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

[Brayon]

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?

A little OT but related to this quote. A fellow CM friend of mine once suggested an "Adult Only" (age 16+) Dining Option for a few of our resturants, and an "Adult Only" (age 16+) Resort. This would be similar to what DCL has on the Ships and Castaway Cay. The idea was pretty much rejected due to WDW being a "Family" destination, and "how could you enforce the age restriction?"

I do know that That guest age 17, and younger are HIGHLY discouraged at some of the restuarants. That is fact at Victoria and Alberts. Children are allowed as long as they are well behave. I've seen a family that was asked to leave with no refund due to their 6 y/o son running around the dining room.

[StephM]

A little OT but related to this quote. A fellow CM friend of mine once suggested an "Adult Only" (age 16+) Dining Option for a few of our resturants, and an "Adult Only" (age 16+) Resort. This would be similar to what DCL has on the Ships and Castaway Cay. The idea was pretty much rejected due to WDW being a "Family" destination, and "how could you enforce the age restriction?"

I do know that That guest age 17, and younger are HIGHLY discouraged at some of the restuarants. That is fact at Victoria and Alberts. Children are allowed as long as they are well behave. I've seen a family that was asked to leave with no refund due to their 6 y/o son running around the dining room.

It still stuns me that people ask about taking young kids to V&A's and some of the other restaurants. My oldest DD is 14...I MIGHT take her to V&A's, since she is a foodie and a well behaved young lady. But people ask about toddlers....."Does V&A's have high chairs?" I was like WHAT?

Seriously, you would think people would have more sense than to bring a 2 yr old to Artist's Point, California Grill....places where couples might be having a nice, kid-free romantic meal. Cripes. Get a sitter or do like we do, have one kid free meal a year at V&A's and save the other restaurants for later when we go to DW without the kids. Although if people had common sense, this would be a pretty boring board. ;)

[Brayon]

[quote="StephM"]It still stuns me that people ask about taking young kids to V&A's and some of the other restaurants. My oldest DD is 14...I MIGHT take her to V&A's, since she is a foodie and a well behaved young lady. But people ask about toddlers....."Does V&A's have high chairs?" I was like WHAT?

Seriously, you would think people would have more sense than to bring a 2 yr old to Artist's Point, California Grill....places where couples might be having a nice, kid-free romantic meal. Cripes. Get a sitter or do like we do, have one kid free meal a year at V&A's and save the other restaurants for later when we go to DW without the kids. Although if people had common sense, this would be a pretty boring board. ]

Back when I was taking Dining Calls for reservations, I had a guest complain about the fact that he was taking his 4 year old to V&A's, and he was charged the full price for the child. That $150.00 per person, and he didn't feel he should spend that on a 4 year old. I wanted to say don't bring him.

But back on Topic... I did see a good parent once at the Parks. She was busy with her two kids at EPCOT, when an unrelated chid fell down, and scrapped their leg. Before I could get over to the child, she was there helping him, until his mom turned around from watching Off Kilter, and nearly paniced.

[SWTexasBelle]

I took my foodie 14 year old to V&A - but I knew she would be well-behaved and very interested in the whole experience.
One of my pet peeves is children allowed to ruin others dining. Teaching young children to behave is a pain, but far less of one than spending your life unable to enjoy eating out because your children are terrors!

[Zazu]

Although if people had common sense, this would be a pretty boring board.

You say that like it would be something BAD! :p:

[lttlsister]

I have been a lurker up to now, but I felt I had to respond to this one. My family is going to WDW in Nov of this year and as soon as I booked the trip (1 year in advance) I started telling my boys, who will be 7 & 5 at the time of the trip that there are certain rides that are not appropriate for them and under no circumstances will they ride them. My husband, of course, tries to talk me out of this plan, let them go on anything they want, but my feeling is if they go on any of the dark, too fast, too jerky, "big people" rides they will not enjoy and will be scared of the rest. I know I am sounding to overprotective, am sometimes I am, but this trip is a big deal for us and I want everyone (including me who will panic if we do try these rides) to enjoy them. So in two years when we plan to go again and they want to try some of the rides they didn't get this time, then for the older son, fine, he will be 9 by then and able to handle a lot more. This will be our frst trip in 15 years and the boys first trip ever, we are going to have so much to do that missing a couple rides will mean nothing!
I just can't understand why you would force your kids to do something they do not want to - it's a ride and in the big picture does it really matter if you miss that one ride!
Anyway, I just felt I needed to rant a little about this one - hope you didn't mind!
Lisa

[BRWombat]

I have been a lurker up to now, but I felt I had to respond to this one. My family is going to WDW in Nov of this year and as soon as I booked the trip (1 year in advance) I started telling my boys, who will be 7 & 5 at the time of the trip that there are certain rides that are not appropriate for them and under no circumstances will they ride them. My husband, of course, tries to talk me out of this plan, let them go on anything they want, but my feeling is if they go on any of the dark, too fast, too jerky, "big people" rides they will not enjoy and will be scared of the rest. I know I am sounding to overprotective, am sometimes I am, but this trip is a big deal for us and I want everyone (including me who will panic if we do try these rides) to enjoy them. So in two years when we plan to go again and they want to try some of the rides they didn't get this time, then for the older son, fine, he will be 9 by then and able to handle a lot more. This will be our frst trip in 15 years and the boys first trip ever, we are going to have so much to do that missing a couple rides will mean nothing!
I just can't understand why you would force your kids to do something they do not want to - it's a ride and in the big picture does it really matter if you miss that one ride!
Anyway, I just felt I needed to rant a little about this one - hope you didn't mind!
Lisa

Thanks for being a caring parent, and welcome! If I can throw my two cents in, though, while you are absolutely right that you should never force a child onto a ride that frightens them, you might consider being flexible in case they want to "be brave" and try.

My youngest turned 6 on his first trip to WDW, and he surprised us by wanting to hit some of the darker rides. I didn't think he'd want to do Haunted Mansion, for example, but he did even though it scared him. I held him all the way from the Stretching Room until we loaded in the Doom Buggies (and he was holding back pretty tightly!), but he made it and was laughing at the end.

So for sure don't force, but don't be afraid to let them ride, either. What better, safer way than a Disney ride to let them try to tackle their fears and build confidence?

[Syndrome]

We were at Mimi's Cafe last week...granted, it's the sort of place I'm not surprised at seeing kids, but this just grossed me out. A family's four year old kidlet was running around like a maniac with a handful of snotrag napkins. She ran up to the next booth and tossed the napkins on their table!! They didn't say anything, but they're lucky it wasn't me...I would have blown my nose in a napkin of my own and tossed it into their table. I mean, what are they going to say to me?! It's not like they can complain about tit for tat!

[lttlsister]

Thanks for being a caring parent, and welcome! If I can throw my two cents in, though, while you are absolutely right that you should never force a child onto a ride that frightens them, you might consider being flexible in case they want to "be brave" and try.

My youngest turned 6 on his first trip to WDW, and he surprised us by wanting to hit some of the darker rides. I didn't think he'd want to do Haunted Mansion, for example, but he did even though it scared him. I held him all the way from the Stretching Room until we loaded in the Doom Buggies (and he was holding back pretty tightly!), but he made it and was laughing at the end.

So for sure don't force, but don't be afraid to let them ride, either. What better, safer way than a Disney ride to let them try to tackle their fears and build confidence?

Thanks for your input - I know I am overprotective and I try so hard not to be - but I also know that if something happens to one of my boys and I could have stopped it I would never forgive myself! The rides I am talking about are things like Aerosmiths rocking roller coaster, mission space, tower of terror, stuff like that. My 6 year old wanted to go into a haunted house at another local park last year and I knew he would be scared silly so I said no, so when he asks about the haunted mansion and I say yes, I think he will be very surprised.
Thanks again for responding - we have not been to WDW in 15 years and we had no kids then, so any info I am getting is all good to me!

[Sarah Magdalene]

We make my niece go on certain rides where we know she will eventually laugh about freaking out in at the end of the day. Snow White, Nemo at Epcot, etc. We only do age appropriate rides that may have dark parts that only freak out the under 4 set. While in the ride we always make her plush animal she brought with her freak out, making it say, "Ahhh no no - too dark too dark ... Ahh, scared, scared..." In the end, she's the one being brave for it, petting it, and telling her Unicorn, Kitty, (or whatever plushie she brought with her) that every thing's okay and it's not that scary.

At the end of the evening, she completely denies that she was scared and often insists that it was unicorn or kitty who was more scared than her. Saying that she "Just pretended to be..."