More annoying: The parents or their children?

[SWTexasBelle]

I really hate the whole "kids running around the restaurants" thing. I think a CM at the Morocco restaurant thought I was going to beat my then-4 year old. He was getting out of his seat, and had been told several times to sit down. When he refused, he was rushed out of the restaurant (so as not to disturb the other diners) and we had a Come to Jesus meeting outside. I sat him down in his stroller and explained (in a stern voice) that he was NOT to get out of his seat as there were people with trays of food, and he was NOT to whine because he would disturb other people's lunch. He calmed down, we went back in, and all was well. But the CM was funny - following me out because I guess I looked so angry.
My trip last week saw a similiar scene at Alfredo's - my 3 yr. old son was throwing a fit, so we left and went out into the lobby until he calmed down. Yep, I had to leave the table for 10 minutes - but the rest of my meal was much better, not to mention the fact that he didn't ruin the meal for others.
There is no excuse for letting small children ruin other people's trips. Yes, children get tired, hungry and over-wrought at Disney. No, that doesn't mean they don't have to behave. My kids aren't perfect, but good Lord, at least they are held to account.

[Euterpe]

Ya know, every time I'm inclined to think that people from a certain country are worse than others... I don't know... I don't notice it. Plus, I also see plenty on Spanish-speaking people come up, without being asked, measure their kid, who ends up being too short, smiling and shrugging and walking away. I personally think that Americans give me the most crap. They want to stand and argue, whereas if they don't speak English, they understand "no" and have no choice. I believe it's Americans, who train themselves to believe that they are above the rules in all aspects of life, who also think they're above the rules at Disney World.

Also... If the parents didn't make such a big deal of it, they kids wouldn't start crying. They don't know what they're missing. The go up, they see that they don't reach the stick, and they walk away. The kids don't care. Kidcot is just as much fun to them as Soarin' would be anyways. It's when parents yell at them for not being tall enough that the kids start crying.

That always made me so mad.

[Pinoy_Stitch_84]

How dare those STUPID parents laugh when I tell them that I need to check their children's height because it's a safety procedure. I wanna see who'll be laughing if their children get hurt or die.

How dare those STUPID parents yell at me and say horrible things when I say that their child is too short to ride. It goes to show how loving they are towards their children and what a good example they're setting.

If they really have no problems with the way we do our jobs, they wouldn't be getting mad at us for ensuring the safety of their children. It's childish and awful the way they behave towards us CMs. Some parents should be ashamed of themselves for being such lousy, awful, ingrateful, and overall unfit people to raise children.

What I really don't like are those foreign parents who pretend to not know English just so they can get away with stuff or see which American buttons they can push. How many times do I have to say, "Sir, I don't speak Spanish, Portuguese, French, or whatever they hell it is that you speak." Though I speak a little bit of those languages, it makes no sense to speak to guests in those languages because they either continue to speak English or switch back to English eventually. THEY CAN understand us, but they don't want to speak English because they want to drive us crazy or because they're too chicken to speak the language. CMs will not play the language game with them 'cause it's not courteous and it's bad show.

[Main Streeter]

we had a Come to Jesus meeting outside.

Definitely a south'rn saying. ;) You've made my Sunday & my week SWT!!

[Pinoy_Stitch_84]

CAST MEMBER: Sir, can I check his/her height please?
STUPID PARENT: We checked outside.
CAST MEMBER: It's a safety procedure
STUPID PARENT: (laughs or rolls his/her eyes at CM)

To all the parents that do this: GROW UP YOU MONSTERS! YOU HAVE NO SHAME FOR ANYBODY BUT YOURSELVES. YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR CHILDREN AND SHOULDN'T HAVE ANY IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO ENSURE THEIR SAFETY 100% OF THE TIME. YOU SET RULES AT YOUR HOMES I SUPPOSE, WELL SO DO WE AT DISNEY. FOLLOW THEM OR LEAVE! WE DON'T NEED YOUR MONEY! THERE ARE SO MANY OTHER GUESTS WHOSE MONEY IS WORTH TAKING ANYWAY (NO BRAZILIANS!)

[june1st1997]

It's the parents...

SWT... I'm with you sister. Kids do not belong running around restaurants. They should be in their seats. I HATE when my MIL takes my daughter out of her high chair to pass her around like an hors d'ouver. In my mind she needs to know when we are in a restaurant, we eat. We are quiet. Look I go out of my way to make sure she has food, a clean diaper, she is as well rested as I can manage and she has toys. And if that still isn't enough... well then my husband and I eat in shifts.

We went to breakfast this morning and it's a production. But my 11.5 month old was a good girl. But its not easy. It meant going right after her 1st bottle of the day... 7am... I wanted to sleep, believe me... But we saw our opportunity and we took it. She was well rested, full and clean. It took 3 mintues to unpack at our table between her portable highchair and toys.... But hey 6 minutes is not a high price when I get to have a a nice breakfast.

My BIL is a totally different story. When my niece was still cruising he would let her go from chair to chair. There was on restaurant I remember being very small and it was very dangerous. Everytime we meet for some family dinner she is overtired and very hungry. They never bring toys, in fact once they did not even have diapers. She screams till they let her out of her high chair. She inevitably gets hurt, then they take her outside... usually at night without a sweater.

I hate going to meals with them and I hate what they are doing to that kid.

[APtink]

Hershey Park has a decent way of avoiding the parents who cause grief for measuring. When this happens to my mom's neighbor, he'll "offer" to them to go to park services and get the child measured. They will measure the kid and put a bracelet on the child for which "candy size" they are.

Years ago, my mom put her heel supports inside my son's shoes. She had taken him to HP while I was at work. These made him tall enough to ride. I was so ticked off when I heard about this. There is a reason these height requirements exist. It's not just a random thing to cause parent's grief. In fact, when I use to ride the conestoga wagon, they wouldn't let me ride it as an adult without another adult present since I didn't meet their height requirements. I thought it was stupid, but I compeletely understood.

[SWTexasBelle]

I will say that I wish they would come up with a measuring device other than those "sticks". Getting my youngest measured is always a pain, because he is afraid he will hit his head on the horizontal "stick" and so scrunches up his shoulders. We get it done, but it takes a while.
One CM was about to get snarky with me this last trip - luckily, she didn't. I know she has to measure, and I am happy to work with her to do so, but it may take a minute, 3 year olds being what they are. (!!!)
And Mainstreeter, the fact that my colloquial expression made you happy has made MY week. Goodness, how does everyone else function without "Come to Jesus" meetings???!!!

[ThunderCat]

Hershey Park has a decent way of avoiding the parents who cause grief for measuring. When this happens to my mom's neighbor, he'll "offer" to them to go to park services and get the child measured. They will measure the kid and put a bracelet on the child for which "candy size" they are.

I'm sure this system works fine... until you get the parent who gets a bracelet for their 48" child, then slips it off and sticks it on the wrist of the 38" kid.

The ones that bother me the most are the ones who bring their 38" child up to me and, after I turn them away, hold up a photo of the child on Splash Mountain.

[APtink]

actually what they did was put a bracelet on the child and with a permanent marker they put a line at the sealing point. They tell the child to be sure not to pull on it, because if it isn't lined up then they won't consider it valid anymore. So I guess that was their way around sneaky people. Although I'm sure there's someone who already figured out how to buck their system.