Did The Definition of the Word "Parent" Change?

[Syndrome]

So Mr. Syndrome and I were waiting in the Soarin' que last night in the part where there are heavy chains every so often. Some kid was playing with one and managed to unfasten it and just let it drop, nearly smashing the foot of another person standing nearby. If it had hit the person, it would have hurt like hell because they were wearing sandals. They glared at the kid and the father shrugged and said, "He loves to mess with everything all the time" as though that should excuse any behavior. No apology, just that stupid statement.

So my question is, when did the definition of "parent" change? At one time, didn't that word indicate someone who actually drew and enforced boundaries for acceptable behavior in public? And didn't those boundaries once include forbidding behaviors that might impact, and even injure, others? Now it seems to mean "person who provides, food, shelter, and every thing else and who is otherwise inconsequential in matters of behavior, except to defend a child when some other person dares to attempt to draw a self-protective boundary?" I think I'm going to petition the dictionary people for a correction.

Then there were the jackasses doing flash photography on Soarin' yet again, but I won't even go into that one...

[disneyaddict]

Ugh, I hate it when parents don't do anything but make excuses for their children's behavior.

Maybe they're too embarrassed to actually claim the child as their own.

[marcim]

So Mr. Syndrome and I were waiting in the Soarin' que last night in the part where there are heavy chains every so often. Some kid was playing with one and managed to unfasten it and just let it drop, nearly smashing the foot of another person standing nearby.

If you're talking about the chains I think you're talking about, there are magnets in the center of each one, holding the two halves together, presumably to prevent people from sitting/swinging on them. I don't remember seeing them last year, but I think they are AWESOME! I wish they'd install those all over the park. Instant, public embarassment for naughtiness, even with brain-dead parents who let their kids climb on everything like chimps.

While we waited in line a few weeks ago, one kid sat on the chain, and clang! Magnet comes loose, kid drops the 1-2 feet to the ground. Not far enough to really hurt, but enough to get his attention. Kid panics, looks around all embarassed, quickly stands up. We chuckle. :twisted: A few minute later, clang! Another kid does the same thing. :twisted: We were soon like Pavlov's dogs, chuckling every time we'd hear that sound, knowing some SG's kid got what he deserved.

[Teddykeiko86]

Seriously, at Universal's Blastzone, all guests had to wear shoes of some sort. When I would tell parents their kids must have shoes on, they would say "But they will get wet/ruined". Even worse was the " But it is no fun to play with shoes on, let him go with out.... "
WTH? Does safety not matter to you?

[Roxane]

Sometimes I think parents are taking a vacation from parenting while at the world. I recently had a small boy haul off and kick me in line. The parents response was to tell him, "You know better than to kick people you don't know." No apology or anything... I guess I'm lucky I'm not a friend of the family, they must all have bruised shins...

[Shorty82]

If you're talking about the chains I think you're talking about, there are magnets in the center of each one, holding the two halves together, presumably to prevent people from sitting/swinging on them. I don't remember seeing them last year, but I think they are AWESOME! I wish they'd install those all over the park. Instant, public embarassment for naughtiness, even with brain-dead parents who let their kids climb on everything like chimps.

Actually, the magnets are there so in case of emergency the rope/chain can easily and quickly be dropped. You'll notice that the majority of places they use them block emergency paths or doors.

[Ms. Matterhorn]

Many parents want to be their child's friend, and not a parent. This is often because they go to work and leave their child in day care, so when they do have time with the child, they don't want to discipline them, because that would not be fun and the child might not like them.

When I was at Sea World last month, a child in line behind me unfastened the chain in the queue and let it drop to the ground. The parents weren't looking so they said nothing. I gave the child a mean look and said, "Put that back!" really fast and in a low voice. She immediately put it back and looked at me fearfully all the way onto the ride.

[DisneyMom]

many parents want to be their child's friend, and not a parent. This is often because they go to work and leave their child in day care, so when they do have time with the child, they don't want to discipline them, because that would not be fun and the child might not like them.

When i was at sea world last month, a child in line behind me unfastened the chain in the queue and let it drop to the ground. The parents weren't looking so they said nothing. I gave the child a mean look and said, "put that back!" really fast and in a low voice. She immediately put it back and looked at me fearfully all the way onto the ride.

yes!:d:

[EpcotFan]

When I was at Sea World last month, a child in line behind me unfastened the chain in the queue and let it drop to the ground. The parents weren't looking so they said nothing. I gave the child a mean look and said, "Put that back!" really fast and in a low voice. She immediately put it back and looked at me fearfully all the way onto the ride.

I'm just imagining this in a James Earles Jones style of voice, perhaps with a little bit of a rasp. Now that could make a kid loose bladder control!

[Theme Park Where]

Sometimes I think parents are taking a vacation from parenting while at the world. I recently had a small boy haul off and kick me in line. The parents response was to tell him, "You know better than to kick people you don't know." No apology or anything... I guess I'm lucky I'm not a friend of the family, they must all have bruised shins...

That sounds like the kid in line in front of my parents at some attraction (my memory isn't as good as it used to be - don't remember which attraction at DCL or DLR they were in line for). The kid (who was fairly young, like 4 or 5 years old, but old enough to behave in line) had one of those light sabre thingys and was waving it around. My mother's in a scooter and was very close to getting wacked with it. Dad asked kid to stop waving it. Kid sort of put it away while Kid's mom glared at my dad. Kid started waving said sabre around near Mom's nose again. Dad finally caught sabre in mid-air just before it hit my Mom and gave it to the Kid's mom, telling her that her son had nearly hit my Mom with it. Kid's mom sort of half-heartedly told her son to stop waving sabre in line. Line moves up a bit. Kid runs back in line, kicks my Dad in the shins, then runs back to his mom! No apology from kid or kid's mom. Luckily, my Dad saw it as a funny story to tell and, from years of being a social worker, treated the whole incident as bad parenting, recognizing that saying something further wouldn't change either the parent or the kid's behavior. Yikes, though. That kid's going to end up being a fun teenager and adult.