Associated Press: Man accused of videotaping, molesting girl at Disney pool

[Timmay]

Once again we see a mad rush to affix blame on people we feel do not live up to our standards. Incredible how some would jump all over the parents when they know nothing of the situation or events surrounding the incident!

How do you know the parents weren’t distracted by another one of their children who was having a crisis…how do we know this sick man did not know the victim or parents…how do we know anything at all. Assumptions are made left and right about what actually happened, or what is perceived to have happened.

Why does this culture exist?? Why do we want so bad to kick someone when they are already at their lowest point? Why do we assume we are superior?

You sit there wringing your hands, perplexed at how something like this could ever happen, since you surely would never ever let it happen. May God never allow you to be as imperfect as the rest of us.

 

[Figment571]

Hey come on people! Let's not bicker about parenting or how some parents say their child is perfect when it is the opposite and all that jazz. That is bicker that should be on another thread. JEEZ! But for know every parent needs to know to be vigilant when it comes to their child's safety.
I have a sister that is 6 and if anything like that were to ever happen to her I don't know how I could deal with it. So let's let it be. Okay. If you what to bicker about anything it should be how we need to lock up this pervs so they never see the light of day again.

 

[boldlyreal]

this isnt mayberry anymore.

(going into rant mode)
It never was.

I grew up in the 70's in a smallllllllllll town, ran around outside from dawn to dusk, knew all my neighbors and obeyed them, never could imagine locking our house or vehicle. My entire childhood, my neighbor across the street was molesting his step-daughter. She finally found the courage to tell her mother only wasn't believed and instead of him being prosecuted, they sent her away.
How's that for the good old days.

They should take this guy and should cut off his lil lil fellah

I am all for cutting it off, however my husband points out that the sicko will just use something else. so I think we should start branding them right between the eyes with giant R's and then everyone will stay away.

Mom? Dad? Where were you?

As far as the parents not paying attention, I am guilty, my DS who turns 13 in 6 days has been lost more times than I can count at stores, ball fields, airport terminals, and yes even Disneyworld. I let go of his hand and bam he has wondering after a butterfly, or followed the band, or wanted a drink etc. etc. It happens and I am sure those parents are beating themselves up over it.

It says that there are eyewitnesses at the hotel pool that saw him take her behind the bushes and touch her. These people just watched that without trying to stop it? I'll be damned if I saw something like that and did nothing about it.

The observer is as criminal as the molester in my book, unless it was another child. So many times it takes but one small voice of courage to stop injustice. That is what truely enrages me, we have become a society of me thinkers, and so desensitized by the constant stream of horrific behavior that we fail to act, not just out of fear but indifference.

I not only pray for everyone involved, I pray for us all.

(going out of rant mode) whew

 

[zao]

Unfortunately everyones dreams come true at WDW, even disgusting pedophiles, KEEP YOUR CHILDREN WELL WITHIN YOUR SIGHT AT ALL TIMES. Its so terrible that such morbid acts take place even in our beloved Disney world.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Perhaps this thread should be called " Eggs and How to Suck Them - A Guide for Grandmothers"


Whoooossshhhhhh.

 

[doop]

I really hope this sicko gets what he deserves. That really grinds my gears.

 

[scpergj]

I am all for cutting it off, however my husband points out that the sicko will just use something else. so I think we should start branding them right between the eyes with giant R's and then everyone will stay away.

That, and make them ALWAYS wear a sign on their back that says "I'm a convicted child molester. KICK ME!"

The interesting thing is that if he makes it to prison, he probably won't make it out alive. I have family in law enforcement, and they tell me that the regular prison population love to use this type for whatever amusement they can come up with. Either that, or he'll end up in solitary. Either way, it's too good for him.

I"m staying out of the parenting debate...I have two, and have actually almost lost one while looking for the other. Good news was that my wife and I had gone in different directions, and the 'missing' one went with her (I just didn't know). The truth is that there is exactly one person who is responsible for this...the dirtball that did it.

Kevin

 

[sknydave]

I guess your just too sharp for me.

Perhaps thats why your able to judge others via an internet bulletin board.

Correct. Being a bulletin board I can only respond to what you write, which I did.

 

[Laura]

I agree with you that a child should never be out of their parents sight. But can you honestly say that there has never been a time when you got distracted - even for a short time and lost contact with your child(ren)?

I do lose sight of my kids for a minute sometimes, yes, especially in places that are familiar to them where I allow them to roam free (like the playground up the street). Kid's are natural escape artists. But I can assure you I have never and will never lose sight of my kids anywhere near a swimming pool until they are much older. I am so terrified of one of them falling into open water and drowning that anytime a pool or the ocean or any body of water is nearby, I am right on top of them every second.

And you can betcha that especially at Walt Disney World of all places, I do not let either of them out of my sight, especially not long enough for someone to lure them away.

Once again we see a mad rush to affix blame on people we feel do not live up to our standards. Incredible how some would jump all over the parents when they know nothing of the situation or events surrounding the incident!

How do you know the parents weren’t distracted by another one of their children who was having a crisis…how do we know this sick man did not know the victim or parents…how do we know anything at all. Assumptions are made left and right about what actually happened, or what is perceived to have happened.

Why does this culture exist?? Why do we want so bad to kick someone when they are already at their lowest point? Why do we assume we are superior?

You sit there wringing your hands, perplexed at how something like this could ever happen, since you surely would never ever let it happen. May God never allow you to be as imperfect as the rest of us.

I am usually open minded about things, but sometimes you have to learn from other's mistakes. I know I see unsupervised children running loose all the time. THIS is what can happen if you take your eyes off them.

There are many areas where I'm sure my parenting could be criticized, but letting a young child out of my sight in Walt Disney World, near a swimming pool no less, is not one of them. And that is not just MY standard, that is a standard EVERY parent should have, otherwise they're just not thinking straight.

The possible scenarios you listed aren't great excuses. If I'm having a crisis with one child or any kind of major calamity arises that would cause the supervision of my children to be compromised in such a dangerous place (swimming pool for example), the first thing I would do is make sure both my children are within arm's reach before I tend to the crisis. Also your scenario about them knowing the guy doesn't jive with the reports of him sneaking over there from across the street and being a known perv.

It is absolutely 100% the pervert's fault, but parents have a responsibility to protect their children from these situations. Just like if someone is driving recklessly down the street and they run over your child who was running around unsupervised in the road, yes it's the driver's fault, but where were YOU? :shrug:

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Correct. Being a bulletin board I can only respond to what you write, which I did.

With a comment as meaningless and glib as your original post was condescending to the child's parents.

If you dont mind me asking how old are the children you have raised so flawlessly?

 

[AEfx]

It is absolutely 100% the pervert's fault, but parents have a responsibility to protect their children from these situations. Just like if someone is driving recklessly down the street and they run over your child who was running around unsupervised in the road, yes it's the driver's fault, but where were YOU? :shrug:

Laura, you should teach a parenting class.

You are exactly right. There is a balance here.

AEfx

 

[Laura]

I guess your just too sharp for me.

Perhaps thats why your able to judge others via an internet bulletin board.

There is a significant difference between judging someone as a parent and judging a single action.

I feel like I am not crossing any lines by saying that leaving a 6-8 year old child unsupervised near a pool in a place like Disney World for long enough that someone could lure them away is a dangerous thing to do as a parent. I am judging that action in and of itself, and that to me is not a reflection of the parent themselves. It was a single poor choice that led to a tragedy.

It doesn't make them rotten parents, it doesn't make them negligent, it doesn't make them anything except human. But that doesn't mean that we can't say that it is in fact dangerous to let a child of that age be unsupervised at WDW for even a second.

I don't think anyone in this thread has judged how good the girl's parents were, but only judging the dangers of lack of supervision.

 

[Laura]

Laura, you should teach a parenting class.

You are exactly right. There is a balance here.

AEfx

Oh gawd no. I'm terrible at parenting in most aspects. :lol:

 

[ELopez]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems as though no one that actually has a child/children nearly 8 years old has put any blame on the parents for not keeping their eyes on them constantly. If you have multiple children, it really isn't practical.

Running around unsupervised is not okay. But I'll admit that I might let my 8-1/2 year old go to the restroom by herself or with her 7 year old sister, while I watch the 5 year old and 1 year old. Although, I will now be MUCH more cautious and rethink some of my decisions.

The analogy about a child playing in the road and being hit isn't exactly accurate. It isn't the driver's fault at all. But in this case, it is the pedophile's fault - 100%. I hate to say it, but I agree that they are typically not reformable.

 

[AEfx]

Oh gawd no. I'm terrible at parenting in most aspects. :lol:

LOL, but the point is you have the right ideas. I can't comment on your execution much as I've never met you or your family (though over the years it has been fun to get a glimpse of their development, like in your current avatar), but whenever parenting issues come up I can honestly say you are always the voice of reason, and you never fall into that "I have kids that are the center of my world so they should be the center of yours too" trap. Gasp...you actually...take responsibility! LOL.

No one is perfect. God forbid, something like this *could* happen to anyone. But it happens a lot less to people who are active, aware parents. It is easy to judge, and most of us judge too much, but I tell ya, at WDW you see so many examples of what is wrong with the world it is nice to see someone who can offer a balanced view.

AEfx

 

[jmvd20]

I do lose sight of my kids for a minute sometimes, yes, especially in places that are familiar to them where I allow them to roam free (like the playground up the street). Kid's are natural escape artists. But I can assure you I have never and will never lose sight of my kids anywhere near a swimming pool until they are much older. I am so terrified of one of them falling into open water and drowning that anytime a pool or the ocean or any body of water is nearby, I am right on top of them every second.

And you can betcha that especially at Walt Disney World of all places, I do not let either of them out of my sight, especially not long enough for someone to lure them away.

I have read that *most* child abductions, assaults etc... happen at home or close to home. This would mean that the "playground up the street" could be more dangerous than WDW.

As far as asking where were the parents? Well, we don't know, there could have been a million reasons why it happened like it did. You mentioned a child being hit by a car, what if his dad was running around the yard with him playing and tripped - falling to the ground. This could allow the child enough of a head start to get anywhere - is that the parents fault? I know I may be stretching that one a bit but still.

I do not disagree with the way that you feel, part of me feels the same way. I guess I'm just looking at this situation from the standpoint of accidents do happen no matter how hard we try to prevent them. All it takes is just one mistake to allow a person to harm a child - that is what is scary to me. I know for sure I am not perfect in any way - let alone being a father. I have made some mistakes myself already, and unfortunately I know that no matter how hard I try I will make more of them.

You are definitely correct about learning from the mistakes of others. We can only hope that people learn from this so it doesn't happen to another child. For the little girl and her parents, let's just hope that this wasn't as bad as reported and they will all be fine.

 

[iheartdisney91]

disney of all places? i thought nothing like that would happen there. sick scummer!!!

 

[AEfx]

disney of all places? i thought nothing like that would happen there. sick scummer!!!

I think what bothers me the most is that guests seemingly observed this and simply "reported" it.

I'm no hero, but if you read the description of what supposedly happened (this guy had time to touch this child, touch himself, tape it, etc.), if I had been there (or just about anyone I know) that guy would have be smacked into oblivion. Then I'd "report" it, LOL.

But again, none of us were there...but I do find the wording where people supposedly observed all these activities chilling.

AEfx

 

[sknydave]

With a comment as meaningless and glib as your original post was condescending to the child's parents.

If you dont mind me asking how old are the children you have raised so flawlessly?

2 Years old. And he's fine, thanks.

And I don't consider not allowing my child to roam unsupervised as raising them flawlessly. But, whatever you feel will help your argument.

 

[Jose Eber]

To quote WESH:

"Investigators said the 8-year-old had been playing near the pool without her parents' supervision."