Parental Etiquette at a Theme Park

Emiroo, not bad! LOL Although I think we (this DOES include me) need to start getting more action and ride less coasters, or we will continue to see dirty things in coaster pictures everywhere. Ehehehehe...

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Carrie, what's up with the pirate ship??!!

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I have NO IDEA. What's funnier is that this particular kid has ridden the pirate ship before... not this particular one, but one at our county fair, which, I do have to say, was quite a bit smaller. But the action was the same, and he was only two then -- granted an older two, but still probably the only time I've been genuinely scared a child would fall out of an amusement park ride.

Oh, my goodness, Tina -- parents arguing with ride ops about the kids' height restrictions is one of my major pet peeves. When my kids are denied something, I make it a point to tell the ops "thank you" for keeping my kids safe. (Often, this is even as I'm thinking how dumb it is that .25" makes a difference, LOL.) I may not agree with the policies, but I appreciate the spirit behind them... and I'm certainly not going to berate an op who is DOING THEIR JOB.

And, I'm sure if you saw me with C, with her mid meltdown, you'd want to punch me. :) She sure does make a spectacle. I don't want to know what others must think, LOL.

And AMEN to both Brian and Emiroo about ALL parents being the 'bad parent.' Those who truly never do the 'bad' thing, IMO, probably let their kids walk all over them... it all goes back to a) parents afraid someone will call child abuse on them if they discipline their kid, and b) parents who are more interested in being a friend than a parent. The nice thing, for me, about a day at the park, is it allows us to act like friends... but my kids have enough 'parental' respect for me to still follow the rules.

Oh... and I keep meaning to look for that 'view' on the midway. I'm going this weekend, I'll have to try to remember.

If i remeber, it was somwhere in the triangle between Coasters, the Dodgem, and Pagoda gift shop.

You know what though, Carrie? All kids have meltdowns. I'm sure we don't want to smack you (hard anyway...ehehehehehe). It really IS tricky being a parent in this day and age. I don't have children and don't intend to, but the way I was brought up and the way kids today are brought up are so different (and I'm only 29!). My girlfriend had her kids with us but I was driving to do some shopping. Her son was all over the place, ignoring her repeated warnings to behave. We went outside and went to my car, where she proceeded to bend him over and swat him three times on the behind and firmly scold him. There was a couple watching this, and I had a bad feeling about it. Don't you know, the couple called Children and Youth on me, recording my license plate. Children and Youth was baffled because I don't even have any children! I knew what was up though. What my girlfriend did wasn't outside the confines of the law, and still she could have gotten a complaint against her! Plus, had I HAD children, I could have a complaint against me, which would cause me to lose my job! I fear having children not just because of the world out there, but also because I want to raise my kids right and not live in fear of having them taken away if I physically discipline them (although I think spanking is usually not effective anyway). Even if you verbally upbraid kids, you can be charged with abuse! It's gotten really out of hand.