The Intermittant Parent

[Zazu]

Some folks become parents without realizing it's a full-time job, especially with toddlers.

One such was riding the WDW Railroad, and apparently considered himself off-duty, as he was allowing his 3-year-old to stand -- nay, to dance on the seat as the train was in motion. As the train traversed Tomorrowland, the tot lost his footing, slipped between the bars on the left side, and fell off the train.

His father decided at that point to clock back in, and followed the child -- head first off the side of the moving train.

The Good News: The child was unhurt. Like many that age, he bounced, and as soon as we handed him back to Mom he was fine.

The Bad News: The adult didn't fare so well. He gut cut up on the ballast and a sprinkler head and was bleeding badly enough we had to call in an alpha unit for him.

The Best News: Reedy Creek alpha crews carry spray idodine in their kits for patients who seem likely to repeat their accident.

"So, do you jump off trains often sir?" [ssssst] "Yeow!"

"Good thing you landed on your head, no vital organs in there." [ssssst] "Yeow!"

"You're lucky you decided to jump. There's no way the crew would stop a train just to pick up a baby." [ssssst] "Yeow!"

Gotta love 'em, even if they do make it hard to keep a straight face.

[CujoSR]

Feel bad for the kid, not the dad.

[Sweet]

what a idiot! I swear people don't think. glad the child was fine.

[RiaLucia]

Ewww, yeah, I see that all the time on the RR: parents completely ignoring the "please place smaller passengers in the middle" and letting their kids sit, dangle, dance, squirm, etc. on the end, inches from a potentially bad accident.

Hell, I'm fully grown and I don't like sitting on the ends, but you can bet that when I become a mother my child is sitting their butt in between me and the nearest adult!

"Good thing you landed on your head, no vital organs in there."

That made me laugh out loud. Thanks!

[Grumpy]

... parents completely ignoring the "please place smaller passengers in the middle" and letting their kids sit, dangle, dance, squirm, etc. on the end, inches from a potentially bad accident.

Hell, I'm fully grown and I don't like sitting on the ends, but you can bet that when I become a mother my child is sitting their butt in between me and the nearest adult!

"Good thing you landed on your head, no vital organs in there."

Well, I guess the medic was right, there ARE no vital organs in that guy's head ... LOL.

I am a mother, I have a 19 month old, and there is no way he's allowed to stand his 28 pound, 32 inch body up in a moving vehicle. AND, there is no way he sits on the other side of me, unless we are in the innermost area, and the other side of him is a wall of some sort.

[MistyT]

I have a great one for this topic! A few weeks ago I was at the exit to Pocahontas parking strollers. There was no one standing around, so I pulled the strollers backwards and put them in my nice, neat, normal rows. No more than two minutes later a man and woman came screaming at me that I had moved their stroller WITH their child in it. We found the stroller and located the child who happened to be a newborn!!! Aparently, the parents thought it was fine to go stand in line and leave the stroller right where it was, taking turns to run out to check on their sleeping baby. Fourtunately for the parents they ran off quickly before they could receive a mouthfull from myself and security!

[CBeilby]

I have a great one for this topic! A few weeks ago I was at the exit to Pocahontas parking strollers. There was no one standing around, so I pulled the strollers backwards and put them in my nice, neat, normal rows. No more than two minutes later a man and woman came screaming at me that I had moved their stroller WITH their child in it. We found the stroller and located the child who happened to be a newborn!!! Aparently, the parents thought it was fine to go stand in line and leave the stroller right where it was, taking turns to run out to check on their sleeping baby. Fourtunately for the parents they ran off quickly before they could receive a mouthfull from myself and security!

You should have gotten descriptions, and reported them to Child Protective Services. That's child neglect, if not child endangerment.

[saidthekat]

We had a family in fantasyland leave their 2-year-old in the stroller several times while they went on rides... (i'm talking 3 or 4)... each time security came out, they got a slap on the wrist...

the poor little one was so confused... she kept kicking her legs to get her stroller to back away from wherever they'd parked it... that's how we'd figure out which ride they were in... the baby and the stroller would be in the middle of the nearest walkway.

[Zazu]

We had a family in fantasyland leave their 2-year-old in the stroller several times while they went on rides.... (i'm talking 3 or 4).... each time security came out, they got a slap on the wrist....

We've had so much trouble with this on the WDW RR (where it's a minimum of a 20-minute trip) that we front-line cast members have adopted a new procedure for abandoned babies: We now roll the stroller backstage and call in OCSD from there. This way, the kid goes into custody first, then we make the parents go to City Hall and turn themselves in.

The sad part is, some parents will just shrug and say, "Oh well, we'll enjoy the rest of the day and pick up the kid on the way out tonight."

There is no way to convince this class of parent that the longer they wait, the longer their jail time is likely to be.

... so we just smile and let them enjoy their last day of freedom... as we phone in their descriptions! :twisted:

[joanna71985]

That is just horrible. Why the heck do people have kids if they do these things? I mean, come on! Leaving your kids in the strollers, letting them fall out of moving trains, ect. SHEESH!!