The Intermittant Parent

[hobie16]

I was walking the beach one afternoon and ran into a two year old girl heading in the other direction. There were no adults around who appeared to be her parents so I struck up a conversation. I asked where she was staying and she pointed out a hotel about a quarter mile down the beach.

I told her I bet her parents were probably looking for her and maybe she should head back towards the hotel. She agreed and I shadowed her back to the hotel.

When we got there I still couldn't see any parents so I told the hotel life guard what was going on. He said he'd get her to the front desk and call the police.

I figured it was better not to hang around and never did hear what the end result was. You really have to wonder why it's so easy to get married and have kids but it's so hard to get divorced.

[felinefan]

When I worked at KBF, we had similar problems. There were people who wanted to know if they could leave their kids at Lost Children's Center while they went on rides the kids didn't qualify for. The answer was, of course, "No." Let's face it, people today think they are so perfect as parents, when what they are doing is teaching kids to disrespect authority. The parents refuse to read signs, follow directions, etc., and if you try to correct them, no matter how tactfully, they about bite your head off. IMD (In My Day), parents kept hold of their kids, there was none of the crying and begging to not make them go on a certain ride, etc.. Parents backed up authority figures, that included amusement park ride operators, and kids were taught to share, think of other's needs before their own, etc.. Ah, for the good old days! We all have, on this site and at http://www.kbfdrama.com, tales of parents who let their kids do what they want, no matter how dangerous it was. Trust me, I got put on a six month final for warning two kids, at differant times, not to play on the chains or with the turnstile, and the parents complained. I had parents tell me, "They're just kids." Yeah, well, I used to be a kid too at one time, and my parents never let me or my siblings play around on chains, queue line rails, turnstiles, etc.. When I got called in about the parent's complaint, my area manager said he had a 3 year old daughter who plays with clocks to the point that none of the clocks in his house work anymore--but he lets his kid play with them just so she can learn about clocks. Jeez, imagine what would happen if she decided to learn about power tools! I have a scar on one of my fingers from when I tried to teach myself how to use a saw--I wasn't hurt bad when the saw caught in the wood I was practicing on , jumped out and cut my finger. And I was like 7 at the time (I'm a Baby Boomer--take a guess when it happened!) :) Parents don't discipline their kids anymore--IMD, the father wasn't afraid to use a belt or other item to enforce discipline. Today, you just look at a kid the wrong way and they call 911 on you and claim you abused them! I remember reading a story about a woman who had a baby girl, and she decided that her own upbringing was too harsh, so she decided to treat her daughter not as a daughter, but as a best friend. As the girl grew older, her mother acted like her best friend, always listening to her, offering suggestions, chatting with her, etc.. Their relationship was extraordinary--or so the mother thought. The mother never raised her voice at or punished her daughter, it was as if they were best friends. But one day, when the daughter was 16, her mother went to her daughter's room for a reason I've forgotten, and found her daughter dead--a suicide. The note she left behind said that her friends envied her relationship with her mom, but she would hear her friends talk about how they were always arguing with their moms, how their moms restricted their activities, etc., and it made her feel like a freak. This situation bothered her so much, that she felt that she couldn't take it anymore, and the only way out of her situation was to commit suicide. The daughter ended her letter saying that her mom was supposed to be a disciplinarian, a rule setter and a limit enforcer, not a best friend. You can imagine how totally shocked the mother must've been. I don't know if that actually happened, but the fact is the reason kids are getting into trouble, girls are getting pregnant without marrying, and boys are abusing girls is that the parents aren't setting an example, aren't discipling them. You learn how to be a parent by observing your parents. Parents say that we single, childless people know nothing about child raising, and therefore are not qualified to tell them how to parent their kids. Just because we don't have the actual, hands-on experience doesn't mean we don't know anything about it. Unless you're a total orphan and were raised in an institution, you will have an idea of how to parent. A historian once researched why the great civilizations of the past throughout the world fell, and one of the reasons was lack of discipline. The others were violent entertainment, lack of morality, disregard of religion and government giving everything to people for free. Every civilization was built by morality, religion, hard work , discipline, and thrift. When they started doing things the way other nations did them, like adopting their religions or taste for violence, lust or otherwise straying from the founding principles that built their country, the country and its civilization were destroyed by those they borrowed customs, religion, morality, etc. from, and was taken over by those they mimicked. Anyway, the key thing is, when parents fail to discipline their children and teach them to obey rules, and enforce them, and not let their kids tell them what to do/what they want, they are helping to destroy civilization. Why parents would indulge their child's death wish to run up and down the aisles of a train when it's moving, or stand in a moving ride vehicle, is beyond me. The number one reason people get hurt or killed on amusement park rides is because they don't follow the rules. And the number one cause of injuries is putting hands, arms, feet or legs out of the ride vehicle. It's amazing when you tell people things so they don't get hurt, they rationalize that if they get hurt, they can sue for damages. They don't realize that an investigation will result, and when they are found to be at fault, they could face charges (depending on the situation), and may even end up paying the park instead! Real Stupid!

[Zazu]

IMD (In My Day), parents kept hold of their kids, there was none of the crying and begging to not make them go on a certain ride, etc....

Maybe I'm confused here, but when a kid screams at my loading platform that they don't wanna ride, they don't ride! :chicken2:

It's not so much that I want to respect the kid's wishes, it's so I and the other guests don't have to listen to them scream.

Collected a few obscenities from the parents for that stance, but so far, no blowback from management.

Parents backed up authority figures, that included amusement park ride operators, and kids were taught to share, think of other's needs before their own, etc.. Ah, for the good old days!

Can I put in a bitch for good old fashioned 35 cent/gal. gasoline while we're at it?

[leftcoaster]

Can I put in a bitch for good old fashioned 35 cent/gal. gasoline while we're at it?

And you probably walked uphill to school too. Both directions, in a snowstorm. :p:

[CBeilby]

And you probably walked uphill to school too. Both directions, in a snowstorm. :p:

In the middle of August...

[hobie16]

Can I put in a bitch for good old fashioned 35 cent/gal. gasoline while we're at it?

Do you remember Chevron Custom Supreme (120 octane) for $.29 a gallon?

[Zazu]

And you probably walked uphill to school too. Both directions, in a snowstorm. :p:

Ayup. Except for the snowstorm. Didn't have many of those in Torrance. Had to go to Disneyland to find snow.

Did I mention it was five miles to school? And six to home again?

[SoarWhoreCoCo]

It'a sad and there should be a breeding evaluation and official license given out before having a child for many of the parents out there.

I've posted before about the family who boarded Jungle Cruise on a cold night and left their sleeping child buried under coats on the dock while they rode.

Working in The Boneyard at Dinoland/AK we could not close because there wa a child still playing, and what was scary is that the park was clear except for him, his parents relised they forgot him while boarding the bus to the resort.

Children who are belittled or beaten because they were forced onto a ride that scared them (ie HISTA, Bug Life, etc.) and now wont ride anything.

Parents who want to sign waivers so they wont be inconvenienced by child switch programs.

Parents who tell their kids to cheat and lie to get cheaper admission and on to rides not safe for them.

During a super soap weekend rope drop mass hysteria, a lady watches her kid trip and fall and keeps going and shouts back "Keep him there I'll be back when I get my bracelet later!".

Guy who kicked his kid from load 4 to the bypass gate (IN ONE KICK!) at RocknRollercoaster (those at rnr know how far that is) because he never wanted to ride in the firat place but Dad did and Mom was at hotel!

Dad who lost son because he wa engrossed in a heated debate with a cast member about how his kid was as tall as every other kid entering the queue and when his wife came out and asked where the son was he said I thought he was with you, she called him a dumb f!*@& cause she obviously had ridden with her other son, then he puched her and walked off.
And on and on and on....

Sad but I think you should be tested if you are fit to breed :(

[Syndrome]

I'm a long time lurker, first time poster (and as a resident of Celebration, I hope to be a CM very soon). But these posts reminded me of a disturbing incident when I lived up north. It was the only time I wanted to kidnap a child and bring it home with me.

My husband and I used to visit all the local haunted houses every Halloween. At one, a father dragged in his poor little girl. Mom and a little boy stayed outside; I don't know why the girl was forced. It was obvious that she was terrified. She, dad, my hubby, and I were the only ones in our group. I was a total stranger, but that poor little thing clung to my leg throughout the whole long tour. I didn't mind at all and tried to pat her head and comfort her as best as I could while being unobtrusive. Unfortunately, dad noticed and dragged her away from me, and lit into her despite my protests that I didn't mind. Imagine that poor kid's miserable home life to prefer being comforted by a stranger rather than her own "father" (if a jerk like that even deserves such a title).

As an AP holder, I've had many good observations at the parks, and I can't wait to be a CM so I can start playing "Here's Your Sign." Hubby and I already compete on each visit to overhear the best "Dumb Quote of the Day."

[BTTF4Life]

Children who are belittled or beaten because they were forced onto a ride that scared them (ie HISTA, Bug Life, etc.) and now wont ride anything.

Parents who want to sign waivers so they wont be inconvenienced by child switch programs.

Parents who tell their kids to cheat and lie to get cheaper admission and on to rides not safe for them.

I've seen those many times. The waiver one has got to be the biggest "WTF, are you on crack?" things I've heard.