lost child in MK

[mf1972]

was at MK last night for the NSSHP, & a lost child was located by us. she had to be 4-5 at least. nearby family took care of her until staff arrived.
I know DW staff are well trained for this. hoping she was quickly reunited with her family. breaks your heart seeing that.

 

[rsoxguy]

Life provides a constant display of sorrows and joys. I'm sorry to know that a young child was lost, but I'm glad to know that decent people were available to help. I don't really know what else there is to say here.

 

[danyoung56]

Several times I've seen a child freaking out cuz they lost their parents. The proper procedure is to find the nearest cast member, as they are all trained in how to handle the situation. Usually the parents are close and actively looking for the child. Other times the CM will take the child to Guest Services and wait till the parents contact a CM.

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

I don't really know what else there is to say here.

Shouldn't we be wondering how a child of that age was able to wander off from their parents ??

 

[RScottyL]

Shouldn't we be wondering how a child of that age was able to wander off from their parents ??

I agree 100%! Someone that young should be holding their parent's hands!

I am sure it is definitely possible that it could happen, as it is so crowded in there!

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

I am sure it is definitely possible that it could happen

It does, but it's preventable

 

[AndyS2992]

I'm 23 and I got separated and lost from my group to due crowds several times and if that can happen to an adult then I'm sure a child can get easily lost. Though of course I'm sure parents would keep hold/a close eye on a four year more so than on an adult in the group lol

 

[Raineman]

Gotta be careful with this thread-there is a similar thread about a young child that drowned in one of the resort pools, and the thread eventually was locked due to people arguing over whether or not the parents should be held partially responsible, which could apply to a lost child as well.

 

[rsoxguy]

Shouldn't we be wondering how a child of that age was able to wander off from their parents ??

Yes sir, in a larger sense we should be pondering that issue, along with a host of other ills within this world. Discussing it on an internet forum that focuses on Disney World, however, will not gain any of us much beyond the things that I have read here over the years. Posts that include things such as "horrible parents" and "they should have the kids taken away" and "Disney should do more to stop the horrible parents who's kids should be taken away".

I agree that there are a great many things within this world that are horrible, but my means of dealing with them do not include a Disney centered internet forum. It may of some intrinsic or therapeutic value to others, but not me. Hence, my statement.

And yes, we are in agreement that a child that age should not be able to wander off from their parents.

 

[wdwjmp239]

We recently had a scare last year when our son decided to wander off. Thankfully, he didn't get too far (only 5 feet from us), but it doesn't take much to just blink for a second or get distracted by something else for a child to take advantage of that and disappear. Are we bad parents for letting our son wander off 5 feet? I don't think so. It's the nature of the beast when you're in the parks and you have a million things going on at once. But, we got him, put him in his stroller, buckled him in tight, and gave him the biggest guilt trip. Now, when we go to Disney, he holds onto my hand really tight when we're walking around. Sometimes, I'm the parent where my daughter is holding one hand and my son holds the other. It's the ultimate in father/children bonding time. Try it sometime.

 

[Disney4family]

We once lost my dad in the MK. I didn't know it, but he was suffering from Alzheimer's. (My mom kept a lot hidden from us.) I thought he went with my mom to drop off the strollers. My mom thought he stayed with us to go onto Pooh. She was told to go to Guest Services to explain the situation. They told her they only look for lost children. She somehow managed to convince them to help her and he was found.

 

[Mad Stitch]

I saw this happen quite regularly when I was a CM. Parent and child are often not far apart and are reunited quickly. Most of the time the parent was more scared than the child.

 

[wdwjmp239]

I saw this happen quite regularly when I was a CM. Parent and child are often not far apart and are reunited quickly. Most of the time the parent was more scared than the child.

As a parent, I can tell you that it's a real fear. I mean, I've been afraid of stuff before, but when your child goes missing....your world stops. You feel disconnected. When our kid wandered off 5 feet, that 5 feet felt like 5 miles! It's the weirdest (and scariest) feeling.

 

[The Orange Bird]

I worked for Universal for a while and I can tell you that all the parks take this sort of thing very seriously. Several times we called this code and my entire team stopped and was on the lookout for stuff. The few times I was directly involved the child always seemed to be in good spirits and we tracked down parents very quickly. At the moment of incident, the show stops and safety is my primary concern. It is sad that this happens but luckily most of the time all is well in the end.

 

[Minigma]

I was just in Disneyland last week. There, no child is lost - only parents are. I heard a CM telling a little girl "Honey you're not lost, your parents are. I'm taking you to the Lost Parents area" and sure enough there's a sign in front of the fire station on Main Street that says "Lost Parents".

 

[ABQ]

I was just in Disneyland last week. There, no child is lost - only parents are. I heard a CM telling a little girl "Honey you're not lost, your parents are. I'm taking you to the Lost Parents area" and sure enough there's a sign in front of the fire station on Main Street that says "Lost Parents".

Same policy at WDW. Some very old anecdotes in this ancient thread, 2003, from WDW cast members.
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/lost-parents.23847/