Are kids behaving worse now at WDW then in the past?

[tink81]

i hate to say this but the reason for all of these kids misbehaving is because most of them are british,rough familys from britain.
im british and it ashames me to find that most if not all of the kids that i have seen misbehaving when im at 'the world' are these rough british familys.

sorry if this offends any other fellow brits,i know not all british familys that visit WDW are like this, in fact they are all the queitest (sp?) but based on what i have witnessed,specifically last year,it is mostly inconciderate british.

Bassman, I spent six months in college in London. I have to say that England is not a very child-friendly country. Maybe because it was London and everyone is in such a hurry to get to some fabulous club/restaurant/theatre that they find the very sight of a child an impedement and get all disgusted. I once saw a man in a restaurant leave his table of trendy friends discussing some deep philosophical topic get up and walk over to a table where two parents were having a hard time getting their children to sit down and eat. The first man started screaming at the parents about "how dare they bring kids to place like this" and "can't you see we're trying to have a civilzed conversation here, man" The parents asked for the check and left! It was like they were ashamed that their kids caused a scene! Unbelievable!?

 

[TINKERLOR]

Things were a lot different years ago when a kid could walk to the Castle by himself - maybe before the world went crazy and having child abductions every 3 minutes......... do you have kids Sen?? MMARTELLI do you have kids?????

 

[maggiegrace1]

You know.. I was never spanked..or beat or smacked or anything like that and I am perfectly fine..I am a very responsible and respectful person.I will raise my daughter the way I was and if she does act up in public I will take care of it..and I would never ever let her do anything that would disrespect anyone else.It is my responsibility to make sure she is well behaved..but Kids do act up and sometimes people get aggravated just by kids being kids.I was at Disney World and A lil girl was on the bus singing a song.. Not hurting anyone..but some @ss got upset and made a comment.She did not disturb a show or a ride and everyone else on the bus thought it was cute..it was.It is the people like that guy that I do not understand..when they just cant stand kids at all.I have said this several times and I will say it again..I do understand where everyone is coming from...Parents do need to be responsible for their kids actions..and yes sometimes it is hard to control a kicking and screaming tired 4 year old..but most parents I know of do their best to stop it..if it is affecting others. But do you know how many..adults sit there and use foul language all around these children and not care at all..That is just as bad for us parents to have our kid hear this..So we have learned here that Kids annoy adults...adults annoy other adults..What can we do..Nothing..but take care of our own and ourselves.As for the spanking and beatings and threats.. Well it was not needed for me and I will not use it for my childern.I think it is sad that we have to stoop to that level to take care of our children..you should be able to discipline without that and if you cant then maybe you are doing something wrong.

 

[shoppingnut]

There are times when my husband could use a nap when we are at the parks. Are there any extra large strollers for a cranky man-child? :lol: That would be really cool.

I could have used one of those for my brother last year when I went with his family.

 

[CommandoDisney]

what i dont understand about 8 year olds in strollers is why would they want to be SEEN riding in one. i remember when i was 8, my sister was 2 at the time so we put her in a stroller, and the thought of me riding in it was just embarrassing. i had to be the big tough kid who met height requirements! if i was riding in a stroller i might as well have been wearing diapers! its not a matter of being lazy or being spoiled... kids need to want to look cool! haha

 

[mmartelli]

Things were a lot different years ago when a kid could walk to the Castle by himself - maybe before the world went crazy and having child abductions every 3 minutes......... do you have kids Sen?? MMARTELLI do you have kids?????

Child Abductions are nothing new Tink. They were prevelent in the 80's when I was a kid and in the 90's as well. BE a parent and watch your kid. But lets not forget that we are in WDW! One of the safest places on the planet. That is not the readon people use strollers for 8 year olds. If you are really concrerned about the saftey of your kids they make something similar to a lojack for kids....theres even child leashes to controll your litle experiment 626's. I don't have kids, but I have young siblings mam, so don't think I know nothing of your concerns. It is not hard to control your kids and keep track of them. I can keep track of my twin 6 year old brothers...but you wana know something amazing...they behave!!! oh, and they walk too! no strollers. I went alone to WDW this time around myself, my 20 year old sister and our 2 twin brothers...somehow we kept them under controll. Just because I am 22 doesnt mean I dont know about dealing with kids. So nice try.

 

[pinjim]

The latest games, nice clothes, a good but uncool car to drive, no fulltime job other than mowing lawns in the summer, only had to deliever 120 newspapers 6 days a week ... yeah, I'd say spoiled ...

WAIT!!! That was me, but SOME kids today do have too much and do not respect or understand what it takes to earn that type of goodies; they lose all prespective until it's their turn to bring home some bacon.


For the record, I had Atari 2600, it blew the others out of the water, but compared to today's gaming systems, you can't even use it to hold water for plants.:lol:

 

[TINKERLOR]

MMARTELLI - you don't have kids - enough said!!!

 

[Raven66]

Alot of you are missing the point with the strollers. Its fine if the parent wants to put an 8 year old in a stroller, but that is still rediculous. MAKE THEM WALK!!! for the love of Mickey MK is not a big park. I dont see how you all can justify putting 8 year olds in strollers. let us review: Strollers take up alot of walking space, they hold up lines when parents have to take time folding them and stowing them, its obnoxious to be stuck on a ride like MGM's backlot tour and be sitting next to a stroller. (When I rode it last week I got stuck next to a stoller that kept hitting my legs) Strollers are the biggest pain in the but inside gift shops or restaurants....people there is just not enough space for strollers and people in there...the least you could do is keep the strollers outdoors and walk in with the lazy brat. Strollers are fine for the little ones, but 8 is just crazy. I was so excited by WDW when I was 4 that I would have never wanted to be in a stroller.

What I notice too is that parents love strollers because they can hang all their stuff off of it....lazy!!! I am tired when I get thru with the parks...why cant I be pushed around in a stroller? It will make your kids stronger if you make them walk. you guys make it seem like your making your kids march across the desert or something horrible like that. Its such a death march to be forced to walk thru MK..,Oh My I am a slave of my parents....

People are getting lazier and this is all proof of that. How is it that people of my generation or generations before had no problem walking when they were 8 or younger? I went to a few restaurants out of the parks in Orlando and I saw people park, weel their older children in the stroller 20 ft into the restaurant then all the way to the table...maybe 50 ft in total. You cant have your kid walk from the car into the restaurant? Stop making excuses for the laziness.

I'm going to have to agree with you on this one.:lookaroun I have a 9 yr old and I couldn't imagine pushing her in a stroller. I think after a certain age kids should walk. When we went in Feb. there was kid that was so tall his feet were dragging on the ground. We took our dd for the first time when she was 5. We didn't bring a stroller, but we asked her if she wanted us to rent one and she said that she was too big for a stroller. Now I don't think 5 is that old for one, but 8? C'mon. They are pretty heavy at 8 and all you are doing is tiring yourself out. You will be ready to quit before the kid is.:lol:

 

[Ariellen]

What difference does it make what the age of another Guest's child in a stroller is? It's pretty clear that everyone has different ideas about how old is too old for a stroller. The people on these boards all just seem to want to receive some common courtesy from the other Guests when they visit WDW and understand that it's important to BE courteous of the other Guests, too. Wouldn't we all rather be walking through the park around the considerate stroller-using parent of an 8 year old than the parent who's trying to use his or her 3-year-old's stroller to push other people out of the way?

There's never going to be 100% perfect behavior from every single WDW Guest, but I still think the number of considerate Guests who just want to have a good time is far greater than the number of rude Guests.

 

[TINKERLOR]

Ariellen - RIGHT ON THE MONEY - I couldn't have said it better. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Dwarful]

Oh my poor children must suffer from the utmost of abuse. I am a 30 something stay at home mom. I do not own a cell phone, a dishwasher, a garbage disposal or an automatic garage door opener. My girls are 10 & 6, they have chores..washing dishes (with their bare hands in hot soapy water!), taking out the trash and if we need to make a call when we are out and about..its a pay phone or wait til we get home.

We used to drive from Illinois to California with my parents, grandparents and one cousin. When we got to my dads limit we knew because he said "If I have to tell you one more time to knock it off I will pull this car over and beat you 3 ways...HARD, FAST and CONTINOUSLY and it will be everyone just so I know I got the right kid" that stopped us fast in our tracks! I use the same line with my girls. Never had to hit them, they know when enough is enough.

However, people now adults and kids are not as nice. We have been physically seperated leaving shows, after the parades and exiting rides with high capacity. No matter how many times you tell your child what to do if they get separated it can still be scarey. So if it makes someone feel better to pay their hard earned money to rent a stroller for their child 4 and older then so be it. It makes their vacation less stressful. Why get all worked up about it or call other peoples children names? What does that solve? Just wondering

 

[TINKERLOR]

Dwarful - Exactly!!!!

 

[jozzmenia]

edit, I would like to add that it is definatly the parents, not so much the kids. If my kids can't behave themselves WE LEAVE immediatly. NO questions asked. There is definatly a change in kids behaviors, but it is for the most part the parents, not the kids that cause it. My issue is with the stroller issue....

I'm thinking that many parents would rather deal with bad kids in the park, then waste $240+ dollars on leaving...

I'm 26 no kids. I've seen "big kids" in strollers and thought they were too big for them, but then said to myself "I don't have kids so what do I know?"

Ditto for the behavior thing. I've been annoyed on occasion by rude kids, and given the parents the ol' rolling of the eyes, but then thought "I don't have kids so what do i know?" I just hope my own kids are better behaved.

Man we had a conversation with the cutest and most polite boy in the parks on Saturday. It was like talking to a little adult. Too cute.

 

[Senderella]

Things were a lot different years ago when a kid could walk to the Castle by himself - maybe before the world went crazy and having child abductions every 3 minutes......... do you have kids Sen?? MMARTELLI do you have kids?????

Parents are more concerned about being their kids buddy than being their parent. That's why so many kids are unpleasant now. They're not taught respect for anyone... and few are taught self respect if you consider the way these tweens dress now (and pitching fits in the middle of the stores with mothers who don't assert themselves and allow their kids to get away with it and get what they want in the end). With as quick as you are to jump to the defensive, it makes me wonder why. I wasn't addressing you or your kids directly. Are you are a parent of a child who misbehaves in public to an embarrassing extent? :wave:

 

[jozzmenia]

I am a parent of a 3 year old who has been to Disney twice and will go back again this year. He has his moments as do we all. I actually find there to be more annoying teenagers and young adults, yelling, singing, running,cursing, and dressing as if they are working at a strip club. If you go and look for the bad, you will find it.

I agree. I remember we were sooo happy this weekend in orlando it was like our own happy world. My boyfriend talked about the trip and told people, "All of the children were so happy, not fussing or misbehaving; black, white, and hispanic children were playing by the pool together without a care in the world." It was like he was talking about a utopia and it was reflective of what a good time we had. He was viewing everything with rose-colored glasses. But the few problems I noticed myself were more with adults and teens - like cussing and line jumping and yelling at their kids.

 

[bassman]

Bassman, I spent six months in college in London. I have to say that England is not a very child-friendly country. Maybe because it was London and everyone is in such a hurry to get to some fabulous club/restaurant/theatre that they find the very sight of a child an impedement and get all disgusted. I once saw a man in a restaurant leave his table of trendy friends discussing some deep philosophical topic get up and walk over to a table where two parents were having a hard time getting their children to sit down and eat. The first man started screaming at the parents about "how dare they bring kids to place like this" and "can't you see we're trying to have a civilzed conversation here, man" The parents asked for the check and left! It was like they were ashamed that their kids caused a scene! Unbelievable!?

my god, i cant believe that.i hate those sort of people.

yeah that is true,in london people do rush about a lot and dont really care about children,even their own,much but not all of us are bad there are exeptions,like me.
as soon as i can, i plan on moving to the US, possibly somewhere like florida or california.i know i am british but you americans have such a better lifestyle than we do.

 

[shoppingnut]

MMARTELLI - you don't have kids - enough said!!!

OMG, how dare you assume that just because someone does not have kids they don't know how to handle them or what might be inappropriate in their opinion or how they would handle their child or children they have been with in a similar situation. Just because you have children doesn't make you an authority on them either. Dr. Spok even knew he was not all knowing. An eight year old in a stroller IN MY OPINION is ridiculous, but if you choose to do this, so be it, but don't expect to convince me it is okay. It is this inactivity by kids that has and is making kids in the US some of the most overweight kids in the world.

Behaviour is a big problem with kids today and it is the parents who are at fault because they don't want to deal with it. Suffice it to say, a child should not have to stand at attention every minute of the day or time he/she is in WDW, but there are certain times that manners are required and parents must teach it to their children, otherwise the child will not just come by this on their own. For example, standing in line and not hitting into the person in front or behind you, and if you do to excuse yourself. I can tell you that I have no problem addressing the child myself, because of inaction on the parent's part after a few times, to tell them to please stop hitting into me. I always find it quite funny the look of shock on the child's face when someone they don't know addresses them and they stop. It is usually at this time that the parent will chime in and say honey you shouldn't be hitting into people and need to be careful. I do not allow my niece or nephew to be in other peoples space when we are out and I explain why they need to be careful of it. I also do not let them run amok when they are visiting us at our home, I point out that this is not their home, don't care what they do at their home, but we have rules here like no standing on furniture, being careful of the cats.

 

[Senderella]

OMG, how dare you assume that just because someone does not have kids they don't know how to handle them or what might be inappropriate in their opinion or how they would handle their child or children they have been with in a similar situation. Just because you have children doesn't make you an authority on them either. Dr. Spok even knew he was not all knowing. An eight year old in a stroller IN MY OPINION is ridiculous, but if you choose to do this, so be it, but don't expect to convince me it is okay. It is this inactivity by kids that has and is making kids in the US some of the most overweight kids in the world.

Behaviour is a big problem with kids today and it is the parents who are at fault because they don't want to deal with it. Suffice it to say, a child should not have to stand at attention every minute of the day or time he/she is in WDW, but there are certain times that manners are required and parents must teach it to their children, otherwise the child will not just come by this on their own. For example, standing in line and not hitting into the person in front or behind you, and if you do to excuse yourself. I can tell you that I have no problem addressing the child myself, because of inaction on the parent's part after a few times, to tell them to please stop hitting into me. I always find it quite funny the look of shock on the child's face when someone they don't know addresses them and they stop. It is usually at this time that the parent will chime in and say honey you shouldn't be hitting into people and need to be careful. I do not allow my niece or nephew to be in other peoples space when we are out and I explain why they need to be careful of it. I also do not let them run amok when they are visiting us at our home, I point out that this is not their home, don't care what they do at their home, but we have rules here like no standing on furniture, being careful of the cats.

:sohappy: :sohappy: beautifully said!

 

[jozzmenia]

excuse me but there are alot of great parents out there that have their children in there 20's. Four year olds in strollers isn't rediculous, you are. And, perhaps you get run over by strollers because you are probably one of those people who complain about it loudly enough so the parent who is pushing the stroller hears you. I would run you over too!!!!

I don't know who you think you are, but you need to back off and fast. You were already warned to lay off the stroller issue, now your telling us that people shouldn't have kids until they are in their 30's. Looks to me like you are just looking for an online fight.

:fork:

I don't think it's anything to get angry over. People have their opinions and they're entitled to them. If u think it's ok to put a 12 year old in a stroller, go ahead and do it, if I think 2 year old should be out of the stroller, then I won't put my 2 year old in one. I don't think either of us should be blasted for that opinion.