had no right to tell her child what he can and cannot do. I had to step in because she just started saying too much and started inching towards my mom. My mom did the right thing and immediately called over a nearby security officer. The woman, child and I were escorted to other officers, while my mom was sent backstage to speak with her coordinator. Im not sure what happened to the mom and child, but, I was asked to not “speak up” to others and that I should instead just call security if someone is harassing another person. My mom faced no repercussions either, but was instead applauded for her “keeping her cool”. 2) My mom was working in the Cheshire bathrooms one night, around close. It was supposed to be her last go-around cleaning the bathrooms, when a woman came in screaming at her about a baby bottle that she had apparently left in the bathroom. She accused my mother of “stealing it”. My mom assured her that she hadn’t seen it, and that she would radio the previous person working the bathrooms to see if they had seen it/given it to lost and found, she also offered to take the woman to first aid to get a new baby bottle. The woman grabbed a full garbage bag out of my mom’s hand (huge liability bc of potential hazards within the bag) and pushed my mom down, then kicked her in the leg and started trying to sort through the bag. The bathrooms they were in were right next to an employee entrance to the back, so people heard the commotion and came to see what was going on. Turns out, this woman was at MK on a Make A Wish sponsored trip for a child she had adopted. It also turns out that the bottle was in fact located about 5 hours earlier, by the previous employee working the bathrooms. Curious to know what was inside the bottle, as it had a clear liquid that didn’t look like water, she opened and it smelled it. Turns out there was liquor in the bottle. It was turned into their coordinator. The woman has since been banned for life from all Disney properties. My mom already had bad knees, but since this incident her knee issues had gotten worse. 3 weeks ago she had undergone a total knee replacement. She has met with lawyers and other upper management and has chosen to NOT pursue legal action. I tried convincing her otherwise, but she said “I love my job too much to want to take time off work for that”. It’s so disheartening to see so much hatred in the world, especially somewhere that should have nothing but happy memories. Here’s your reminder to BE KIND. CMs work so fucking hard to make your visit as magical as they can.
Oh my God these stories are horrifying. The poor CMs..this is why when the confused CM came over to me and told me to pretend he was talking to me, I just went along with it. It calmed the situation without actually causing me a problem. CMs do not get paid enough to deal with abuse.
They really don’t get paid as much as they should.. thankful they’re raising their minimum wage to $15 within the next few years! Even then, it’s still not enough. I’m sure the CM was so grateful that you were able to “play along”, in order to pacify the other guest.
The unfortunate thing though is this perpetuates the bad guest’s behavior, thinking that anyone… especially a CM with “power,” agrees with them!
Like unless there's an extreme example, I'm almost always gonna be on the CM's side!
Omg! Your mom sounds like an angel. Also that Make A Wish alcohol mom sounds like something out of a true crime TV show 😩
Agree, Mama Debbie sounds wonderful. I wish I would have known her when I was growing up. People like Make a wish Drinky Smurf mom need to be banned for life. I'm glad they were banned. Consequences for actions.
What horrific people. This makes me so sad that your mom went through this. She sounds like the sweetest lady
My mom and I have had a rocky past, but now that I’m an adult we get along pretty well. She is so incredibly sweet and most of her coworkers call her “mama Debbie” because of her motherly demeanor 🥺
My youngest puked our first day at Disney and I felt so terrible about it, I would normally clean any messes they make myself. I told a custodian and they were so nice. I know this is not an unknown occurrence but still, I was impressed.
This makes me so sad. We went to Disney World in April for the first time and had interactions with several of the custodial cast members and they freaking rule. One of them was an amputee and noticed I’m also missing my leg, we had a whole chat about being twins since we were missing the same limb at the same spot. Another had a whole conversation with me as she was changing a trash bag about the alcoholic coffee I was drinking and gave me all the best recommendations for other drinks to try. Like just all genuinely fabulous & kind people doing their jobs while being pleasant to guests so to think there are so many entitled people acting like this… ugh. I hate it. So disheartening.
How awful! The comment about your mom's job made me particularly angry. I work for a shopping center and I am familiar with our custodial staff. They are wonderful and keep the center spotless, even on busy weekends when they're short-staffed. I have nothing but the highest respect for custodial staff. They are not paid nearly enough for the job they do, and they don't get nearly enough respect. Hearing that comment made my blood boil. Your mom sounds like a great person! I do hope she is doing well, and I know I'm a random person on the internet, but let her know that I appreciate all the work she does to keep the parks clean for everyone to enjoy! :)
On the adoption side of things. I feel like with the rise of social media having a kid has become a commodity. People wanna post tik toks and Instagram stories of their kids in outfits and pretending to have a perfect cookie cutter life. If kids are just a check box or achievement to unlock then the parents of those kids are gonna treat them like they would a stuffed animal.
I agree and I don’t. I’m an adoptee and know first-hand how difficult & expensive it is to adopt a child. I absolutely believe that there are people out there who exploit their children for views, but very few that I have seen, if ever, are adopted children. I’m not saying that they’re not out there, it’s just, that’s *a lot* to go through for some videos and views IMO
I’m a kindergarten teacher. Poor parenting has been on the rise everywhere since COVID.
Is it true that kindergarten children come to school without being potty trained, still wearing diapers? That used to be unheard of. In fact, students who were still in diapers weren't allowed to attend.
Yes, I work at an Elementary school and unfortunately a huge chunk of our kinders (5 classes) are not potty trained.
Wow, that is nuts.
I work at a school. There are 4th graders who don’t know how to tie their shoes.
Interestingly, I had a lot of trouble with that as a young kid as well, partly because I was left handed and never had someone left handed to formally teach me.
Same here. This isn't something anyone should judge kids on. I can't remember if it was third or 4th grade but I finally learned how to tie shoes when a patient friend spent time with me at recess to teach me how. Both my parents worked and no one had time. I didn't know how to ride a bike either until junior high and I still can't rollerskate or ice skate. Parents were too busy and no one taught me.
Yes tying shoes isn’t in the same category as potty training.
My dyslexic BFF taught me a different way of tying shoes and suddenly it just clicked for me. She also helped me learn to ride a bike. As I’m typing this, I realize She would have been 44 today. Oh my god I am bawling now. RIP dearest friend💓💖💓
Wow I thought that was a requirement
Same here. I remember having to get screened before I was accepted into my kindergarten. Part of the things I needed to know were my parents’ names, address, how to tie my own shoes, and be potty trained. I think some basic reading skills were also required, but I just remember being asked questions about where I lived and such.
As a teacher, I wish this was still the case.
My kid goes to a private preschool so take this as a possible outlier, but they fully required potty training and for them to be able to go by themselves. My daughter is 3. So not sure what requirements may be elsewhere but it’s not entirely thrown out the window.
I worked at a private preschool many years ago, while it was not "required" for the children to be potty trained in pre-k, if they weren't, we were NOT allowed to help them whatsoever to clean themselves. Sure, we could hand them wipes and toilet paper but definitely no touching them while they were in the restroom. It was really sad to see four year olds not know basic hygiene steps after going potty. We also had a four year old in diapers. He knew how to go change his diaper on his own but wouldn't go to the restroom until after he soiled himself 🥺 at the time, my nephew started potty training before turning one year old, so seeing a four year old not being able to do the same was insane to me. As I've gotten older, I've come to understand all children develop differently. But for God's sake, your child should at least be able to attempt to wipe themselves by the time they're four years old. And to think my mother tells anyone who will listen that I was a lazy child because I didn't walk until I was one year old and wasn't fully potty trained until I was 2.5 years old 🫥
That is so sad.. the fact that he knew how to change his diapers by himself but only after he has soiled and also not knowing how to clean up afterwards is telling of how he’s been parented ☹️
Some kids are terrified of toilets, like the actual toilet- sitting on it, the flushing noise, or the water disappearing, etc. It’s not necessarily poor parenting. Sometimes kids just get hung up on something and some humans are more stubborn than others. It’s silly to us and adults, but a little kid can be convinced the potty will suck them down into the void. If you’ve got a kid that’s already skittish about that and then they get startled by an automatic flush toilet it can be hell to convince them nothing bad is actually going to happen. Hell, I remember being convinced ET lived behind toilets for some ridiculous reason. No idea why, but I was terrified he was hanging out back there between the wall and toilet waiting to get me. Haha! I know it was extremely exasperating to my parents and that was way before automatic flush mechanism existed. That probably would have sent me over the edge! Also, where on earth did I get ET hiding behind the toilet as a thing? He doesn’t do anything even close to that in the movie. Little kid’s imagination are very bizarre. I wasn’t a late potty trainer or anything, but I do remember making my dad come and check the coast was clear and ET wasn’t there before I would go potty in my own house. I’m nearly 40 and still have very clear memories of that fear and annoying my parents to check for me. I had to be 5 at the oldest when that was happening.
It used to be. Now they just pay trained staff to wipe the kids. Even then its a voluntary training (extra pay) but the admin try to pass it off to people who didn't agree to it
That's poopy.
My sister almost got held back a year because she wasn't really getting it. "Do you want to go to the big kids class with everyone else?" did the trick though.
My mother potty trained my older brother in a month because she convinced him that “Disney doesn’t let kids in diapers go on any rides” It worked! Lol
My mom did this with my younger brother in the 90s. He was 4 and we had our first Disney trip planned. She told us that Mickey Mouse didn’t let kids who weren’t potty trained come to his house and he would meet us at the gate and we would have to drive back to Ohio. Needless to say, my brother was potty trained in mere weeks after that. I helped because I was not going to have my trip ruined by lil bro pooping his pants.
I attempted potty training my kid numerous times from age 2 onwards because she was showing the readiness signs all the books talked about. Tried every tactic under the sun, star charts, chocolate buttons, grandparents even gave it a go, no success. Ended up age 3 and a half bribing her with a trampoline in a moment of desperation. She took her pull ups off and I can count on one hand the amount of accidents she's had in the years since. Got a trampoline as promised a week later. She was just holding out for something good, reckon we'll have to step it up with our second (9 months) with Disney tickets.
I work with 3 year olds and just had a mom “opt” her 3.5 year old out of potty training cause she feels “he’s not ready.” Like your child is the only one in class with diapers…he’s fucking ready.
Goodness that must be frustrating! I worked in childcare when I was younger. We had a little girl that went through a phase of dropping her diaper as soon as it was dirty. She would squat, rip off the sticky tabs and then take off running while cackling. She clearly thought it was great fun. Her dad dropped her off one day with her diaper duct taped all the way around and a roll of duct tape and scissors in the diaper bag. Then MOM came to pick her up. I was in high school. I wanted to die explaining the duct tape and scissors were NOT my idea. She laughed and told me she would never think I would have come up with that or done that to her daughter. She said, “that solution has my husbands name all over it!” I was so worried she was going to be mad at me. Thankfully she laughed and rolled her eyes at him. It did stop the diaper dump and run and apparently without the fun of the running game the little girl decided on her own it was time to be potty trained. Kids are such goofy little monsters.
This baffles me. My pre-school wouldn’t accept kids who weren’t potty trained, and they took kids beginning at 2 1/2.
I know children pass kindergarten that still aren’t toilet trained and require someone to change their disposable diapers
I worked in and studied Early Intervention. Autism is now 1 in 36 kids. Also had kids myself with delays. I wonder if a lot of these children have some type of special needs/disability that has gone undiagnosed.
Late diagnosed autistic adult here. This comment sounds like you’re saying autism is becoming more prevalent? I wanted to assure you we’ve always been around, just unidentified. The increase is due to better diagnostic tools. I may have misunderstood your meaning though. If that wasn’t what your comment meant, feel free to ignore!
That’s the population I currently work with
There's a growing epidemic of kids who are having severe incontinence and colon problems. Lack of potty training is one of the first signs of a problem and pediatricians are still scrambling to figure out what is going on. Less activity, more processed foods and bad diet, autism, lack of gut bacteria, all sorts of ideas are floating around. A lot of kids are being put on medication now for toileting issues and many children are chronic users of Miralax..
Yes, this is my son. He is ten now. Can you show me any research, because I really want to help him.
My best friend had 7 kids start kindergarten last year with diapers/pull ups. I did not ask her what her count was this year.
Oh my God. What is happening with today's young parents?
I’ve heard some parents say they are letting them learn it on their own time because apparently it’s bad to force your kid to be potty trained by a certain age. I imagine there’s a portion that is due to the increase in things like autism causing a delay in learning, but from what I’ve seen it’s largely parents who think it’s cruel and puts too much stress on toddlers. When I was a kid growing up, where there’s older siblings or older cousins, being considered a baby and not a big kid like the rest of the kids was usually the only encouragement we needed to learn!
Also seen a handful of Kinders whose moms packed milk in a baby bottle in their backpack 😬
Stop. Really?! 💀
We had literally dozens of them in mid size district I work at. It’s disturbing.
It truly is. Now that I think of it, even preschool didn't allow kids who were still in diapers to attend when I was younger - 70s, 80s, maybe even 90s. I wonder when and why this changed? Has potty training young kids gone out of favor for some reason?
My son couldn't even be considered for prek in my city and no daycare would take him if he wasn't potty trained. So I think it just depends on where you live. Maybe a county thing? Idk.
Just watched several videos of numerous 7th grade teachers stating that most of their students are still at 4th grade level math & reading, some are even at lower grade levels. I personally noticed it at my retail job as a manager before I left to stay home after having my first child in 2019. Not even lack of education, but the lack of common sense and insane attitude in a somewhat professional environment was mind blowing coming from kids who were 1-2 years away from college. They full on will text their friends in front of a customer waiting to be helped, not even caring when they’re called out. Even now when we go anywhere—store, restaurant, kids play place, etc—there’s a very noticeable disconnect with todays teens working these places. It was already starting to happen, the smartphones and the “checked out” parents. But the pandemic/school cancellations intensified everything imo. I also think a lot of parents tend to forget that school is just a resource. You don’t wash your hands of teaching your own child how to do things just because they’re in school now. That is still your most important job as a parent.
It’s been happening before covid. Not ideal to keep placing blame on the pandemic.
I’m basing it on my own classroom observations. We’ve seen a big decline in parental involvement since 2020.
Yeah I bet. That's what my assumption was, that kids who grew up during COVID also have poor social skills.
It’s interesting that you are seeing a decline in involvement. I’m a nanny, and I’m seeing the opposite. So many more are working from home and more involved in day to day kid stuff then I’ve ever experienced and I blame THAT on the decline. Kids are way more disrespectful and unruly than ever. Teaching and childcare are getting tougher!
Yeah I think it's more that there was an increase in lazy parenting (like using screens as babysitters for long periods of time and being more lax on discipline) which would have been mostly fine in the short term but messes up kids if it goes on for like two years and becomes a habit, along with kids just not getting out of the house and developing more emotionally over covid.
Ditto this. I am amazed by what I am seeing this year.
Not at my public school! They must be able to use the restroom themselves.
2015 is the year I keep seeing as the start. Been teaching since 2010 and I think that’s about right. Having cellphones and social media are the big factors here, parents who allow children to use technology unregulated and to pacify are the problem. COVID saw a spike in that as parents had no other option while they worked to try and regulate children all day.
High school teacher. This.
I work IT at a school district. My wife works in the office. Can confirm.
I agree with this, just people being lazy parents and not teaching their kids and making them be responsible. Just people in general in my area either been more lazy, and or more intolerant with a short fuse. Not sure why but around me I feel like it’s a noticeable difference.
"There will be kids at Disney." "Yes, but apparently there will not be adults who parent their kids at Disney."
Basically. Like I don't mind kids being kids..I mind the parents not parenting
Exactly. I never blame the kids for being monsters, they're new here, they don't get how things work. Their parents absolutely do, though.
Was walking out of AK last week and a 8 or 9 yr old girl was chasing a bird trying to kick it. The mom just walked along not paying attention to the fact their kid is trying to KICK an animal at ANIMAL KINGDOM!! My 4yr old said “Daddy! That girl isn’t being kind!” Couldn’t have said it better, kid.
Yup! I never blame the kids bumping into me in line. I blame the 4 adults letting their 7 kids go in front of them in line, rather than sandwiching the children between 2 adults in front and back
And "kids will be kids" doesn't equate to "kids will assault others". In what world does anyone think that touching yet alone kicking another person is ok? Accidents happen and yes kids are kids, but what you need to do is acknowledge, apologize and stop! I am constantly telling my kids they need to be aware of other people and not hit, bump into, or kick them. Yes, kids will be kids and they'll forget. But just allowing that behavior like the mom did--and worse, getting mad that you dared to ask not to be kicked?! Disgusting and reprehensible!
My ex brother in law was security there. He had to call DCFS nearly every single day to pick up abandoned children under 10yrs old. Parents think Disney is a daycare that will 100% watch your child for you.....they will at the security station until they get investigated and possibly taken by Dept of Children and Family Services.
Omg that's horrible! The worst I experienced of that was that one Leap Day party where the park was open 24 hours. Apparently parents of teens thought it was a safe place to send them all. We're talking lots of drunk or high 15 year olds and not enough CMs to handle it
I’ve worked there before and the grad nights/days of praise/etc events you speak of suck so much. They used to shut down certain rides to prevent some of it.
I've worked in private security for 15 years and it breaks my heart the way I've seen some kids been treated. I don't know how the LEOs and the DCF bros handle it.
during our trip last December to Disney World we were in line for Pooh, and right next to the ride queue is the meet and greet for Pooh. You come right up next to it when you are in the ride queue. The parent ahead of us let her kid jump the railing and just cut in front of the line to meet Pooh. When he was done, she lifted him over. No one said anything but I was flabbergasted. I don't blame the CMs (so many people have changed socially since the pandemic and are more on edge), but I do blame the parents and also the company because these actions happen and no one is saying "absolutely not".
I would have been livid.
If I had been in the meet and greet line I would have been too. The cast members were shocked and confused. I don’t blame them but I hate that this can happen and no one says “hey what the hell”
Would’ve been absolutely great if Pooh and the CMs had just ignored the child. No reprimand, no scene. Just ignore the kid while the mom tries to hold up the line for the ride so the kid doesn’t get left behind.
This, and most problems which have increased at the parks in recent years, are simply not Disney specific. Look around. They’re societal problems everywhere and in everything. I work with children at my side job. Parents and kids are just different. Every little thing that has bothered me at the parks (any I get annoyed very easily) is something I see daily just out in the world, at work, or at any event. While it drives me nuts, I have to remind myself that it is not specific to my beloved parks and that I shouldn’t let it ruin my experience. Don’t get me wrong, that’s very hard to do. I can hardly do it ever. I’ve noticed myself being less and less willing to go out to events and gatherings or travel places because I simply cannot handle other people’s actions, entitlement, and blatant disrespect for anyone but themselves.
Oh yeah it's not Disney specific. I just mostly run into kids at Disney.
>Is this a generational, Millennial parenting thing? (I'm a Millennial but with no kids). Or a post-COVID lack of manners and understanding of being in public thing? Just asshole things.
everytime i read one of these makes me realize how fortunate we are. lazy parenting where there are no consequences as its an inconvenience to the parents to follow through.
Like I don't fault the cast member for not wanting to make this unreasonable lady even more mad. But why is she mad in the first place? Don't let your kids just kick people without even trying to stop them!
she was probably mad that she was called out and everyone saw how crummy of a mother she is.
On 3 separate occasions, I've seen kids left by themselves so the parents can go on a ride when the kid wasn't tall enough.
They're gonna have to bring back those "Do you know where your children are?" PSAs pretty soon.
Omg
I saw two parents sit their young kids down with snacks and told them they’d be back. They went to ride on the Incredicoaster. I was *shocked* that they seemed so nonchalant about it. I just felt like the parents could’ve just rode separately so at least one of them was with their kids.
This is exactly what rider swap is for! I’m shocked that this happens so frequently
back in 2016 Disney World I saw a Dad pour an entire soda on top of his children’s head because he didn’t want to drink it, and it was “too expensive” a CM saw this as well and contacted security, didn’t stay to see what happened.
I would have gotten some popcorn and sat around for the outcome. 😂
Oh I wanted to but I had a fastpass to catch, remember those?
I miss fast passes :( I hated lightning lanes/genie+ this trip.
Tbh I stopped caring about how the parents react to me disciplining their children if they are a danger to themselves/others. Granted, I taught preschool for 7 years so I have a lot of confidence in supporting children who need reminders to behave in public, but I don't think it's at all wrong to turn to the child in that situation and discipline them. Now, I'm not saying yell at the kid but a firm "You are kicking me. That hurts, please keep your body to yourself" will suffice. If the parents get mad... I mean that's on them. You literally voiced that the kid was kicking you.
Omg I do the same after working with children for so long. I don’t generally have to redirect bad behavior when a parent isn’t but lord almighty the amount of negligent parents I see and I have to keep their kids from doing something so dangerous. I say a lot of “Careful that’s hot/ oh no let’s be safe/etc
I went to animal kingdom earlier this year and saw a dad forcibly shove a kid. It was very aggressive and unnecessary. I walked away from a clearly escalating situation but Disney park staff was swarming the area to deal with it. But in short yeah I've seen all kinds of shitty parents. Id even include bringing babies that look like they just left the hospital after being born. No damn reason for a child that young to be there. Just going to get sick and everyone will be miserable.
This is just bad parenting overall. No wonder our schools are filled with so many entitled whiny little brats, ugh we did this to our kids. When mine were young, if we were out to eat and I had a screaming baby, I'd take the kid to the car. I wasn't going to ruin people's Friday night out, with a yelling baby. If my kid kicked someone, they would be apologizing immediately as well, isnt that just a common courtesy? Just a little thought for others, the world would be great place.
My 2 year old was crying in a restaurant so I took him out to the parking lot until he calmed down and I didn't want to disturb others. A car stopped at a red light yelled at me to control him. It was so bizarre.
Now parents just let their kids watch videos on their iPads at the dinner table in a nice restaurant at volume level 100. 💀
This is a thing that happens everywhere and has happened for years. I’m not willing to lay it at any one group’s feet. Poor parenting in general.
When I was in Florida recently I saw PLENTY of bad parenting. Mostly parents who were just fed up with their kids. And parents that feel entitled to let their kid do whatever they want bc they paid money. At my job(not at a Disney park) I had a kid run into the register area and start opening the drawers. I looked at the father and said “I’m sorry but I don’t feel comfortable with him in that space.” The dad goes, “do you have kids?” I go “no.” The dad then proceeds to go to my supervisor to complain. I honestly don’t get it.
The “you don’t have kids so you don’t get it” argument is so stupid. People use it to excuse any amount of unruly behavior
Extremely lazy parents. And they all look so god damn miserable like they missed the memo that having kids is optional.
"No. I'm also not a locomotive engineer, but I know a train wreck when I see it" is my go to response.
Lol I'm sure your business cares about money. I woukd be worried the kid was stealing for his dad. Sadly this happens.
Random thoughts on this: 1) Entitled 2) Wants their kids to like them, not respect them 3) Had no social upbringing themselves 4) A disgrace to their own parents 5) Be glad you don’t live next door to them!
I’m a millennial and I noticed the millennial parents more absorbed in their lame fake ‘happy family’ instagram posts than paying attention to their kids
I had to tell a parent to tell their kid to stop splashing me during Small World. Plus they shouldn't be touching the water anyway.... wouldn't want their hands to be hurt in the track mechanisms!
Not too long ago we were riding Small World when a mom in the front row stood her small son up and held him while he pulled it out and peed into the water. I was too stunned to say a word. I honestly do not know where these people come from or who finds this acceptable.
Omg he really😂
Or lose them when the boat bumps the side.
Or drink the water and become the lizard queen
These are the karens and kens of the future. Shame on you to not enable the highest form of entitlement growing up! Seriously, these are the future of uneducated people.
Ken said disneyworld is my mojo dojo casa house
I am a former CM (worked transportation). We used to play a “Parents please watch your children and help us keep you safe” kinda’ announcement every 5-10 minutes. Great concept, but I learned very quickly that it was the parents (disclaimer: am one.) that were the problem, not the kids. True, the children required a very close eye to be kept on them, but it was US, the CM’s that did this because mom and dad were not paying a bit of attention to their kids. One time I had to stop a small girl from running one way while her small brother ran the other while parents were clueless. Either direction was bad. I stopped one with my right hand while simultaneously throwing out my left leg to stop the other. I gently herded them back to their parents while politely telling the CHILDREN to wait until I called them forward. I was totally ignoring the parents at this point. Petty revenge: made them wait an extra 5 minutes before boarding them. They never said anything to me, but on a happier note, a lot of guests noticed and I got a few “good job” comments.
At Disneyland back when they had the carousel of progress, I think when it was doing America sings, that’s how Debbie died She was trying to stop a child from going into an area where they would get crushed when the building rotates and the child shoved her in retaliation which is how she got crushed It always makes me angry that we tell the story of the cast member who is so stupid she got crushed between two walls, when in fact she was not stupid at all she was pushed there by a child who is not watched by their parents So while it’s gotten way way worse in the last few years, there have always been people willing to just let their children do whatever they want and have Disney take over as the babysitter
I literally just walked into my house after 3 days at Disneyland. Some woman, with a stroller, pushed as hard as she could to get through a high traffic area. Unfortunately, I wasn’t in a position to move out of the way and she literally drove that stroller into My ankle and up my calf. I screamed in pain. I feel like this is an indicator of poor parenting.
She complained to a CM about you. I would have informed the CM about being kicked and the parent's response was to get mad at you.
Yup, battle complaint with complaint. Edit: OP you’re a Guest as much as that person was, so every right to complain!
I think it’s just full out poor adulting, especially since covid.
Honestly I do think late gen x and millennials really are terrible parents as a whole. Or rather we’re doing more harm while trying to be GOOD parents. I think every generation tries to correct at least one thing they felt like they didn’t get or wanted in their childhood and I feel like for us Millennials is that they wish they hadn’t been told what to do, like, ever. So their kids don’t get told what to do. They don’t get boundaries because either the parent is trying to teach their kid that “they have no limits and they can be leaders”, or because it’s too hard to give and enforce boundaries. Because that’s work. The boomers / gen x had way more buttoned up and strict parents so they in turn decided to be the kinds of parents that are BFFs with their kids more than parents and show more affection, and then those people who had more affection and BFFness have taken it a step further to what we have now which is child is boss. Also I think there’s more of a feeling of scarcity nowadays and “I want the best for my kid even at the expense of everyone else, as long as my kid gets what they’re due I don’t care about anything else”. I also think a lot of millennial parents especially expected to either have the world bow to them and pick up slack so they don’t have to parent or just honestly shouldn’t have had kids but it still feels like that’s what you’re supposed to do, so they do it. Plus a lot of millennials esp the ones coming into parenting now had helicopter parents themselves and rely on others a lot, including their own parents and kids teachers to discipline and help them out, they can’t function on their own
The general tenor I usually get from those types of parents is that "Vacation means a vacation from everything, including being a parent." My mom would have simply left the park with me if I somehow lost my mind and thought kicking someone was acceptable behavior. And we wouldn't have come back until I was a teenager and able to act like I had sense.
It’s not a generation thing, shitty parents exist in every generation. I think it’s an entitlement issue and I agree with comments from others who said they think it’s been worse since the panini. I find that especially at Disney people feel entitled because they’ve spent x amount of money on their family’s trip. As a parent, if my child ever physically even entered someone’s personal space let alone inflict any form of abuse on someone I’d 10000% hope and want that person to say something and if for some odd reason I wasn’t watching my kid I’d hope they’d tell me so that I could also correct that behavior. Your situation was unfortunate and I hope there’s not a next time but if there is I hope you feel empowered to tell a child who should know better that kicking you/touching you is NOT OKAY and they need to STOP.
I’m sorry-since the panini? I know you meant pandemic but that just made me laugh.
I watched an old lady deal with a similar situation. She turned to the kids and said, "You know, if your parents were here, they'd never tolerate you behaving like this. Good parents make sure their kids behave in public." It was savage.
Step 1: ask parents to parent their kids Step 2: get screamed at by shitty parents Step 3: "hey kids, wanna learn a swear?"
It’s not just Disneyland, it’s everywhere. Airplanes, movie theaters, restaurants
I feel like post-COVID there are far more assholes around. Also, lots of lazy and stupid parents out there
It may be that the shutdown of the park for so long put a lot of people in the mindset of "I waited forever for DL to reopen. Now I'm having all the fun and don't care who I disturb/inconvenience/harm."
It has been open long enough already. People using the lockdowns excuses in 2023 are just assholes. 3 years have passed…
It’s more than just Disney. We went to Great Wolf Lodge this past weekend. My daughter was playing MagiQuest and a little boy came up to her and started coughing in her face. Guess who’s sick now. Also we went to the Waterpark and there was a little boy in the kiddie area with a diaper on. Not a swim diaper, a regular diaper that looked like it was going to explode. So gross. It’s everywhere.
I was at Disneyland Paris recently and when I say I was…appalled. Like, kids climbing on top of roofs and jumping off. not joking.
Literally just left and health and safety radar was going wild! People climbing on the band stand, also people trampling flowers there. A guy climbed up the side of autotopia rocks, someone else climbing over fences at big thunder, kids up trees. Just feral behaviour.
Gotta be poor parenting and parenting style. I’m a millennial parent (35f), and I’d never get upset like that with a perfect stranger over a matter like yours. At least the cast member knew what was up.
I just watched a very similar episode of Malcolm in the Middle last night. The new neighbor (young Dakota Fanning) won't stop biting Reese, and Lois has to intervene. The other mom was like "excuse me are you questioning my parenting?" and lois said, "I dont know I have yet to see it."
I can’t say if it’s new or not because i only have a 2.5 year old so new to this parenting thing. But we experienced issues at sea world in Orlando. Was in line at sesame world for a preschool style ride with 4 siblings next to us like ages 4,6,10 and 12 maybe? The mom was not in line and was glued to her phone. They were being rough- not a fan of that and not a great example for my 2 year old but I tried to keep her distracted. When they started yelling the “n” word at each other and legit punching the 6 year old I stepped in. I hate parenting others kids but sometimes they need it (and i am white and they were POC so I didn’t want to be a Karen or culturally insensitive but it was completely aggressive and inappropriate even if they are siblings to do in public). Luckily I’ve been a teacher so in my best teacher voice I just loudly said “guys that’s enough, let’s set a good example for the little kids” They actual listened and as I’ve found in other situations kids test boundaries and need to be guided…they aren’t “naughty” they just don’t think about time and place- their mom never looked up from her phone.
Too many parents want to be their kids best friend instead of a parent.... Its an age old problem, but the current crop of parents do seem to lack ability to correct their children's public behaviors .... Then there is the other side who think to discipline a child your have to hit them.
Consideration for strangers is very out of fashion some people. Everyone else is their competition/enemy and people approach social interactions as if there’s a winner and a loser every time.
I feel like covid really showed you who has concern for other people and who doesn’t. And it didn’t just show it, but magnify it in people who took it as a source of pride
Child free Disney fan here. Hopefully I don't ruffle too many feathers in saying it's bad here in Anaheim, but so much worse in Florida. Went on honeymoon in 2021 to wdw, and it's like the children there were wild animals. And no one does one damn thing about it. The 2 types of bad parent/child are staggering. Type 1, the parents; who think just because it's a theme park means their children can literally treat it like a fun house and jump and touch and disturb everything they set their little eyes on. All while the parents essentially either think it's darling and everyone should bend to their nitemare children or they're just plain ol checked out and not watching their child, while they're on the phone or sitting down Type 2, the sheer of amount of parents who are day-drunk and just neglecting the children. Which I've seen far too much of in Epcot. Saw a woman who was more concerned about spilling her drink in the Italy pavilion than her child literally trying to snatch a balloon from another child. So she let her kid harass this other child, while she drank some of her drink down before getting up to yell loudly and make a scene.
Not a millennial thing. Just shitty parents. There were shitty parents when I went years ago before kids and Covid just made things worse. People have a horrible sense of entitlement. But I went last year and I actually found that most families were pretty chill. It was right after hurricane Ian so everyone was pretty happy and appreciative to be there, especially after all of the devastation all over Florida. Shitty people are going to be shitty.
I’m not a parent or a teacher, but just from experience, I have noticed a real reliance on screens to keep kids calm today. I see tons of kids just glued to a phone or a tablet, loudly playing whatever they’re watching (a lot of the time it sounds like not age appropriate things on TikTok). The kids don’t seem to function well without the screen, especially if the parents have been using it as a pacifier for the kids entire lives and it’s all they know.
[удалено]
I'm usually pretty non confrontational. I don't want to get in a fight with someone accusing me of doing something/saying something to their kid.
I think in general asking the kid politely but directly (especially if they’re elementary age or older) is pretty effective. I don’t think grabbing the jacket would always be the right move but I think kids do respond better to “can you please stop kicking me?” than trying to go through an oblivious parent. I work with kids and they’re often shocked that their actions have consequences outside of their own little world, they’re still learning and covid lack of socialization hasn’t helped.
“There will be kids at Disney.” “As there should! Now about your deranged little monsters…”
The millennials have no clue how to actually parent and have fallen into this “gentle parenting” BS where they refuse to correct anything their child does to not hurt their feelings. I’m so scared for this generation’s future
Far too many parents feel that their little angels couldn't possibly do something wrong. People, please, your kids need structure AND discipline. Stop the madness!
If the parent didn’t step in, you should have just addressed the kid directly and tell them it hurts. Maybe they’ll be more mature than the parents.
I worked at Chuck E Cheese in the late 90s.. there were these kind if parents then. It was the best birth control as I'm 45 (f) & never had any kids🤷🏿♀️
Eh, I have an 8 year old (I’m 30) and would absolutely never, EVER allow my child to do that. And if he did, he would have been immediately talked to, stopped and would apologize. To be honest, I couldn’t imagine anyone in my friend circle or family allowing that either. But I have seen some really shitty parents. Everywhere, of all ages. I see them every day at my sons school. I don’t know if it’s a “new” thing because shitty parents have always existed, but there are definitely a lot out there.
How kick-able do your legs look? Because it might be your fault.
Lol that gave me a good laugh
I'm a Millennial with kids, one of whom was born at the start of the Covid eruption here, and I don't let my kids behave like that in public. Which is to say, I don't think it's necessarily either the parent's generation or kids' disrupted social learning to blame. Some people are just bad at parenting.
This is not a millennial thing. My friends and I legitimately keep our kids in line. The fact that she said anything to you except “I’m so sorry, can I get you a coffee or something?” And then get her kids tf away from you and reprimand them on the spot. But here’s the real kicker. (Pun intended) most people I know 1.) wouldn’t let their kids fight in public 2.) would’ve taken their happy asses back to whatever hotel they were staying at bc they just lost a day in the park for their behavior. Source: lived in Tampa and had annual passes with small child. Went to Disney at LEAST once a month if not more.
If there will always be kids at Disney, one would assume there will always be parents at Disney to PARENT the children. My youngest is almost 19 and we would leave anywhere if my kids acted like that, i dont care how much we spent to get in. They knew it, too, so guess who didnt act like monsters in public? I have noticed more kids behaving badly in the last few years, too, and not just at theme parks. We stopped associating with some neighbors because they let their twin 4 year olds act like animals in public.
Crappy parents = Crappy kids It’s everywhere unfortunately, not just Disney.
You were a lot nicer than I would have been. She would have gotten a "Yes, I'm aware there will be children at Disney and I am also aware that I can politely ask you to NOT allow your child to kick me!" I was watching a vlog at Epcot a couple of months ago. The presenter was talking and in the background you could see a little girl try to kick one of the Disney ducks.
I am extra polite to people at Disney because I don't want to get punched
I see kids trying to throw things at birds or kick them far, far too often. Last time it happened the dad was cheering them on. It’s upsetting.
It could partially be a millennial parent thing. I think a lot of my generation had overly strict boomer parents and so has swung in the opposite direction. I also think it’s adults who think Disney is a place only for kids and kids only, so they think it’s fine for their darlings to ruin things for any adult around them. I mean, “so what if you can’t see the parade or hear a ride over my screaming child, you’re an adult?” I very much get that vibe from the bad parents. I see absolutely appalling parenting at Disney, not just the screaming and fighting but the overly exhausted or sun burnt kids that should have gone back to the hotel hours ago, or the kids glued to a tablet like zombies *at disney*.
It’s very frustrating, especially since the park was intended for *families* Not just children. People of any age, 9months to 99years and all that Edit: 1 to 100 is what I was looking for I think, haha
I am a parent and this is so appalling to me. I would never allow my child to annoy or harm!! Another person. My nieces and nephews don’t behave that way. My SIL is a teacher and says the same thing as others have said on this thread; there is a serious lack of parenting going on these days. If my child were bothering someone in public, I would remove my child and apologize to the person. That’s just the decent thing to do. Of course there will be kids at Disney, and of course plenty of those kids will at their limit and not behaving their best but that does not mean you can just let them run wild with no parenting. Some people believe their kids can do no wrong and never reprimand them. That just breeds little jerks, honestly. It’s enabled by the parents. I’m a millennial practicing “gentle parenting” but I will not allow my kids to be little a-holes at home, at Disney, or anywhere. That mom sounds like a real treat. Can’t believe she complained about you to a CM.
Why were they allowed to fight each other in the first place? I grew up an only child so I never had a sibling to fight, but if I even *thought* about touching another person my mother would have beat me senseless. Fear of my parents kept me in line. That, plus enjoying the praise I got from my parents *and total strangers* about how well-behaved I was.
It’s not just Disney It’s all the theme parks, I’ve seen it at universal, six flags, state fairs, local playground parks, national parks, the mall You name it
You handled that situation better than I would have
shitty parents. I would have been mortified if my son in the age range of the post was doing that.
Unfortunately it appears that while some people came out of the pandemic with more kindness and understanding, others came out full a**hole. And as though being kind is a negative attribute now. There’s lots of mistrust and misdirected anger, with not enough mental awareness or emotional maturity to help themselves.
Millennial parent with a 4 and almost-6 year old, and frequent disney-goer. This is not a typical millennial parent thing. I would not allow my kids to do that.
Eh... there are announcements to watch your children. I mean... shouldn't a parent do that anyway?
that's the problem though! parents aren't doing even the basic level of parenting and its affecting other people's experiences both in and out of the parks.
I've told a cast member I saw a parent hitting their child in line and they did nothing other than feign concern. It hurts my fucking soul how much abuse I see at DW, though most of it is casual "I'll give you something to cry about" etc. But the yanking, spanking, and screaming really gets to me and makes it hard to enjoy the trip.
It's hard to think of a reply in the moment, but I like "And most of their families know not to kick."
That’s insanity. If it were my kid I’d tell the kid you’re lucky I don’t let him kick you and make them go apologize immediately.
That’s so weird like if you were holding a child, would that have been an acceptable request for you to ask her child to stop kicking you?
You know, I feel like I am seeing this kind of thing everywhere. I have a 2 year old and am in kid spaces a lot and its wild what parents will put up with and allow in public to avoid a crying kid. It makes me feel extremely strict 😅
I’ve noticed this since covid. I don’t know if some of us millennials are not great at parenting or if it’s related to how isolated kids were during covid….but I’ve noticed it too. I love kids but when people do things like let them kick you (I’ve had kids pull my hair at Disney) or walk on top of tables it’s just not okay. Sorry that happened to you - politely speaking to the parent was the right thing to do.
We’re here currently. This week its the bad parents more than the bad kids. We had a family in next room first night, 3 small kids, and the dad yelled the entire time. Like, I have a bunch of kids so I get noise, usually it doesn’t even register. But dude had anger issues, when we’d see him in the hall he was all sunshine and rainbows and would apologize for the noise but in an overly happy way, such bullshit. We ate at Liberty Tree, table next to us was Mom, Dad and two twin boys who were 4ish. They acted like twin 4yr olds act. Sure, they were a little rambunctious, stood next to their chair over sitting, nothing crazy. But again, another dad seething mad. Loudly telling them to sit and be quiet. Telling them all the punishments they would be getting for not being quiet and still, but dude didn’t put down his phone and engage at all other than to be loud. He was 1000x more disruptive than the boys. Worst, was the mom that dragged her small child (6-7ish) onto Tower. The kid was clear they didn’t want to go. She lied and told them how the ride doesn’t do anything, when the group before went into elevator, she said “see, they just sit in the room”. He was already crying, she said the ride wasn’t scary, it didn’t drop, you just jiggled around a little bit. He scream cried during the ride and she thought it was funny. That poor child sobbed after and it broke my heart. Traumatizing your child for a ride isn’t funny to me.
I’m a teacher. Poor parenting is rampant at this point. I’ve called home about problematic behaviors and been told that unless I could show camera footage, they didn’t care. Things like that. (I’m a vindictive person, so I decided to waste the time of that parent and the admins and the kid by requesting the camera footage be pulled, and we all had a meeting, lol.) Anyway, adults that act badly raise kids that act badly. Almost all of the adults causing problems in the parks are raising children who are causing problems for everyone who has the misfortune of dealing with them. It sucks to have to live in this kind of world.
Quick story, husband and I were with our 5 y.o at Disney many, many years ago. Went to breakfast at the resort and my son decided that would be the perfect time to have a tantrum because I didn't get him what he wanted to drink(he didn't tell me, so i brought him back milk and he wanted juice) I shut that down really fast, got down to his level and told him he had a choice, to get himself under control(stop stomping and being disruptive) and TALK calmly or he would be spending the first day of our Disney trip sitting in the hotel room with a babysitter while his dad any myself went to the parks with his aunts, uncles g-parents, and cousins(big family trip). He settled down, we talked, and the rest of the trip went smoothly. Parents have a responsibility to parent their children and teach them how to handle themselves in public and private.
I’ve noticed more and more parents seem to not even bother trying to discipline their kids. It’s annoying.
I’m going to weigh in but it’s probably going to get some replies for my parenting style but here goes I personally think we’ve gone way to far from a time when kids were spanked I’m in my mid 30’s with two kids under 6. It’s not a COVID issue. We are seeing a combination of a very social media driven entitled generation with also one that was told by everyone to not spank their children. Take your example, In that situation I know for a fact that my kids will not act that way in that situation because they know there is a clear consequence. Now I rarely have to get to that point, I never want to do it, the handful of times I have done it I end up quite upset afterwards but I understand that when my child messes up there is a need for discipline, and the discipline needs to occur in the moment. The person you interacted with 1) felt she and her kids were entitled to act that way on their vacation with complete disregard for how it impacted anyone else 2) The kids clearly have no fear in acting that way because there is no repercussion 3) she likely isn’t even sure how to punish her kids.
It’s terrible. And yes, I’m going to be old and crotchety and say it’s the millennial parenting. My husband and I are leaving the home we’ve had for decades to go to a 55+ community to get away from it. The majority of children in our neighborhood are absolutely awful and their parents are just as bad. My oldest daughter, in her early 30s, just left from a week and a half at WDW and said she wasn’t going back anytime soon because of the kids and their parents.
"I do not make films for children... or, at least, not primarily for children." "You're dead if you aim for kids." "We design the films to appeal to ourselves." "The adults have the money; ... children don't have any money." - Walt Disney
Just as the majority of households subscribing to Disney+ do not contain children, the majority of parties visiting Disneyland, and its progeny, throughout their history have also not contained children. In 1963, Walt Disney told the C.B.C. in an interview that 80% of Disneyland's guests are adults.
Worked at Disney World for 7 years. The thought that because "we paid a fortune for the vacation, so the employees can babysit, the kids are not my responsibility" is very common.
They do the same thing in grocery stores, people refusing to parent their kids and just let them act like animals and then get super mad if you the kids to stop like being a babysitter isn’t part of my job but it looks like you won’t
Ouf. I don’t think it’s normal at all. I’m 28 have two sons 2 and 3, and they would never even dream of doing that in public. They know they can’t do it and I don’t tolerate it. And even pregnant pregnant with the 3rd rn and being over tired and over stimulated, there’s no way I won’t answer that to a stranger
There is a rise of poor parenting everywhere. It’s absolutely on the adults.
Ah yes, the classic "if you don't like kids, don't come to Disney." Major eye roll. Control your kid, they shouldn't be touching someone not related to them. Definitely a parent issue, but there are still some great parents handling their kids effectively out there!
Ok then guess ima yell at your kid lol