Haha … kid. I have a long list of dislikes…babe, bubba, love. … All yuck .(signed…‘the old bag’. 
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LOL we were in the last row, completely at the back. Other than duct taping my son’s mouth, there is nothing more I could have done. We have told him many times to not talk during shows and as the trip progressed he became better at it but small children get excited and have trouble with that. We are in the process of teaching him. That, as well as millions of other things. Parenting takes many years. That is how kids are. At least 50 other kids (most of whom didn’t even have the translation excuse LOL) were just like him or louder during that show (and during all the other shows we saw throughout the trip). I don’t bring him to Broadway shows, I don’t bring him to the movies unless it’s a matinee and a movie especially for kids, I don’t bring him to fancy restaurants. I hope I can bring him to Disney World without getting yelled and cursed at and without a gag.
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You’re right. It is only that “entitled” something carries an additional negative connotation that I think “earned” removes. If we see others as coming across as “entitled”, there tends to be a negativity there. But recognizing when someone has EARNED that entitlement can, perhaps, help.
I totally agree with you. And I travel with my family of three kids. That really bothered me when I read kids come first. Disney Magic is for every age!
That being said the couple who yelled and cursed obviously handled the situation completely inappropriately. No one here is arguing that point.
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I’ve been reading this thread and find it interesting. I don’t feel too strongly either way, but I think I lean toward the side of everyone should sit and enjoy the show quietly. I haven’t seen it myself (yet!), but I am imagining comparing it to seeing an opera in another language (yeah, I know, not the same caliber, but same idea?). You can usually get the gist of what’s going on, even if you don’t know the actual words being said/sung. Maybe. 
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I was feeling the same way on that point. And maybe the learning take away for the child is that they saw first hand how their actions affect others around them. Then of course in turn they also saw first hand how not to handle a situation when you are frustrated.
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I can understand that adults visit for the imagineering, the atmosphere, the thrill rides etc but I struggle with the idea that adults visit for the dressed up characters, particularly the ‘face’ ones, the plays aimed at pre teens or the swings and slides etc. I appreciate that this may be a controversial view. Just as, for example, V&A and some rides are aimed at people of a certain height/ age, surely some experiences are aimed at young children. Unlike the ‘adult’ experiences, this doesn’t mean that adults are excluded from the ‘children’ experiences, but in the experiences aimed at children, I think the children’s needs should take priority. We have had our chance at childhood… it is time to move along, so to speak.
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While I agree that the people addressing the OP after the show were rude in how they expressed their frustration, I do not agree that Disney is kids first. I have 3 kids and have taken them twice and my husband and I went on our honeymoon (no kids). Adult or Kid, everyone deserves respect. When we go to an amusement park, we try to be aware of others around us and how we are affecting others. We are teaching our children that as well. Are we perfect, no, but we at least try and would expect the same consideration from others.
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I must say I really wasn’t expecting my post to start such a fun and animated discussion. It’s really cool !!! 
Also, I always thought Disney was for children first and foremost but this discussion forced me to think more deeply and I changed my mind to Disney is for everyone equally. However, I think adults should be a bit more flexible since they are, well, adults, and theoretically able of controlling themselves and their emotions better. It is not realistic to expect children to behave perfectly all the time in such an overstimulating environment.
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My family ate at Bon Voyage because I wanted to see Rapunzel and Flynn and I am a 40 year old woman. My family enjoyed the meal as well, but that was one of my “things” during our trip.
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Agree. But these kind of situations are great teachable moments. 
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I agree totally. Have you ever considered why we encourage children, from a very young age to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ for essential food or even water? They need it to live and it isn’t as though a two year old can go shopping, open the fridge, cook for themselves etc. And it wasn’t their choice to be born. If we respect them, why do we teach them to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ for something they need to live? Time for a g and t methinks.
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Absolutely, and we totally used it that way. However, young children are not robots and do not always comply completely and instantly when you teach them something, especially when they are a bit overwhelmed by Disney 
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I agree, we are constantly working with our kids on how they are to act when around other people. Parenting is tough and it doesn’t help when someone is yelling at you about what your child is doing.
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I don’t believe that should mean that kids can behave disrespectfully and be distracting. I know the OP said that he sat in the back and tried to keep the talking to a minimum so maybe he did enough teaching of how to be respectful of others. I’m just a proponent of simple common courtesy and expect it from everyone no matter their age.
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Kids aren’t saying thank you just for getting water or food but for the act that you brought it to them or cooked it for them. They are not entitled (there is that word!) to be served. It is nice to thank the person that served them.
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I’m not really sure where you are going with this statement, so I’m just going to move on.
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Is Disney for children first? Is it for adults first?
No. You all have it wrong. It is for DISNEY first. Their pockets. And so, in order to rake in as much dough as possible, they create experiences for ALL ages. They make experiences adults without children will like. They make experiences that children will like, in spite of the parents. The make experiences that both will enjoy together. They make experiences that NO ONE likes (“It’s a Small World”)…(Okay. kidding about that one. Don’t take me so seriously!)
In the scenario set up by the original poster, I would say this:
- Perhaps it is “rude” or “insensitive” to have your child talk through a performance enough that others are bothered by it. But alas, sometimes we don’t know, or can’t fully control it, etc. In the effort to make the show MOST enjoyable for your child, it DID infringe on the enjoyment of others.
- The person who was bothered had a right to be bothered. But they also should have held their tongue afterwards. Speaking rudely after the fact accomplished nothing. (Well, aside from this forum thread I suppose!) They should have offered grace. Kids are kids, and are “grown-up in training.”
- Overall all, neither side is 100% correct/right nor 100% wrong. And that’s okay. We’re all humans just bumbling through trying to get along.
What would be interesting is if this thread had been created from the OPPOSITE perspective. What if the lady who was bothered (rude) had come to these forums to express how rude and inconsiderate these parents were for talking to their child all the way through the show! We’d probably jump to their defense as well. Why? Because most people have some level of compassion in them enough to see it from different perspectives depending on the situation.
Next time I go to Disney, I fully expect that there will be out of control kids. I expect there will be parents distracted or perhaps even disinterested in their child’s behavior. At the same time, I expect there will be plenty of well-behaved kids that give me no problems whatsoever. I ALSO expect that there will be adults (without kids) who are out of control as well! In the end, we shrug and go, “Oh well,” and then find our way to Space Mountain or whatever.
And if my kids bother you? (Or, more importantly, if I bother you!) Please forgive us ahead of time. We’re all a work in progress.
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Great post ! 
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That post made me smile 
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