Good Parenting (no, it's true! I saw it!)

[svickersart]

I was waiting to ride Space Mountian at D/L, I was by myself that trip, right in front of me was a couple with two little girls, one about 8 the other about 6. The youngest was crying her eyes out, she didnt want to go, she was to scared. Dad picked her up and hung her over his shoulders kicking and crying to make her go on the coaster. I asked the CM if I could ride on the next train, I didnt want to have my experience ruined by the little girl screaming because she was scared (loud enough for them to hear me) They went and I took another train a couple behind, I hope she puked all over him for it. I didnt see them at the exit so I dont know what ended up happening. Can any CM's tell me what is Disney's policy on this sort of thing? Can a CM step up to a parent and recomend the child not ride? or is it strictly stay out of it?
Steve SG

[Scamp]

Can any CM's tell me what is Disney's policy on this sort of thing? Can a CM step up to a parent and recomend the child not ride? or is it strictly stay out of it?
Steve SG

I would certainly hope, for the safety of the CM, that the official policy is for CM's not to interfere with domestic issues. Even trained police offers hate to get involved with family disputes. Unless there is a safety violation (like the kid being too short to ride) I think they have to stay out of it. For the child of a parent like that, life will hold many hardships, this one theme park ride is unfortunately not going to make much of a difference for them.

[lady ulrike]

Can any CM's tell me what is Disney's policy on this sort of thing? Can a CM step up to a parent and recomend the child not ride? or is it strictly stay out of it?
Steve SG

It varies, depending on the ride. For example, on Snow White if the parent has the child on their lap and their seated safely even though they're not happy then we can't say anything. On the other hand, if the child is squirming won't sit, etc then it becomes a safety issue and we can't send it. We have this problem a lot at Roger Rabbit because there is no lap seating and often the scared kid won't sit on the seat. For their own safety they must be completely seated on the seat or we can't dispatch the car.

[Syndrome]

I have seen it happen both ways. On one ride (don't remember which one, but a thrill-type), the kid was really freaking out and the CM said he couldn't allow the child to ride for safety reasons. On the flipside, a few months back there was a little one who was nervous and crying and NOT wanting to get on Soarin', and the CM joined in with the mom in trying to convince her it was okay (I think they were successful, and I didn't hear any freaking out during the ride, so the kid must have liked it). On HM, I have seen scared kids and haven't seen the CMs interfere one way or the other.

[Zazu]

Can any CM's tell me what is Disney's policy on this sort of thing? Can a CM step up to a parent and recomend the child not ride? or is it strictly stay out of it?

If the kid looks likely to jump, it's a safety issue and the kid simply does not ride.

If they're just unhappy, I try to talk the parents out of the trip. On the railroad, we had lots of kids who were burned out and the parents just wanted to go to Main Street and go back to the hotel. I tended to let these ride.

Other families where they intended to keep going even though their kid was in meltdown was a hard call. I don't want *anyone* on my attraction that doesn't want to be there. I *especially* don't want anyone riding who may disrupt the show for other guests. The latter was usually enough for me to send them away, but the former was a bitch because some managers would back us and some wouldn't. Always a hard call.

[Radar]

I am 32 years old and I'm *still* pissy about my mother forcing me onto Space Mountain when I was 7. It took me decades to be willing to try it again.

My mom is 61 and she still talks about when I was 15 and I forced her and my dad to go on Space Mt. The didn't realize that they would not be able to see where they were going.
My dad still won't ride it, but now my mom likes to ride it with my daughters.

[DLRP4Me]

We had the opposite problem on our last trip, the kids were dragging us on stuff and we were the ones crying - only a little. ;) My middle one is five and needed to do Space Mt. so she could finish all the mountains and MK (thanks planning dvd ) so she dragged us on there right after lunch. She's excited, I'm unsure, and DH is begging to go sit down. I hadn't been on it since 1986 and there was a reason for that! She had us both by the hands and pulled us on. DH got the front seat, he spent the entire time screaming "I didn't want the front" while the blonde one sat there laughing hysterically. Evil children I have!

On the flip side my mom had been scarred for life after that trip on it in '86. My same darling child convinced her it wasn't that bad. Mom is still mad, says she was conned by a five year old - it was horrible! :D:

[bpgstudios]

I'm with Zazu on this. Unless the kid poses a safty threat, I usually do not want to get in the middle. I know its not the fairest to the other guests in the attraction, but unfortunately there is nothing I can do unless the kid is going to jump out.

It is frustrating when I;m in the parks as a guest and there is a crying child on an attraction with me. But its understandable, since I know the types of situations that we CMs face. There are some attractions that screaming or disruptive children should be asked to leave from: theatre shows. I was over at the nemo musical the other day, a friend of mine had arranged some VIP seating. I had seen the show before, but several others in my party had not. Well, We're enjoying the show when all the ludden this little body comes running down the row climbing on my leg. I kind of shake the little kid off after a few seconds, as I don;t want to start an altercation with the parents. All the sudden, another one starts screaming! This goes on for about half the show :mad: and the parents showed no sign of trying to comfort the kids or remove them from the theatre. Obviously these people are not very reasonable, so I didn;t say anything to them. I don't need trouble. I kept shooting the parents the evil eye, as was everyone else in the VIP section. I wish an (on duty) CM would say something to them, they were really very disruptive. Just because you got into the VIP section does not mean that you are the only ones in the theatre! I'm willing to bet that some CM said something about their kids behavior earlier, and the parents took it up with guest relations, who didn't get the whole story and probably comped their day and gave them VIP seats. Grrrrrr...

[mechurchlady]

If it is not really an obvious safety issue then the CM could end up with the guest complaining to management about how their sweet, mild mannered angle was not allowed on a ride. That demon pocessed kid who might try to climb out of Casey Junior or Dumbo suddenly is quiet and meek. What is the dosage per pound on sedatives for kids?

How does a CM prove that the kid was uncontrollable and a danger to itself or others? Maybe CMs need little cameras to tape record the SGs and other stuff that in the end could risk their job.

I recently was at Rosewood Restaurant. Second booth along the wall is a married couple. Third booth has on the wall stained glass filled shutters to imitate something. They hang on the wall but are not meant to be played with. The little boy was against the wall and Mom on the outside. Across from the boy on the table was a baby carrier and on the outside was dad.

That kid stood on the seat bouncing. screaming and gurgling all the time while leaning over the booth and facing the older couple. I told a waitress I know to look. That kid turn and grabbed them solid wood and glass window shutters and was banging one. The shutter was partially off the wall. Finally mom yanks the kid down and within minutes the screaming and seat dancing happened.

The restaurant has the main counter and then you come to an area that leads to the bar and restrooms, to the kitchen, and to eating area. It is very dangerous there and a waitress got scalded with soup due to someone plowing into her. Guess where the brat headed. Right for the area behind the counter and into the most dangerous blind spot possible. The mother just let that kid wonder around the restaurant as they were leaving. As they are going out he headed for behind the counters again. They opened the door and he headed right out for the driveway.

That area was important because I saw the waitress scalded and had to cover for her as well as get her medicine and bandages. So what if the brat was headed for a work area that is dangerous. The old couple never complained.

[Syndrome]

I have never asked to be moved in a restaurant due to disruptive children, although I have thought pretty hard about it. But living in the Disney area means a much higher percentage of rampaging children than when I lived in Chicago. Still, that day may come...after all, back in IL (an archaic state where smoking is still allowed in restaurants), I often asked to be moved FAR FAR away from the smoking section, so why not away from screaming kidlets? In many IL eateries, there is literally no barrier between smoking and non. In one restaurant, they copped a real attitude with me; they seating us in the first booth past the bar (with no barrier), and I said, "This table won't work for me. I don't want to be anywhere near smoking." The hostess responded, "Well, people can only smoke in the bar." (Two feet at most behind the back of the booth.) I replied sweetly, "So are you telling me that the smoke magically stops at that nice invisible wall?" She gave me a death look, but she shut her mouth and seated me in the other end of the dining room.