Have the CMs noticed kids being dragged around by crazy parents?

[luckyprincess]

Hi! Be kind - this is the first thread I started :D: So, I was 'discussing' with someone how sad it is to see little kids dragged around the parks because the parents have an excel spreadsheet of what they are doing at every moment. I was at Universal, IOA and we were leaving Suess land to go to the big log flume. There was a little boy crying and begging his parents to go on a ride again that they had just gone on (I should mention that we walked onto every ride that day due to weather - my bf rode the dragon challenge coaster 9 times!) and his Dad was dragging him away by the arm saying 'we have to ride everything - don't you want to ride everything? We have a lot of park to cover' and the kid was crying and saying that no, he didn't want to ride 'everything' and wanted to go back to Suess Island. :(
They stood in line behind us and the little guy cried the whole time. When they got off the parents didn't even ask if he liked it, if it was fun, nothing. They just continued to drag him around and he was seriously staring back at the ride in Suess Island and crying....I'll never forget how sad he looked when he should have been having a great time.

The other person I was discussing this with said they could understand the parent's actions because kids can 'get stuck' on doing just one ride. Plus some of them like to do the park 'commando' style and insist that it's better because their kids get to do 'everything'. I guess whether they want to or not... :( Have any of you experienced this with your time working at the park?

[Zazu]

Have any of you experienced this with your time working at the park?

More often than I'd like to remember.

I was a Conductor on the WDW Railroad, where you could ride for hours if you wanted -- we don't make people get off unless they're misbehaving or we're really *really* crowded.

Family does the 20 minute circuit, tells the kid to get off. Kid cries and wants to ride more. Usual scene, I walk by and the parents tell their kid, "See, the Conductor has come to make you get off the train."

"Oh no I'm not! I'm here to tell you all that you may ride as long as you want to."

"You're not helping!"

"Sorry, you have to bribe me in advance if you want me to lie to you child."

Sadly, the family always left after that remark.

:locomotiv

[EeyoresButterfly]

I can honestly see both sides. Particularly when you have people who want to do different things, it's understandable to ask kids to do different things. However, that is different than dragging kids down commando style.

Particularly at the end of the night, my ride tends to be a walk on. We've had kids ride over and over for two hours. As much as I like my ride, there is no way I would want to ride it for two hours straight. At some point kids need to understand that it isn't just about them. That being said, there's no reason to drag a child commando style through the park. I hear a lot of parents tell their kids, "let's go do xyz, and then we'll come back." To me, that is a reasonable compromise.

[Mayonnaise]

I don't work there... but... I WAS that kid as a child.

So now I'm grown up and I go with zero plan, and ride Carousel of Progress four times in a row because I can, and I will not do that to my kids when I have them. IT SUCKS.

8^|

[luckyprincess]

More often than I'd like to remember.

"Sorry, you have to bribe me in advance if you want me to lie to you child."



:locomotiv

:D: Love it!

[luckyprincess]

Particularly at the end of the night, my ride tends to be a walk on. We've had kids ride over and over for two hours. As much as I like my ride, there is no way I would want to ride it for two hours straight. At some point kids need to understand that it isn't just about them. That being said, there's no reason to drag a child commando style through the park. I hear a lot of parents tell their kids, "let's go do xyz, and then we'll come back." To me, that is a reasonable compromise.

That is for sure reasonable, I agree. My brother and Dad loved bumper cars when I was a kid. So my Dad would take my brother and they would seriously do bumper cars all. day. long. My other two sisters would go off together to do thrill rides. I stayed with my mommy because I get motion sick on a swingset and hadn't discovered dramamine back then, and we would wander around, look at all the cool stuff, maybe do the merry go round if I was willing, and eat waffle ice cream sandwiches :)

We're all about compromise!

I don't work there... but... I WAS that kid as a child.

So now I'm grown up and I go with zero plan, and ride Carousel of Progress four times in a row because I can, and I will not do that to my kids when I have them. IT SUCKS.

8^|

Good for you! I asked my bf what he wants to do when we get to WDW on Friday (woot) and he said - 'I'm just not getting up early.' Seems his Mom would make them do rope drops when he was a kid and he HATED it, lol. He has no desire to plan either and since this is the first time in 7 years he has agreed to go to WDW, I'll do whatever he likes! :)

[darph nader]

Over at that 'other' board,they have whole threads dedicated to,"How many Rides can we get in one-two days?"
Of course the gambit runs from,"Get this program,to,take your time and enjoy." I can see this for the occasional tourist,(but only to a point),but it can burn bad memories for the kids/parents. :(

[DisneyMom]

UGH! Way to damage your child! They will be scarred and live forever with you to punish you!
Does my dragging Hubby on to Small World count as abuse? :twisted:

[darph nader]

UGH! Way to damage your child! They will be scarred and live forever with you to punish you!
Does my dragging Hubby on to Small World count as abuse? :twisted:

Abuse and torture. In fact,I think it's against the Geneva Convention. ;)

[Notastupidguest]

We tried to cram everything in, not commando style and we didn't have kids with us either, because we didn't realise we would come back again. For us it was a once in a lifetime trip and a big costly one to come all the way from the UK.
But somehow we got hit by pixie dust, no seriously, we were bowled over by how polite and lovely the CM's were and I have to say, it really is the most wonderful place to be.
These people won't know, like us, that they will have been hit by the pixie dust until they get back home, so don't know that they WILL be back BWAHAHAHAHA!