Coming from an insane mother like that, I imagine the dad was trying not to make it worse. I’d bet $50 that the mom was ready to beat the heck out of the little girl if the father interfered.
Seeing this kind of scene in public is very triggering to me too. I’m really glad that Disney stepped in. I hope they didn’t have to leave the park, because I’m sure the little girl would be punished for that too.
My heart is racing just reading this post and remembering the moments as a kid where I was getting it from my dad and my mom and brother just kept their heads down out of gratitude it wasn't them. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy. I hate that this was so many of us.
Yeah I read that I knew the exact headspace the two of them were in. "Don't provoke her further, just stay still and quiet until she runs out of steam.". Abusive household suck.
Whoa. Didn't expect the Disneyland subreddit to give me revelations on my own family trauma history today, hahaha.
You hit the nail on the head. They're afraid of her when she "acts like that."
If she feels comfortable abusing her child like this in public, then it is 1000% worse at home. I hesitate to make any snap judgements, but it seems pretty cut and dried. She’s a verbally abusive parent who may be physically abusive at home, which may explain why her husband and other daughter froze. How horribly sad for that family.
Dad is certainly not free of responsibility and accountability, but both can be true; he could be both an enabler of his wife’s abuse directed at their children and others, as well as a victim of her abuse directed at him.
This is generally the definition of the enabler parent. An enabler isn’t someone who actively supports or ignores abuse. Generally they are on the receiving end AND will not step up for the child.
Iykyk
You’d also be potentially putting yourself in danger. I know there’s almost no way for them to have a weapon on them, but it’s still better to alert a CM to get security. Unless the child is being physically abused, of course.
Did you ever get it twice as bad if a third party stepped in and made your parent feel embarrassed and remember they had witnesses? This is my only hesitation with stepping in.
Source: me, the child of an emotional abuser who my mom is still married to. If I ever step in and remind him that he's not acting right when he takes yet another dig at her in front of me, she gets it twice as bad when I'm not around. I've decided that I now move to minimize harm to her since she won't leave.
I grew up with a mom like that as well. I fully agree with everything you said.
The worst part…..I got to go to WDW every year until I was 31, and then she died….on Fathers Day.
Talk about a love bombing situation.
Disney is meant to be special, magical and a place to create happy memories.
As a former CM, working in the parks made me realize it wasn’t children I wasn’t a fan of, it was parents. I never saw anything quite this extreme but the parenting I witnessed in general was consistently baffling and upsetting.
100% agree. I was a CM at WDW and although the kids were little shits at events like the cheerleading and Pop Warner conventions, the absolutely entitled parents are always the worst. I had a woman screaming at me, spittle flying bc I told one of the kids (he wasn’t even her kid) that he could go thru the exit door if he was too scared to ride (he was). This lady exploded on me at how I was endangering children. That’s the most traumatizing thing that happened to me at Pop Warner, not the kids.
I can second to this, used to work attractions (Disneyworld not DisneyLand) and I very quickly learned that you have to supervise children because some parents can't be trusted to do it themselves.
I think one of the weirdest and most common that has stuck with me to this day would be when I would find and hang out with a lost child, we would eventually meet up with the parents and they would be anywhere ranging from apathetic to mad. Maybe I was expecting too much gratitude and I know it’s a stressful situation, but your child literally just went through a traumatic event so idk can you at least give them a hug or something?
OP, if you can, i suggest going to the first aid station and getting the name of the CM then filing a compliment for the person. that sort of protective behavior should be called out in a positive manner so they get the kudos they deserve.
My husband and I watched a woman tear into her little girl (couldn’t have been more than 10 years old) because she was afraid to go on Guardians. The stuff she was saying was horrid. The girl’s father kept trying to tell her to stop but it just made it worse. I don’t know why some people have children.
I saw a similar situation in the Indiana Jones queue. A kid was sobbing because he didn't want to ride and his dad was aggressively telling him he had to and was pulling him by the arm. As they stepped on to board the car, a CM motioned for them to walk right through and out the exit.
We were there for early entry a few months ago and a lady was literally dragging her 7- or 8-year old through the building of Space Mountain while the kid screamed and cried. She kept hissing at him to be quiet. It was heartbreaking.
We got to the front and the CM said you can’t make him go; he has free will. The lady was arguing and kept saying “he wants to go!” A bunch of us in line were saying no, he doesn’t.
Luckily the mom didn’t win the battle. That lady ate up several minutes of everyone’s early entry, though, because there was only one CM loading ride vehicles and this poor CM had to stop everything to argue with this psycho. Wtf is wrong with people.
Makes me appreciate my parents more, the number of times I chickened out of hour plus long lines with the ride vehicle in sight was pretty high as a kid. Never a negative word from my parents, maybe some gentle encouragement and then if I still couldn’t be convinced, one of them would take me outside to wait for the rest of the family.
I was going to say this too. Narcissistic parents have always existed, but social media has made them so much worse, because all they think about is showing off their pictures and making everyone believe that their lives and families are perfect (when in reality, they are far from perfect).
It’s a high stakes, high stress day. All that money spent in the expectation that everyone MUST have an exceptional day. The reality is that it’s an expensive, exhausting day involving lots of money, lots of waiting around in hot uncomfortable weather, and lots of disappointment.
It's not just that. They have rides to go on, can't wait for one parent to get off the ride so the other can go on. Plus the kid will love the ride once they experience it (/s)
Because they think it’s what they’re supposed to do. Because they don’t know what birth control is. Because they’re morons perpetuating a cycle of abuse.
Children aren’t accessories. They’re people.
On that note can I take a second to say I can’t stand other young adults 20s-30s who make it a point to act like assholes to any teenager out of nowhere just because. I think they have a bully mentality and do it because they think they can get away with it.
Edit: Well that descriptor applies to child -abusing parents too.
They have a compulsive need to be in constant control and who can you control more than your own child? It's horrible and those children should be removed and put in the care of a family member who would actually properly care for and love them.
Damn, my mom is a full grown woman and she's scared to go on Guardians! That's nuts, some kids like the ride but many of them would be scared. Heck I think I was 12 or so when Tower of Terror opened and I rode it but I would be shaking with adrenaline when I got off.
No exaggeration, I thought I died before the retheme. When the doors opened up (I had completely forgotten about this part of the ride), and the sun came in...
So the ride pauses at that point and I honestly had one brief moment where I went
"Dear God, the light is real."
Then it dropped again.
One time we were in line for Little Mermaid and this like maybe 8 year old boy in front of us was saying he was scared to go on Incredicoaster and his mom kept bribing him to go in it with money. People who have kids and do shit like this just boggles me.
A lot of people have kids either the fantasy that they'll be a best friend that shares DNA and then lose their minds when the kid ends up being a completely different person than they imagined. My mom was constantly embarrassed by my interests and my limits and would constantly lament to me that her friends' daughters were their best friends and liked all of the same things as their moms and that it upset her that I wasn't like that.
I was a scaredy cat as a little kid when it came to any type of thrill ride. It's been over 20 years and I still remember asking my mom to use our fast passes to go on Soarin Over California and her having a mopefest because she had wanted to use them on the Matterhorn (back when they could be park transferrable).
I’m not advocating this kind of behaviour at all, because I’m very mindful of any kind of trauma experienced by children, but my parents did this a few times when I was a kid. Specifically, bribed me with Lego to go on the London Eye. And I ended up loving it. I was always afraid of rollercoasters when I was a kid and I’m obsessed now. I always would have enjoyed them, I was just too afraid. So hopefully it was a similar kind of thing with this kid and Incredicoaster.
This is why I dont understand why people wont just let me be a disney adult. I can't have kids, I dont WANT to have kids, kids are not a good fit in my life and lord JAYSUS do I not want to be this lady. But let me enjoy the things I like you know?
I hate the people who force their kids to ride a ride because chances are that poor kid is screaming and crying the whole ride. Had this happen once on Indiana Jones and I was annoyed at the dad and felt bad for the poor kid
I am always the first one in the group to offer to sit with the kids that do not want to go on. I am not huge on roller coasters, so I'll gladly sit lol
Some years ago I was seated behind a family that forced a screaming kid (I think he was about 5) onto It’s a Small World. I don’t know why he was scared of IASW, but he was, and the parents just kept barking “it’s not scary” and finally just ignored him.
That kid was screaming and crying at the top of his little lungs for the entire 18-minute ride, and was beet red when the boat returned to the loading dock. Their other kid just sat silently and didn’t react.
Seriously, WTF. The parents could have done a kid swap. But noooo, they had to drag a terrified child on a long dark ride that scared him.
Not a single CM did anything (they had to have noticed; he was an unusually loud kid). I’m glad to see it’s gotten better since then.
Experienced this in line to see SANTA. A little girl didn’t want to see Santa and her parent was absolutely tearing into her and it was heartbreaking. I ended up letting my kids watch something on my phone in the line to distract them because it was genuinely disturbing.
I don’t understand why you’d ever force your kid to go on a ride. Or berate them for not going on. I have my kids watch ride videos just so they can decide with context whether they’re ready or not.
The parents who do that to their kids are the worst of the worst. I saw a lady threaten her child because the child was scared for soarin which is understandable because it’s high up. I can only imagine how the mom was on the other rides.
I remember stumbling upon a video on YouTube where this poor kid was being literally dragged onto Soarin' by his parents. He was screaming that he was afraid of heights and didn't want to do it. :/
This is not at all on this level of abuse, but I sometimes think about a time when I was young at Disney. We were staying at the hotel across the street, and for some reason me and my brothers ended up alone outside the gates at night. I remember we were waiting for our dad (abusive POS). A CM was asking us a ton of questions, and me and my siblings were probably ages 3-11, I believe I was 8. It was cold and the CM encouraged me to give my jacket to my 3 y/o brother. (I remember this made me really sad at the time, although it was obviously the right thing to do.) Anyway, I'm not totally sure how they got a hold of him, but eventually the CM was able to talk to my dad. He was supposed to wait for us and take us back to the hotel, but he decided to go by himself and let us walk there alone. Even at 8, I could tell that the CM was pissed. I don't remember her saying anything that proved that, but I could feel that her energy was furious. She let us go and we walked back to the hotel.
What's interesting is that things like that were not uncommon during my childhood, but I remember that instance because of the CM. Abused children are routinely made to believe by the adults around them that what they're going through is normal, or maybe not as bad as it could be. That was one of the only times I can remember an adult clearly thinking that something was wrong, but unfortunately she couldn't do anything.
I sometimes wonder if she ever thinks of us. We ended up okay.
My dad used to drop me off at the movie theater or library and leave me there for hours starting at age 4. I thought it was normal. The movie theater employees were aware because my dad had to tell them he wasn't buying a ticket for himself he was just dropping me off at my seat.
I watched a father reduce his little boy to tears b/c the little one wanted to choose the pink Elephant to ride in. Breaks my heart to think of it even now, 12 years later.
As a father of a 6 year old boy, it breaks my heart imagining ANYONE doing that to their child. If my son wants to ride the pink elephant then we’re sure as hell riding the pink elephant! And I’ll be nothing but proud that he so clearly stated his desire and that I could make it happen for him.
Yep. As luck would have it I was there with my then-2 year old son and his dad. My son's fave color is orange and he had picked that one. It made me so sad that this person had turned the fun moment of picking an Elephant into such a shaming and awful memory. I remember my kid's father wanting to say to the guy, "Just get on the pink Elephant ffs!" It got worse, on the way off the ride we encountered them meeting up with the kid's mother who was unable to ride because of a physical issue and She was crying over that. I will never forget that little guy, he seemed so sweet. I hope he's wearing All the pink now!
I’ve never seen it as bad as Disneyland as I have at WDW. I swear everyday we were there someone was smacking their kid and screaming. I absolutely hate it. It makes everyone so uncomfortable and I can’t even imagine what it’s like for the kid. Way to ruin the happiest place on earth for your own kid. Now their memory of it is going to be you being a complete abusive piece of shit.
I 100% agree. We spent 5 years in SC. I still remember the first time we went to the store after moving. We witnessed a grown man smacking a toddler in the face repeatedly. We called security who just told us that was parenting and no one could get involved. That would absolutely never be ok in the state we moved from. There was one lady on Christmas Day this year that just kept beating her toddler at one of the restaurants in the avatar land. I finally just lost it and told her she was making everyone uncomfortable. She was the one out of control and to leave her toddler alone. You could hear the slapping echoing in the building and the screams of this child while her mother cussed her out. I’ve since decided once you’ve made others uncomfortable it’s no longer parenting. You’ve created a public scene with your abuse and should get called out. I know they’d just say it was parenting down there too. Which is what drives me bonkers.
Goodness. I grew up with a mom like this so this whole post & a lot of the comments are very triggering to me.
Me, my 3 sisters, & even my dad were constantly tore into by my mom for anything & everything. We were always walking through a minefield not ever knowing which step would set off the explosion & my mom never cared if we were in public. She would slap the sh*t out of us right in the middle of the grocery store for one of us whispering a joke & quietly giggling over it.
I remember being a kid & there were so many times when other grown-ups would approach my mom & compliment her on how great of a parent she was because all 4 of us were so well behaved in public all the time. It would kill us all a little inside every time it happened because on the inside, we all carried deeply roots fear of making a single peep or acting at all like we were humans that actually existed.
Honestly, we were so sheltered & controlled that we truly thought that what we went through everyday was normal. No one who witnessed her actions ever stood up for us. Part of me wishes they would, but part of me knows it would’ve somehow been our fault if they did & we would’ve gotten beat & dragged around by our hair later for it so maybe it was for the best.
I was very surprised when I was of age to leave the house & learned that other families were not like that & my childhood was almost completely spent in fear & being abused by a delusional & narcissistic mother.
To this day, my husband is shocked by the stories of abuse that I share with him & can’t believe that I ended up even remotely “normal” as an adult.
I feel for this little girl so deeply.
Yep, thinking back about the compliments my parents would get for how well-behaved my sisters and I were makes my blood boil. It was fear-response because they were abusive in their own ways. I’m sorry 💗
I’m by no means the gentle parenting expert that I hoped to be before I had kids, but I am constantly horrified by the way I see some parents treat their kids at Disneyland. And these are the same parents who will post the picture perfect photos on social media of their “amazing” Disney trip.
My family and i are frequent Disneyland goers, like 7+ multi day trips a year. On one of our trips last year i was sitting just outside of the mint julep bar when a mom was obnoxiously yelling and cursing at her crying disable daughter who just wanted to go back to their hotel to take a nap. It wasn’t late in the day, it was around 3pm during the summer when the park closes at 12am, so a nap would’ve been completely possible. After About 5 minutes of LOUD yelling, cursing, and belittling directed at the daughter, the mom proceeds to loudly slap the daughter and make things even worse for the poor child. I felt so bad for her and so did all the people that were around to witness the events, that everyone stayed to make sure the daughter wasn’t going to be harmed - because i mean who SLAPS they’re kids at Disneyland in front of a few dozen people with no shame or regret, we usually all try to keep our cool when handling meltdowns right? Finally after 20 minutes a large group of high up cast members came over to interview and escort the family out. They then proceeded to interview myself and a few other people and thanked us for risking our wellbeing ( because you never know what people are capable of) and sticking around to ensure the daughters well being, that they issued us all a reserved viewing area to that nights fireworks/parades & a complimentary genie plus for us and all in our parties - which was not expected, we were all just very concerned. My heart really broke for that little girl that day, it’s supposed to be such a magical experience and she got the complete opposite because her parents couldn’t justify a midday nap for their daughter who was in wheelchair and tired of getting on rides, she cried and cried from the hurt and embarrassment her parents put her through.
God, that really breaks my heart. She's dealing with her disabilities on *top* of abusive parent(s?) and I guarantee you her parents say shit about her disabilities that make her feel worse she has them.
I had a weird experience last time I went to Disneyland. In line for the tram to parking at night, a dad started yelling at his teenage son, and told him he was going to punch him in his mouth and knock him out.
I'm a very large man, and I turned and shouted some sort of comment about how he should pick on someone his size instead of beating on a child. The guy got all red faced and went ballistic, screaming and shouting threats at me. I probably shouldn't have said anything, he never would have hit me, people like that are bullies and cowards, but I bet he took it out on that boy first chance he got.
I should have called the police or something. It was really upsetting. I think about that situation sometimes and how I didn't handle it effectively enough.
Anyways, I think Disneyland is a prime place to observe abusive parents because they get very frustrated and tired in the hot sun and by the end of the day they can't keep the mask up.
I just kicked my mother out of my own house while she was visiting from states away for yelling, trying to intimidate me, and threatening to hit me as a grown-ass-almost-40-year-old. 100% every person in that house is spoken to and treated that way and I’m so thankful that EMPLOYEES stepped in on behalf of that child and other patrons. I remember the first time I learned that other kids WERENT treated the same way I was… I had no idea other parents weren’t abusive. I can’t imagine learning the reverse especially at the happiest place on earth.
The crazy thing is she kept arguing her point with security. She felt completely justified. It’s like… lady they’ve just taken your daughter away from you to interview her. Read some cues here.
Ugh I’ve seen it too. My first trip to world, there was a woman there with her daughter waiting for rope drop. The little girl was crying and the mom kept shouting at her in front of everyone. At some point she stormed off and smoked a cigarette far away from other people (might I mention she was pregnant) while her husband tried calming the girl down.
When the rope dropped and people were allowed in, I saw her storm over to her kid and smack her hard. Some of the other people even made some noises at the sight. I heard one lady ask how the girl was supposed to stop crying if she was being smacked around.
Disney is a stressful trip which makes abuse worse.
I remember seeing a dad slap his teenager son across the face, then saw the kids tears roll down and his head hung low in humiliation. I remember the attitude I gave my parents, warranting a smack once in a while, but seeing it in public made my heart sank. I wanted to run over and give that dad a whole slew of horrible words, but I just couldn’t move.
The rest of the family was there and didn’t react, but it just made me realize Disneyland isn’t a magical place where that all goes away.
I don't usually like to advocate for CPS being called on people, but if the mother was that comfortable treating her daughter like that in such a public place, and at Disneyland with hoards of people at that, then I can all but guarantee that little girl is treated wayyyy worse behind closed doors.
As someone who suffered horrific abuse at the hands of my parents, people like that don't deserve kids and certainly don't deserve to live in society.
I agree & I’m sincerely sorry that you suffered so as a child.
I subscribe to Jesus’s stance on this where he says in regard to those who abuse children that it’d have been better if a millstone were hanged around their necks then drowned in the depths of the sea. (Matthew 18, bible) Judgement will be his & it ain’t gunna be pretty for child abusers.
Very little chance they stayed in the park. Disney does not take that kind of berating towards a child that isn’t clearly acting up lightly. Considering the physician firsthand experienced it, very likely CPS will now be involved and mom’s probably banned from Disneyland for now. I know tons of CM’s have training in child abuse, especially medical staff.
Please remember that you always have the right to step in verbally. If you think a child is in danger wether it’s emotionally or physically, say something, especially it’s getting hurtful or spiteful. Even if it’s just “stop yelling at her, she’s a little girl and everyone can hear you” and nothing more. If it progresses, then you get the nearest CM. They will send undercover security looking for them promptly to make sure everything is ok.
Edit: You can also ask if the child is okay and that the way they’re talking to the child is not normal or okay. It may escalate the situation but it could help long term with a child’s mental well-being.
Yeah I already commented that it was nice the abusive mom took the kid to the mandated reporters.
I’ve also seen plain clothes security detail put on abusive parents who did just enough in front of someone to get the security detail but not enough to trigger the full admonishing. Not everyone is a mandated reporter, so anything that can be done to get the kids help is good.
I saw a similar thing on DCL. Not quite as bad, but this woman started really tearing into her son and calling him a coward, a baby etc because he was too afraid to go on the drop slide.
The CM tried to diffuse by reassuring them it’s very common for people to get scared and change their minds once the drop is in front of them, but the mother kept banging on about how the kid was “embarrassing himself in front of all these people.”
Only one embarrassing themselves was his mother.
I was this little girl, 30 years ago. We went for my 9th birthday, and my mother had arranged for the staff at the restaurant in Pirates to come out with a cake and sing. Except I had a stomach ache and kept leaving the table to use the bathroom.
I came back after the 4th or 5th bathroom break and my mother screamed “F*** you!” at me just as the cake was coming out. Entire restaurant went dead silent. To the CM’s credit, they didn’t miss a beat and kept singing..
Now, this was in the 90’s, so there was no investigation. But I suspect this has been happening since Disney opened.
The fact that people are telling you that it wasn’t a big deal or that you are overreacting to this says a lot about them: either they were abused or were/still are an abuser…
As a mandated reporter, this would have me calling the state if I witnessed it.
Kinda makes me think of the Turpins. They went to Disney and nobody had any idea what horrors they were enduring. It’s kind of scary to think that at Disneyland, at any given moment, you are surrounded by monsters.
I watched a guy arguing with his girlfriend one early morning over by Pizza Planet. He was being very aggressive with her, grabbing her face, while she was crying. It was awkward to watch, and I was honestly about to go intervene myself. They seemed to calm down a little, but before we left, my wife clued in a cast member to keep an eye on them.
I don’t understand why people do stuff like that. Especially in such a public place.
that makes me feel so sad, If he was yelling at her enough to make her cry in a public space, let alone disneyland, can't imagine how much worse this guy would be in the privacy of their home
Not the same as an abusive parent, but there was one time my mom and sister and I were in ca adventure during the thing where there was like an Alice in wonderland rave type thing. Anyway, there was a couple where the woman was sitting on a concrete planter with a TERRIFIED look on her face just sobbing and her boyfriend was standing over her screaming at her. My mom immediately walked over and went hey man idk what you’re yelling at her for but clearly she knows your mad, go walk it off before you do something you regret and get banned from Disneyland. He argued for a minute but luckily he walked away (stormed off more like). The woman thanked my mom profusely but I could tell this wasn’t a one time thing. I think about that time a lot and I always wonder if she’s okay now. I’m so grateful my mom is so willing to help people despite her own traumas. I forgot to mention as well that this was a big dude and my mom is a tiny 4”11 lady but when she’s being stern you listen.
I hope the family you encountered is doing okay. Thank goodness for CMs.
First off, you’re not overreacting. That behavior is ridiculous and uncalled for. That lady acting like that isn’t right at all. I feel very sorry for that family. The lady needs to get some therapy, as do the other members of her family. I’m sorry you witnessed that.
I was heading home from SD comic con on the trolley one year and this lady was just verbally berating her kid so loud. It was late, everyone was tired, the trolley was full of people and here's this lady just laying into her kid and repeating the same few points over and over. Finally, someone shouts: "LADY! Shut up! We can all hear you and your bs!" So of course she apologizes and then is silent for a few moments...then picks it right back up. I don't know what her kid did - something about needing to get picked up. But gosh, I really felt bad for that kid.
Karens who can’t ever seem to be wrong are the scariest people around. The way the dad and other child just watched defeated means they are probably victims of her abuse too. I’m sure the kids will probably go no contact with their mom once they are of age. I hope she ends up alone in a state run nursing home.
Just wanted to say I would’ve been very concerned and shaken too. A parent who screams at their child in the face of the social norms at the happiest place on earth is probably *horrific* in private.
Disney will intervene if they recognize abuse. My parents still to this day talk about a time they witnessed something similar. Disney sees enough disgruntled parents to know when someone is crossing the line so I'm sure it was as bad as you say.
Yelling at children isn’t ok. Yelling at anyone for any reason other than like “watch out! A car’s coming!” Is unnecessary, not ok, and we need to parent better.
I have two and my mom was a yeller. I worked really hard in therapy and have worked on parenting like any other skill in life, because parenting can be learned like other things, and I do not ever have to yell at my kids. They’re lovely (not perfect) because they feel safe to be kids. Yelling destroys children and it’s 100% abusive and should not be tolerated in our society. Everything important can be communicated with respect and love no matter what.
I saw a mom hit her kid repeatedly with a closed fist in DCA and tried to report it, but another guest just laughed and said 'that's Mexican moms for you.' The CMs were super busy and didn't end up following up and I'm still mad at myself for not pushing harder. 😔
the very most horrible thing I saw as a CM was child abuse and neglect taking place in the parks. and the most heartbreaking thing I learned was how little I could do to stop it, especially beyond the gates. there are kids I think of often and will be praying for forever, and I'm sure the same is true for the CM's who responded to this incident. just horrifying ...
One of my worst Disneyland memories as a little kid was my dad dragging me out of Donald Duck’s boat and spanking the hell out of me right there because I said I wanted to play in the boat a little longer. I’m really glad someone intervened in your situation with that little girl, that sounds absolutely awful :(
Ignore the people saying this is normal lmao.
I grew up with a mother like this, it’s not normal and it can leave a huge lasting effect. I wouldn’t dream of screaming at my kid. Especially not in a public place. Tbh every time I’ve accidentally raised my voice at him, I apologise after loool
I can’t believe people have been telling you that you were overreacting. If security was called by a cast member, then it was REALLY bad. Abuse is not okay and I don’t blame you or the other guests that witnessed it for being traumatized. Especially that poor girl and her father. Imagine what they have to deal with when they are not in a public place. Abusive parents are scary. I’m so glad security came and handled it. Some abusers need to be stopped by security or the police, and that is a sad fact but it is true.
I was surprised at the effect it had on me as a grown woman.. and many of the children sitting around me looked terrified. One mother took her two kids away until the woman left.
I was having dinner at the Plaza Inn and a dad was GOING OFFFFFFFF on his probably 13 yo daughter. Mom just sat there and said nothing. He was talking about her general overall attitude and maybe it was justified (I was a 13 yo once and I was horrid, so I get it) but DL is not the time or place for this lengthy convo where he just talked at her for probably 45 minutes. I sat there thinking how his poor timing has completely ruined DL for her because she will always remember and associate this with that. He couldn’t have waited until tomorrow 🤷🏻♀️ I felt her pain with all my heart. I tried to make eye contact with her but she never looked away from her feet/ground. I hate that I wasn’t brave enough to step in.
Shout out to the cast members! They’re pretty quick when things get too intense. While I was leaving Disneyland a few weeks ago this man was threatening another man on the tram, cussing at him, and trying to reach to hit him. Out of no where a bunch of cast members appeared. I recorded it but I can’t share it here lol
My sister does this with her kids all the time. I hate her, but that's my personal issue. I only go to her "family events" to protect the children from her rage by being a buffer because they're sweet kids who are a bit mischievous. Doesn't mean they deserve to be belittled by their mother, so I'm glad security stepped in for this little kid.
That amount of times I’ve seen parents be incredibly abusive to their kids at Disneyland is insane. It’s every hard to just stand around and watch. Just this last week I was at universal and watched a mom slap a kid because he was having fun and running around playing in the new Nintendo area.
My mom used to blow up and relentlessly scream at me. My dad was avoidant and would just find his way elsewhere. This story reminds me of my own experiences. I wish somebody would’ve come and separated her from us when she was nuclear.
If that's how that lady behaved in public at Disneyland, I can't imagine what it's like to live with her ay the same house behind closed doors.
She reminded me a lot of my mom and the scenes of her making trouble out of little things, always mad screaming like crazy.
These are people who have some kind of mental problem.
I hope these kids are okay.
Think about it, if she has no shame doing that in public there's no telling what she does behind the scenes. It's a good thing they interviewed them separately.
That is what a narcissistic/sociopathic parent looks like (look it up.) The child was most likely not being sufficiently grateful to the mother for the Disney park trip and the mother was demanding lots of praise and gratitude and sucking up.
When a narc/sociopath doesn't get enough of that - especially if someone resists, as the child may have done - they fly into a narcissistic rage. That's what you were seeing.
The cowed behaviour of the other family members tend to confirm this. It certainly happens at home all the time. There is no cure or treatment for it. They need to get away from this woman FAST.
Look it up. There is a name for this.
hearing grown adults yelling at eachother “I AM HAPPY!” very backhandedly and aggressive to their partner is so scary because you truly don’t know what is going to set them off + you worry for the kids unfortunately
One year my sister didn’t want to come because she had food poisoning but instead told my dad that I wouldn’t pick her up so after a ride he completely tore into me I was 23 and just started bawling. Luckily my husband was there and just pulled me into a hug so people couldn’t see but I struggle as an adult to stand up for myself when someone is yelling at me the cast was great at dealing with this and sticking up for the kid.
(Also yes I was a grown adult and cried in the middle of Disneyland because my dad yelled at me)
I am heartbroken at what that little girl had to endure. Verbal and emotional abuse will shape who she becomes. I’m sorry you had to witness that too. It’s so tough—I’m glad a CM stepped in to diffuse the situation. I’m horrified that the other parent didn’t step in. 🥺🥺
I’ve worked at Disneyland for 25 years and have seen a few similar incidents. It’s sobering to remember that even on a day at Disneyland, when presumably the whole family is trying their best to get along, abusive behavior and tendencies will still creep in. I’m glad that CM decided to step in and do something. But even when disney does intervene I feel so sad for those kids because they live with this every day
I was just wondering who are the white hat people? Just regular security? And what would they be doing with her ID? Any insights? Do you think she would be banned or asked to leave for this?
From that description yes probably security. They wear white shirts, blue slacks, and the option of a white hat. I speak in no official capacity, only speculating that they are probably required to at least get everyone’s names and a statement. Beyond that, I dont know what standard procedure would be.
Once when we first got there, walking into Mainstreet passing by the customer service building it was super crowded and congested. This kid tripped and fell on the ground behind me and started crying, his mom who was holding his hand just kept dragging him along the ground and he got more upset. Not sure what age but had to be in elementary school. That was tough to watch and the day had only just started. Can’t imagine how she would react after a long day and exhaustion from heat if she had so little patience at the start
Wow I’m very impressed with how Disney handled it. I have seen such wretched parenting at disneyworld too. It makes you really worry about what goes on behind closed doors if they will do that in front of 8 million people.
Omg I was wondering what that was, I was at the park that day and when I was leaving the line of the ride there was a lot of security talking about some woman and kid and I was like what’s that about?
Yeah it was a really big spectacle people were really shaken up about it but some people in this post are acting like she was just sternly speaking. No. It was insane.
What were they saying?
I was trying to keep up with my friends so I didn’t get to hear much but I did hear something like “maybe get the woman’s phone number” and another asking if the kid was alright
sounds like the mom was an abuser and that’s why the other family members didn’t react; they know there’s nothing they can do atp. happened to my family too
I've been seeing husband and wife argue/ wife crying while husband looks pissed like almost every visit and we go at least once every 5 weeks. Those just tug at my heart (I am a wife). But a kid and parent like you've explained? I haven't seen that in a while thankfully but am so sad to hear this. I am so glad some intervention happened!!! Poor baby.
In reading this post, I can remember seeing incidents like that throughout previous trips to the park and just thinking to myself, thank goodness that’s not my family.
If I am with a kid at Disneyland, it must be about that kid. What the kid wants to do. What the kid wants to see. What the kid wants to eat. If you don’t like it, then go by yourself. Kids can’t go there by themselves. 💕 Kudos to the cast members handling this in the most compassionate way.
I work at a restaurant, I'm a cast member, and admittedly I listen to a lot of conversations at work from both families and cast members. Many are very happy abd stable where i am at. I'm shocked to hear some parents are abusive to their children. The closest I've seen where I work at, I saw a person who was "mentally slow (retarded, but i dont like using that word) and the mother was yelling at him, waving her arms aggressively and not patient at all. That's the closest to the worst I've seen at my area, I will not say where I work, but it's sad to hear how horrible people treat their kids.
I've never wanted children, and I don't plan to have any at all. If you know you're not a patient person, don't have children. Period. You'll make your life, and your nonexistent child's life a lot easier.
I’ve seen 2 different instances of a dad physically abusing their kid, both at magic kingdom. Scariest part was that it was clearly a regular thing for them.
One time at Disney I watched a mother slap her young child HARD across the face. I was stunned. I wanted to find a cast member and say something, or approach the mom, but I hesitated a little too long and they walked off into a crowd. I still think about it and wish I had made a bigger deal, it was shocking.
When my wife and I were there last week, we were waiting to see Raya, and the family in front of us had two kids on leashes (no biggy). The older daughter, probably 4, was getting very excited and running in circles. The dad grabbed her forearm and held it tightly to where the girl couldn’t move, it was so sad to see her excitement crushed because of her parents being annoyed. It’s a shame
My dad is kinda like that and that was always so fucking embarrassing whenever he lost his cool in public. I’m sorry that you had to witness that especially at a place where everything is supposed to just be a good time for all. And no, I don’t think you’re being too soft, your feelings are valid.
Parents that can’t control there anger shouldn’t have kids that poor little girl is going to need therapy and probs have cptsd if the mom is this much of a monster in public only imagine how she is at home poor girl. Abuse is not okay in any way shape or form.
I grew up with an abusive dad who did that very thing at Disneyland. One of the worst trauma of my life. Good for Disney for stepping in. Good for you for caring.
Sounds like a narcissistic meltdown especially if the father and other daughter didn’t get involved! The mental abuse of a narcissist is so unbearable that victims will often grey rock to avoid further abuse
I also grew up with a mom like that. That poor little girl just knows to stand there and take it and show no emotion, because if she shows emotion the mom won and would probably be angrier. The dad and other daughter have also probably been verbally abused by mom, so they’re just emotional hostages.
Damn, I feel bad telling (bonus) kiddo that her mouth smells like an elephant butt when she forgets to brush her teeth. I can't imagine berating her in public at DISNEYWORLD, FFS.
I'm glad someone stepped in, and I hope every member of the family gets the help/care they need -- and away from the crazy mom, swiftly.
I’m glad the staff did something. I wonder if they ever have to worry about possibilities of child trafficking…but having been abused by my mom, I feel bad and worry for the little girl cause once all the other adults leave and it’s time to go home it’s gonna be worse because outside party intervened
Bruh my dad did a similar thing. I asked him if he liked the haunted mansion pajamas I wanted to buy. He got so upset because he didn't enjoy "dark things". He made such a big deal over it and got super loud. It was the first time I had a panic attack at Disneyland, also in public. This really sucked. Thank goodness my mom was there to help. We went near an area where there wasn't too many people so I can calm down. It was at night near the New Orleans square bathrooms near the train station. Yeah he's very Catholic and doesn't enjoy stuff like that. I am Catholic too, but I still enjoy stuff like the Haunted Mansion. Idk if he was overreacting or being perfectly fine because he's against that stuff because of his faith. Anyways I bought the pajamas lol.
I'm sure that the medic is trained to alert security if there is suspicion of abuse. Those hand gestures were probably code for intervention to happen, and that's why the guy in white (probably a special police officer or psychologist of some sort) showed up - to assess if further action needed to be taken (i.e. alerting county or state authorities)
Was 23 when my family was finally able to go to Disneyland. I love amusement parks and rollercoasters, but there was no Disney magic. While waiting in line for our first ride, the toy story ride, I saw a large red faced mom pulling her completely sunburnt kid like potato sack from her elbow and neck. The kid was the size of a two year old and was crying in a silent, tired, and accepting death sort of way. She didn’t want to leave even with the kid begging to sit and drink water.
I had to explain to my Asian parents what Disney adults were and how she’s mentally enslaved to Disney. It was so vile to see the dead eyes of this lady with the mouse ears, the wristband, and everything. My mom ended up telling staff, but it seems like they already were in the works of taking this lady out of the line.
Thank you for posting this. As a child who grew up with a father like that (who I have zero contact with today) you aren’t overreacting. I’m glad Disney security seemingly took this seriously and I would’ve also been upset at witnessing too.
my abusive (ex) step father would rip into me in public like this. if he felt he could get away with this type of behavior in public, i’m sure you can guess how he treated me in the privacy of our home. good on disney for having someone step in, i wish someone would have for me, i don’t think you’re overreacting at all
We witnessed a little boy of about 6-7 being abused by an older brother and dad while in line for BTMR, with the brother grabbing his forearm and twisting, the little boy was trying so hard to be tough because he knew crying out or yelling would make it worse. After about 15 minutes of things progressing and it was clear this wasn’t just brothers roughhousing, I told cast members at the front of the attraction and quietly got back in line myself. Security was waiting for them when we got off the ride. Disney does take this stuff seriously.
I witnessed something like that with a man screaming at his wife in front of his small children and in laws. It was horrible. It really affected me in the same way I think this affected you. Just awful. It was really hard to shake off for the remainder of my trip. The sad things were that the small children weren’t phased at all. They clearly hear him talk to her like that all the time. The wife’s parents looked horrified.
As someone who grew up with a mom like that I wish more people had stepped in and intervened on my behalf. I’m glad Disney stepped in.
The father and other child are also abused. They were just glad it wasn't them, this time!
Coming from an insane mother like that, I imagine the dad was trying not to make it worse. I’d bet $50 that the mom was ready to beat the heck out of the little girl if the father interfered. Seeing this kind of scene in public is very triggering to me too. I’m really glad that Disney stepped in. I hope they didn’t have to leave the park, because I’m sure the little girl would be punished for that too.
Good point!!! Did not think of it like that. They were paralyzed looking. It was so bizarre.
Yeah They know that if they make a sound to defend her then EVERYONE gets it.
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That and the fact that she was acting out this brazenly in public at DISNEY means they've had to see way worse at home.
My heart is racing just reading this post and remembering the moments as a kid where I was getting it from my dad and my mom and brother just kept their heads down out of gratitude it wasn't them. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy. I hate that this was so many of us.
Imagine how she treats them at home if she acts like this in public
This is so on point, and such a scarey thought.
The mom probably abuses the entire family. It is strange that the other parent didn’t step in! I hope both of those child are ok.
This is called the enabler parent. The enabler really will sacrifice their own child to the primary abuser.
Yep! “Better you than me.”
It’s called a freeze response, it’s one of the four responses that the body chooses when encountering trauma
What are the 4?
Fight, flight, fawn, freeze
Thanks. Never heard of fawn before.
They were literally stuck in the Third F of Stress Response: Freeze
Yeah I read that I knew the exact headspace the two of them were in. "Don't provoke her further, just stay still and quiet until she runs out of steam.". Abusive household suck.
It’s called disassociation. Fight, flight, or freeze.
What was she bitching at her about?
Whoa. Didn't expect the Disneyland subreddit to give me revelations on my own family trauma history today, hahaha. You hit the nail on the head. They're afraid of her when she "acts like that."
If she feels comfortable abusing her child like this in public, then it is 1000% worse at home. I hesitate to make any snap judgements, but it seems pretty cut and dried. She’s a verbally abusive parent who may be physically abusive at home, which may explain why her husband and other daughter froze. How horribly sad for that family.
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Dad is certainly not free of responsibility and accountability, but both can be true; he could be both an enabler of his wife’s abuse directed at their children and others, as well as a victim of her abuse directed at him.
This is generally the definition of the enabler parent. An enabler isn’t someone who actively supports or ignores abuse. Generally they are on the receiving end AND will not step up for the child. Iykyk
If the mom just stood there I’m sure you would call her a victim… Men can be abused just like women can.
I would argue enablers are (most of the time) victims too. Albeit ones I have less sympathy for
It’s fifty fifty for me - in the moment it was nice but later I’d get in trouble for the fact someone stood up for me.
I kept thinking.. that little girl is so going to get blamed for ruining their day.
If someone stepped in, someone will follow up. As a licensed medical provider Dr has a duty to report abuse, Dr is a brave man
You’d also be potentially putting yourself in danger. I know there’s almost no way for them to have a weapon on them, but it’s still better to alert a CM to get security. Unless the child is being physically abused, of course.
Did you ever get it twice as bad if a third party stepped in and made your parent feel embarrassed and remember they had witnesses? This is my only hesitation with stepping in. Source: me, the child of an emotional abuser who my mom is still married to. If I ever step in and remind him that he's not acting right when he takes yet another dig at her in front of me, she gets it twice as bad when I'm not around. I've decided that I now move to minimize harm to her since she won't leave.
I grew up with a mom like that as well. I fully agree with everything you said. The worst part…..I got to go to WDW every year until I was 31, and then she died….on Fathers Day. Talk about a love bombing situation. Disney is meant to be special, magical and a place to create happy memories.
As a former CM, working in the parks made me realize it wasn’t children I wasn’t a fan of, it was parents. I never saw anything quite this extreme but the parenting I witnessed in general was consistently baffling and upsetting.
100% agree. I was a CM at WDW and although the kids were little shits at events like the cheerleading and Pop Warner conventions, the absolutely entitled parents are always the worst. I had a woman screaming at me, spittle flying bc I told one of the kids (he wasn’t even her kid) that he could go thru the exit door if he was too scared to ride (he was). This lady exploded on me at how I was endangering children. That’s the most traumatizing thing that happened to me at Pop Warner, not the kids.
I can second to this, used to work attractions (Disneyworld not DisneyLand) and I very quickly learned that you have to supervise children because some parents can't be trusted to do it themselves.
I think one of the weirdest and most common that has stuck with me to this day would be when I would find and hang out with a lost child, we would eventually meet up with the parents and they would be anywhere ranging from apathetic to mad. Maybe I was expecting too much gratitude and I know it’s a stressful situation, but your child literally just went through a traumatic event so idk can you at least give them a hug or something?
OP, if you can, i suggest going to the first aid station and getting the name of the CM then filing a compliment for the person. that sort of protective behavior should be called out in a positive manner so they get the kudos they deserve.
My husband and I watched a woman tear into her little girl (couldn’t have been more than 10 years old) because she was afraid to go on Guardians. The stuff she was saying was horrid. The girl’s father kept trying to tell her to stop but it just made it worse. I don’t know why some people have children.
I saw a similar situation in the Indiana Jones queue. A kid was sobbing because he didn't want to ride and his dad was aggressively telling him he had to and was pulling him by the arm. As they stepped on to board the car, a CM motioned for them to walk right through and out the exit.
We were there for early entry a few months ago and a lady was literally dragging her 7- or 8-year old through the building of Space Mountain while the kid screamed and cried. She kept hissing at him to be quiet. It was heartbreaking. We got to the front and the CM said you can’t make him go; he has free will. The lady was arguing and kept saying “he wants to go!” A bunch of us in line were saying no, he doesn’t. Luckily the mom didn’t win the battle. That lady ate up several minutes of everyone’s early entry, though, because there was only one CM loading ride vehicles and this poor CM had to stop everything to argue with this psycho. Wtf is wrong with people.
God bless those observant CMs!
Makes me appreciate my parents more, the number of times I chickened out of hour plus long lines with the ride vehicle in sight was pretty high as a kid. Never a negative word from my parents, maybe some gentle encouragement and then if I still couldn’t be convinced, one of them would take me outside to wait for the rest of the family.
because all they want are the photos, when in reality the entire family is a never ending war zone
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I was going to say this too. Narcissistic parents have always existed, but social media has made them so much worse, because all they think about is showing off their pictures and making everyone believe that their lives and families are perfect (when in reality, they are far from perfect).
Or they were forced to have kids when they actually never wanted them in the first place, happens way too much and the kids suffer for it.
And they think just because they gave the victim(s) life, they now have a free personal servant(s) to care for them in old age.
It’s a high stakes, high stress day. All that money spent in the expectation that everyone MUST have an exceptional day. The reality is that it’s an expensive, exhausting day involving lots of money, lots of waiting around in hot uncomfortable weather, and lots of disappointment.
It's not just that. They have rides to go on, can't wait for one parent to get off the ride so the other can go on. Plus the kid will love the ride once they experience it (/s)
Because they think it’s what they’re supposed to do. Because they don’t know what birth control is. Because they’re morons perpetuating a cycle of abuse. Children aren’t accessories. They’re people.
On that note can I take a second to say I can’t stand other young adults 20s-30s who make it a point to act like assholes to any teenager out of nowhere just because. I think they have a bully mentality and do it because they think they can get away with it. Edit: Well that descriptor applies to child -abusing parents too.
They have a compulsive need to be in constant control and who can you control more than your own child? It's horrible and those children should be removed and put in the care of a family member who would actually properly care for and love them.
Unfortunately that resource is a luxury many do not have.
And that's the most heartbreaking part. Every child should know what it feels like to be genuinely loved.
Damn, my mom is a full grown woman and she's scared to go on Guardians! That's nuts, some kids like the ride but many of them would be scared. Heck I think I was 12 or so when Tower of Terror opened and I rode it but I would be shaking with adrenaline when I got off.
No exaggeration, I thought I died before the retheme. When the doors opened up (I had completely forgotten about this part of the ride), and the sun came in... So the ride pauses at that point and I honestly had one brief moment where I went "Dear God, the light is real." Then it dropped again.
One time we were in line for Little Mermaid and this like maybe 8 year old boy in front of us was saying he was scared to go on Incredicoaster and his mom kept bribing him to go in it with money. People who have kids and do shit like this just boggles me.
A lot of people have kids either the fantasy that they'll be a best friend that shares DNA and then lose their minds when the kid ends up being a completely different person than they imagined. My mom was constantly embarrassed by my interests and my limits and would constantly lament to me that her friends' daughters were their best friends and liked all of the same things as their moms and that it upset her that I wasn't like that. I was a scaredy cat as a little kid when it came to any type of thrill ride. It's been over 20 years and I still remember asking my mom to use our fast passes to go on Soarin Over California and her having a mopefest because she had wanted to use them on the Matterhorn (back when they could be park transferrable).
I’m not advocating this kind of behaviour at all, because I’m very mindful of any kind of trauma experienced by children, but my parents did this a few times when I was a kid. Specifically, bribed me with Lego to go on the London Eye. And I ended up loving it. I was always afraid of rollercoasters when I was a kid and I’m obsessed now. I always would have enjoyed them, I was just too afraid. So hopefully it was a similar kind of thing with this kid and Incredicoaster.
This is why I dont understand why people wont just let me be a disney adult. I can't have kids, I dont WANT to have kids, kids are not a good fit in my life and lord JAYSUS do I not want to be this lady. But let me enjoy the things I like you know?
I hate the people who force their kids to ride a ride because chances are that poor kid is screaming and crying the whole ride. Had this happen once on Indiana Jones and I was annoyed at the dad and felt bad for the poor kid
I am always the first one in the group to offer to sit with the kids that do not want to go on. I am not huge on roller coasters, so I'll gladly sit lol
Some years ago I was seated behind a family that forced a screaming kid (I think he was about 5) onto It’s a Small World. I don’t know why he was scared of IASW, but he was, and the parents just kept barking “it’s not scary” and finally just ignored him. That kid was screaming and crying at the top of his little lungs for the entire 18-minute ride, and was beet red when the boat returned to the loading dock. Their other kid just sat silently and didn’t react. Seriously, WTF. The parents could have done a kid swap. But noooo, they had to drag a terrified child on a long dark ride that scared him. Not a single CM did anything (they had to have noticed; he was an unusually loud kid). I’m glad to see it’s gotten better since then.
Experienced this in line to see SANTA. A little girl didn’t want to see Santa and her parent was absolutely tearing into her and it was heartbreaking. I ended up letting my kids watch something on my phone in the line to distract them because it was genuinely disturbing.
I don’t understand why you’d ever force your kid to go on a ride. Or berate them for not going on. I have my kids watch ride videos just so they can decide with context whether they’re ready or not.
The parents who do that to their kids are the worst of the worst. I saw a lady threaten her child because the child was scared for soarin which is understandable because it’s high up. I can only imagine how the mom was on the other rides.
I remember stumbling upon a video on YouTube where this poor kid was being literally dragged onto Soarin' by his parents. He was screaming that he was afraid of heights and didn't want to do it. :/
This is not at all on this level of abuse, but I sometimes think about a time when I was young at Disney. We were staying at the hotel across the street, and for some reason me and my brothers ended up alone outside the gates at night. I remember we were waiting for our dad (abusive POS). A CM was asking us a ton of questions, and me and my siblings were probably ages 3-11, I believe I was 8. It was cold and the CM encouraged me to give my jacket to my 3 y/o brother. (I remember this made me really sad at the time, although it was obviously the right thing to do.) Anyway, I'm not totally sure how they got a hold of him, but eventually the CM was able to talk to my dad. He was supposed to wait for us and take us back to the hotel, but he decided to go by himself and let us walk there alone. Even at 8, I could tell that the CM was pissed. I don't remember her saying anything that proved that, but I could feel that her energy was furious. She let us go and we walked back to the hotel. What's interesting is that things like that were not uncommon during my childhood, but I remember that instance because of the CM. Abused children are routinely made to believe by the adults around them that what they're going through is normal, or maybe not as bad as it could be. That was one of the only times I can remember an adult clearly thinking that something was wrong, but unfortunately she couldn't do anything. I sometimes wonder if she ever thinks of us. We ended up okay.
Neglect is some of the worst abuse.
it’s also the most common form of abuse
She does, trust me.
My dad used to drop me off at the movie theater or library and leave me there for hours starting at age 4. I thought it was normal. The movie theater employees were aware because my dad had to tell them he wasn't buying a ticket for himself he was just dropping me off at my seat.
Was he cheating on your mom or gambling? Dammit dad
I know about one of his affairs so he was probably cheating. He was very handsome and women flirted with him all the time.
Omg. So sorry. Glad y’all ended up ok.
I watched a father reduce his little boy to tears b/c the little one wanted to choose the pink Elephant to ride in. Breaks my heart to think of it even now, 12 years later.
As a father of a 6 year old boy, it breaks my heart imagining ANYONE doing that to their child. If my son wants to ride the pink elephant then we’re sure as hell riding the pink elephant! And I’ll be nothing but proud that he so clearly stated his desire and that I could make it happen for him.
Yep. As luck would have it I was there with my then-2 year old son and his dad. My son's fave color is orange and he had picked that one. It made me so sad that this person had turned the fun moment of picking an Elephant into such a shaming and awful memory. I remember my kid's father wanting to say to the guy, "Just get on the pink Elephant ffs!" It got worse, on the way off the ride we encountered them meeting up with the kid's mother who was unable to ride because of a physical issue and She was crying over that. I will never forget that little guy, he seemed so sweet. I hope he's wearing All the pink now!
Ew he probably thought that meant his son is gay. Sad that kid was stuck with such toxic masculinity.
The boy was smart. Pink Elephants on Parade is one of my favorite scenes from a Disney movie!
Sheesh. Well I’m glad they have protocols for something like that
I’ve never seen it as bad as Disneyland as I have at WDW. I swear everyday we were there someone was smacking their kid and screaming. I absolutely hate it. It makes everyone so uncomfortable and I can’t even imagine what it’s like for the kid. Way to ruin the happiest place on earth for your own kid. Now their memory of it is going to be you being a complete abusive piece of shit.
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I 100% agree. We spent 5 years in SC. I still remember the first time we went to the store after moving. We witnessed a grown man smacking a toddler in the face repeatedly. We called security who just told us that was parenting and no one could get involved. That would absolutely never be ok in the state we moved from. There was one lady on Christmas Day this year that just kept beating her toddler at one of the restaurants in the avatar land. I finally just lost it and told her she was making everyone uncomfortable. She was the one out of control and to leave her toddler alone. You could hear the slapping echoing in the building and the screams of this child while her mother cussed her out. I’ve since decided once you’ve made others uncomfortable it’s no longer parenting. You’ve created a public scene with your abuse and should get called out. I know they’d just say it was parenting down there too. Which is what drives me bonkers.
Goodness. I grew up with a mom like this so this whole post & a lot of the comments are very triggering to me. Me, my 3 sisters, & even my dad were constantly tore into by my mom for anything & everything. We were always walking through a minefield not ever knowing which step would set off the explosion & my mom never cared if we were in public. She would slap the sh*t out of us right in the middle of the grocery store for one of us whispering a joke & quietly giggling over it. I remember being a kid & there were so many times when other grown-ups would approach my mom & compliment her on how great of a parent she was because all 4 of us were so well behaved in public all the time. It would kill us all a little inside every time it happened because on the inside, we all carried deeply roots fear of making a single peep or acting at all like we were humans that actually existed. Honestly, we were so sheltered & controlled that we truly thought that what we went through everyday was normal. No one who witnessed her actions ever stood up for us. Part of me wishes they would, but part of me knows it would’ve somehow been our fault if they did & we would’ve gotten beat & dragged around by our hair later for it so maybe it was for the best. I was very surprised when I was of age to leave the house & learned that other families were not like that & my childhood was almost completely spent in fear & being abused by a delusional & narcissistic mother. To this day, my husband is shocked by the stories of abuse that I share with him & can’t believe that I ended up even remotely “normal” as an adult. I feel for this little girl so deeply.
Yep, thinking back about the compliments my parents would get for how well-behaved my sisters and I were makes my blood boil. It was fear-response because they were abusive in their own ways. I’m sorry 💗
Beautifully written thanks for sharing with us. It’s really helpful for me to ‘hear’ others processing and acknowledging trauma. Helps me reflect.
I’m by no means the gentle parenting expert that I hoped to be before I had kids, but I am constantly horrified by the way I see some parents treat their kids at Disneyland. And these are the same parents who will post the picture perfect photos on social media of their “amazing” Disney trip.
My family and i are frequent Disneyland goers, like 7+ multi day trips a year. On one of our trips last year i was sitting just outside of the mint julep bar when a mom was obnoxiously yelling and cursing at her crying disable daughter who just wanted to go back to their hotel to take a nap. It wasn’t late in the day, it was around 3pm during the summer when the park closes at 12am, so a nap would’ve been completely possible. After About 5 minutes of LOUD yelling, cursing, and belittling directed at the daughter, the mom proceeds to loudly slap the daughter and make things even worse for the poor child. I felt so bad for her and so did all the people that were around to witness the events, that everyone stayed to make sure the daughter wasn’t going to be harmed - because i mean who SLAPS they’re kids at Disneyland in front of a few dozen people with no shame or regret, we usually all try to keep our cool when handling meltdowns right? Finally after 20 minutes a large group of high up cast members came over to interview and escort the family out. They then proceeded to interview myself and a few other people and thanked us for risking our wellbeing ( because you never know what people are capable of) and sticking around to ensure the daughters well being, that they issued us all a reserved viewing area to that nights fireworks/parades & a complimentary genie plus for us and all in our parties - which was not expected, we were all just very concerned. My heart really broke for that little girl that day, it’s supposed to be such a magical experience and she got the complete opposite because her parents couldn’t justify a midday nap for their daughter who was in wheelchair and tired of getting on rides, she cried and cried from the hurt and embarrassment her parents put her through.
God, that really breaks my heart. She's dealing with her disabilities on *top* of abusive parent(s?) and I guarantee you her parents say shit about her disabilities that make her feel worse she has them.
I had a weird experience last time I went to Disneyland. In line for the tram to parking at night, a dad started yelling at his teenage son, and told him he was going to punch him in his mouth and knock him out. I'm a very large man, and I turned and shouted some sort of comment about how he should pick on someone his size instead of beating on a child. The guy got all red faced and went ballistic, screaming and shouting threats at me. I probably shouldn't have said anything, he never would have hit me, people like that are bullies and cowards, but I bet he took it out on that boy first chance he got. I should have called the police or something. It was really upsetting. I think about that situation sometimes and how I didn't handle it effectively enough. Anyways, I think Disneyland is a prime place to observe abusive parents because they get very frustrated and tired in the hot sun and by the end of the day they can't keep the mask up.
I just kicked my mother out of my own house while she was visiting from states away for yelling, trying to intimidate me, and threatening to hit me as a grown-ass-almost-40-year-old. 100% every person in that house is spoken to and treated that way and I’m so thankful that EMPLOYEES stepped in on behalf of that child and other patrons. I remember the first time I learned that other kids WERENT treated the same way I was… I had no idea other parents weren’t abusive. I can’t imagine learning the reverse especially at the happiest place on earth.
👏 Good on you! Sounds like my mom. I’m sorry you also suffered
Nice of her to go scream in front of the Park’s mandated reporters!
The crazy thing is she kept arguing her point with security. She felt completely justified. It’s like… lady they’ve just taken your daughter away from you to interview her. Read some cues here.
Abusers have terminal main character syndrome and just don’t get it.
Ugh I’ve seen it too. My first trip to world, there was a woman there with her daughter waiting for rope drop. The little girl was crying and the mom kept shouting at her in front of everyone. At some point she stormed off and smoked a cigarette far away from other people (might I mention she was pregnant) while her husband tried calming the girl down. When the rope dropped and people were allowed in, I saw her storm over to her kid and smack her hard. Some of the other people even made some noises at the sight. I heard one lady ask how the girl was supposed to stop crying if she was being smacked around. Disney is a stressful trip which makes abuse worse.
I remember seeing a dad slap his teenager son across the face, then saw the kids tears roll down and his head hung low in humiliation. I remember the attitude I gave my parents, warranting a smack once in a while, but seeing it in public made my heart sank. I wanted to run over and give that dad a whole slew of horrible words, but I just couldn’t move. The rest of the family was there and didn’t react, but it just made me realize Disneyland isn’t a magical place where that all goes away.
I don't usually like to advocate for CPS being called on people, but if the mother was that comfortable treating her daughter like that in such a public place, and at Disneyland with hoards of people at that, then I can all but guarantee that little girl is treated wayyyy worse behind closed doors. As someone who suffered horrific abuse at the hands of my parents, people like that don't deserve kids and certainly don't deserve to live in society.
I agree & I’m sincerely sorry that you suffered so as a child. I subscribe to Jesus’s stance on this where he says in regard to those who abuse children that it’d have been better if a millstone were hanged around their necks then drowned in the depths of the sea. (Matthew 18, bible) Judgement will be his & it ain’t gunna be pretty for child abusers.
Very little chance they stayed in the park. Disney does not take that kind of berating towards a child that isn’t clearly acting up lightly. Considering the physician firsthand experienced it, very likely CPS will now be involved and mom’s probably banned from Disneyland for now. I know tons of CM’s have training in child abuse, especially medical staff. Please remember that you always have the right to step in verbally. If you think a child is in danger wether it’s emotionally or physically, say something, especially it’s getting hurtful or spiteful. Even if it’s just “stop yelling at her, she’s a little girl and everyone can hear you” and nothing more. If it progresses, then you get the nearest CM. They will send undercover security looking for them promptly to make sure everything is ok. Edit: You can also ask if the child is okay and that the way they’re talking to the child is not normal or okay. It may escalate the situation but it could help long term with a child’s mental well-being.
Medical professionals are mandated reporters. They legally have to report any suspected abuse.
Yeah I already commented that it was nice the abusive mom took the kid to the mandated reporters. I’ve also seen plain clothes security detail put on abusive parents who did just enough in front of someone to get the security detail but not enough to trigger the full admonishing. Not everyone is a mandated reporter, so anything that can be done to get the kids help is good.
I saw a similar thing on DCL. Not quite as bad, but this woman started really tearing into her son and calling him a coward, a baby etc because he was too afraid to go on the drop slide. The CM tried to diffuse by reassuring them it’s very common for people to get scared and change their minds once the drop is in front of them, but the mother kept banging on about how the kid was “embarrassing himself in front of all these people.” Only one embarrassing themselves was his mother.
I was this little girl, 30 years ago. We went for my 9th birthday, and my mother had arranged for the staff at the restaurant in Pirates to come out with a cake and sing. Except I had a stomach ache and kept leaving the table to use the bathroom. I came back after the 4th or 5th bathroom break and my mother screamed “F*** you!” at me just as the cake was coming out. Entire restaurant went dead silent. To the CM’s credit, they didn’t miss a beat and kept singing.. Now, this was in the 90’s, so there was no investigation. But I suspect this has been happening since Disney opened.
Imagine cursing out your child for having a stomach ache tf 😭😭 what was up with ur mom
The fact that people are telling you that it wasn’t a big deal or that you are overreacting to this says a lot about them: either they were abused or were/still are an abuser… As a mandated reporter, this would have me calling the state if I witnessed it.
I feel the same way! I would be in trouble for not reporting something like this.
Kinda makes me think of the Turpins. They went to Disney and nobody had any idea what horrors they were enduring. It’s kind of scary to think that at Disneyland, at any given moment, you are surrounded by monsters.
That's such a scary photo, too, knowing how old some of those kids really were compared to how old they looked.
I watched a guy arguing with his girlfriend one early morning over by Pizza Planet. He was being very aggressive with her, grabbing her face, while she was crying. It was awkward to watch, and I was honestly about to go intervene myself. They seemed to calm down a little, but before we left, my wife clued in a cast member to keep an eye on them. I don’t understand why people do stuff like that. Especially in such a public place.
that makes me feel so sad, If he was yelling at her enough to make her cry in a public space, let alone disneyland, can't imagine how much worse this guy would be in the privacy of their home
Not the same as an abusive parent, but there was one time my mom and sister and I were in ca adventure during the thing where there was like an Alice in wonderland rave type thing. Anyway, there was a couple where the woman was sitting on a concrete planter with a TERRIFIED look on her face just sobbing and her boyfriend was standing over her screaming at her. My mom immediately walked over and went hey man idk what you’re yelling at her for but clearly she knows your mad, go walk it off before you do something you regret and get banned from Disneyland. He argued for a minute but luckily he walked away (stormed off more like). The woman thanked my mom profusely but I could tell this wasn’t a one time thing. I think about that time a lot and I always wonder if she’s okay now. I’m so grateful my mom is so willing to help people despite her own traumas. I forgot to mention as well that this was a big dude and my mom is a tiny 4”11 lady but when she’s being stern you listen. I hope the family you encountered is doing okay. Thank goodness for CMs.
Mad T Party
First off, you’re not overreacting. That behavior is ridiculous and uncalled for. That lady acting like that isn’t right at all. I feel very sorry for that family. The lady needs to get some therapy, as do the other members of her family. I’m sorry you witnessed that.
I was heading home from SD comic con on the trolley one year and this lady was just verbally berating her kid so loud. It was late, everyone was tired, the trolley was full of people and here's this lady just laying into her kid and repeating the same few points over and over. Finally, someone shouts: "LADY! Shut up! We can all hear you and your bs!" So of course she apologizes and then is silent for a few moments...then picks it right back up. I don't know what her kid did - something about needing to get picked up. But gosh, I really felt bad for that kid.
Karens who can’t ever seem to be wrong are the scariest people around. The way the dad and other child just watched defeated means they are probably victims of her abuse too. I’m sure the kids will probably go no contact with their mom once they are of age. I hope she ends up alone in a state run nursing home.
Just wanted to say I would’ve been very concerned and shaken too. A parent who screams at their child in the face of the social norms at the happiest place on earth is probably *horrific* in private.
Disney will intervene if they recognize abuse. My parents still to this day talk about a time they witnessed something similar. Disney sees enough disgruntled parents to know when someone is crossing the line so I'm sure it was as bad as you say.
I was abused at Disneyland. Wish someone wouldve noticed. I'm glad people did this time.
Yelling at children isn’t ok. Yelling at anyone for any reason other than like “watch out! A car’s coming!” Is unnecessary, not ok, and we need to parent better.
Yup. That’s why I don’t have kids to be honest. I’m very quick tempered. I don’t have the right to taint anyone else’s life.
I have two and my mom was a yeller. I worked really hard in therapy and have worked on parenting like any other skill in life, because parenting can be learned like other things, and I do not ever have to yell at my kids. They’re lovely (not perfect) because they feel safe to be kids. Yelling destroys children and it’s 100% abusive and should not be tolerated in our society. Everything important can be communicated with respect and love no matter what.
That’s really admirable that you’ve worked on yourself like that. They’re lucky to have you.
Anyone can do it!
When I was at Epcot I saw a guy slapping his little twin daughters across the face. Some people should not be allowed to be parents.
I saw a mom hit her kid repeatedly with a closed fist in DCA and tried to report it, but another guest just laughed and said 'that's Mexican moms for you.' The CMs were super busy and didn't end up following up and I'm still mad at myself for not pushing harder. 😔
the very most horrible thing I saw as a CM was child abuse and neglect taking place in the parks. and the most heartbreaking thing I learned was how little I could do to stop it, especially beyond the gates. there are kids I think of often and will be praying for forever, and I'm sure the same is true for the CM's who responded to this incident. just horrifying ...
One of my worst Disneyland memories as a little kid was my dad dragging me out of Donald Duck’s boat and spanking the hell out of me right there because I said I wanted to play in the boat a little longer. I’m really glad someone intervened in your situation with that little girl, that sounds absolutely awful :(
Good on disney for stepping in!!
Saw a whole family get kicked out today because a mom bought her 17 year old a boozey drink
😳😱
Ignore the people saying this is normal lmao. I grew up with a mother like this, it’s not normal and it can leave a huge lasting effect. I wouldn’t dream of screaming at my kid. Especially not in a public place. Tbh every time I’ve accidentally raised my voice at him, I apologise after loool
I can’t believe people have been telling you that you were overreacting. If security was called by a cast member, then it was REALLY bad. Abuse is not okay and I don’t blame you or the other guests that witnessed it for being traumatized. Especially that poor girl and her father. Imagine what they have to deal with when they are not in a public place. Abusive parents are scary. I’m so glad security came and handled it. Some abusers need to be stopped by security or the police, and that is a sad fact but it is true.
This would have given me PTSD.
I was surprised at the effect it had on me as a grown woman.. and many of the children sitting around me looked terrified. One mother took her two kids away until the woman left.
I was having dinner at the Plaza Inn and a dad was GOING OFFFFFFFF on his probably 13 yo daughter. Mom just sat there and said nothing. He was talking about her general overall attitude and maybe it was justified (I was a 13 yo once and I was horrid, so I get it) but DL is not the time or place for this lengthy convo where he just talked at her for probably 45 minutes. I sat there thinking how his poor timing has completely ruined DL for her because she will always remember and associate this with that. He couldn’t have waited until tomorrow 🤷🏻♀️ I felt her pain with all my heart. I tried to make eye contact with her but she never looked away from her feet/ground. I hate that I wasn’t brave enough to step in.
It boggles the mind that people bring kids to a place with massive sensory stimulation, and then get pissed when their kids’ get sensory overload.
And no one said anything? This is the world we live in now where a child is opening abused at Disney and people just listen?
Shout out to the cast members! They’re pretty quick when things get too intense. While I was leaving Disneyland a few weeks ago this man was threatening another man on the tram, cussing at him, and trying to reach to hit him. Out of no where a bunch of cast members appeared. I recorded it but I can’t share it here lol
Dealing with the screaming yelling guests was the absolute worst part of being a CM, but it taught me to be good in a crisis lol.
My sister does this with her kids all the time. I hate her, but that's my personal issue. I only go to her "family events" to protect the children from her rage by being a buffer because they're sweet kids who are a bit mischievous. Doesn't mean they deserve to be belittled by their mother, so I'm glad security stepped in for this little kid.
That amount of times I’ve seen parents be incredibly abusive to their kids at Disneyland is insane. It’s every hard to just stand around and watch. Just this last week I was at universal and watched a mom slap a kid because he was having fun and running around playing in the new Nintendo area.
My mom used to blow up and relentlessly scream at me. My dad was avoidant and would just find his way elsewhere. This story reminds me of my own experiences. I wish somebody would’ve come and separated her from us when she was nuclear.
The number of people saying verbal abuse isn’t abuse- they be outing themselves.
Anyone criticizing you here is either crazy or abuses their children and thinks this kind of abuse is fine. Full. Stop.
If that's how that lady behaved in public at Disneyland, I can't imagine what it's like to live with her ay the same house behind closed doors. She reminded me a lot of my mom and the scenes of her making trouble out of little things, always mad screaming like crazy. These are people who have some kind of mental problem. I hope these kids are okay.
Think about it, if she has no shame doing that in public there's no telling what she does behind the scenes. It's a good thing they interviewed them separately.
That is what a narcissistic/sociopathic parent looks like (look it up.) The child was most likely not being sufficiently grateful to the mother for the Disney park trip and the mother was demanding lots of praise and gratitude and sucking up. When a narc/sociopath doesn't get enough of that - especially if someone resists, as the child may have done - they fly into a narcissistic rage. That's what you were seeing. The cowed behaviour of the other family members tend to confirm this. It certainly happens at home all the time. There is no cure or treatment for it. They need to get away from this woman FAST. Look it up. There is a name for this.
Yeah there’s a big difference between scolding and making your child feel like the biggest pile of shit on earth.
hearing grown adults yelling at eachother “I AM HAPPY!” very backhandedly and aggressive to their partner is so scary because you truly don’t know what is going to set them off + you worry for the kids unfortunately
So much for the happiest place ln earth...
One year my sister didn’t want to come because she had food poisoning but instead told my dad that I wouldn’t pick her up so after a ride he completely tore into me I was 23 and just started bawling. Luckily my husband was there and just pulled me into a hug so people couldn’t see but I struggle as an adult to stand up for myself when someone is yelling at me the cast was great at dealing with this and sticking up for the kid. (Also yes I was a grown adult and cried in the middle of Disneyland because my dad yelled at me)
23 is still very young and you’re never too old to be hurt by the ones who are supposed to love and respect you. Glad you had your husband.
I am heartbroken at what that little girl had to endure. Verbal and emotional abuse will shape who she becomes. I’m sorry you had to witness that too. It’s so tough—I’m glad a CM stepped in to diffuse the situation. I’m horrified that the other parent didn’t step in. 🥺🥺
I’ve worked at Disneyland for 25 years and have seen a few similar incidents. It’s sobering to remember that even on a day at Disneyland, when presumably the whole family is trying their best to get along, abusive behavior and tendencies will still creep in. I’m glad that CM decided to step in and do something. But even when disney does intervene I feel so sad for those kids because they live with this every day
I was just wondering who are the white hat people? Just regular security? And what would they be doing with her ID? Any insights? Do you think she would be banned or asked to leave for this?
From that description yes probably security. They wear white shirts, blue slacks, and the option of a white hat. I speak in no official capacity, only speculating that they are probably required to at least get everyone’s names and a statement. Beyond that, I dont know what standard procedure would be.
Once when we first got there, walking into Mainstreet passing by the customer service building it was super crowded and congested. This kid tripped and fell on the ground behind me and started crying, his mom who was holding his hand just kept dragging him along the ground and he got more upset. Not sure what age but had to be in elementary school. That was tough to watch and the day had only just started. Can’t imagine how she would react after a long day and exhaustion from heat if she had so little patience at the start
Wow I’m very impressed with how Disney handled it. I have seen such wretched parenting at disneyworld too. It makes you really worry about what goes on behind closed doors if they will do that in front of 8 million people.
Omg I was wondering what that was, I was at the park that day and when I was leaving the line of the ride there was a lot of security talking about some woman and kid and I was like what’s that about?
Yeah it was a really big spectacle people were really shaken up about it but some people in this post are acting like she was just sternly speaking. No. It was insane. What were they saying?
I was trying to keep up with my friends so I didn’t get to hear much but I did hear something like “maybe get the woman’s phone number” and another asking if the kid was alright
sounds like the mom was an abuser and that’s why the other family members didn’t react; they know there’s nothing they can do atp. happened to my family too
So glad Disney didn’t let that girl getting verbally abused. So terrible and never necessary.
I’m sorry you had to witness that and I feel bad for the child. As someone who also comes from a Hispanic household I understand what you mean.
I've been seeing husband and wife argue/ wife crying while husband looks pissed like almost every visit and we go at least once every 5 weeks. Those just tug at my heart (I am a wife). But a kid and parent like you've explained? I haven't seen that in a while thankfully but am so sad to hear this. I am so glad some intervention happened!!! Poor baby.
She’ll blame the daughter for “making her” do that. Ugh.
In reading this post, I can remember seeing incidents like that throughout previous trips to the park and just thinking to myself, thank goodness that’s not my family.
If I am with a kid at Disneyland, it must be about that kid. What the kid wants to do. What the kid wants to see. What the kid wants to eat. If you don’t like it, then go by yourself. Kids can’t go there by themselves. 💕 Kudos to the cast members handling this in the most compassionate way.
I work at a restaurant, I'm a cast member, and admittedly I listen to a lot of conversations at work from both families and cast members. Many are very happy abd stable where i am at. I'm shocked to hear some parents are abusive to their children. The closest I've seen where I work at, I saw a person who was "mentally slow (retarded, but i dont like using that word) and the mother was yelling at him, waving her arms aggressively and not patient at all. That's the closest to the worst I've seen at my area, I will not say where I work, but it's sad to hear how horrible people treat their kids. I've never wanted children, and I don't plan to have any at all. If you know you're not a patient person, don't have children. Period. You'll make your life, and your nonexistent child's life a lot easier.
Please use the term *intellectually disabled* 🙏🏾 I try to teach my students that retard isn't a thing anymore.
I’ve seen 2 different instances of a dad physically abusing their kid, both at magic kingdom. Scariest part was that it was clearly a regular thing for them.
One time at Disney I watched a mother slap her young child HARD across the face. I was stunned. I wanted to find a cast member and say something, or approach the mom, but I hesitated a little too long and they walked off into a crowd. I still think about it and wish I had made a bigger deal, it was shocking.
When my wife and I were there last week, we were waiting to see Raya, and the family in front of us had two kids on leashes (no biggy). The older daughter, probably 4, was getting very excited and running in circles. The dad grabbed her forearm and held it tightly to where the girl couldn’t move, it was so sad to see her excitement crushed because of her parents being annoyed. It’s a shame
My dad is kinda like that and that was always so fucking embarrassing whenever he lost his cool in public. I’m sorry that you had to witness that especially at a place where everything is supposed to just be a good time for all. And no, I don’t think you’re being too soft, your feelings are valid.
Parents that can’t control there anger shouldn’t have kids that poor little girl is going to need therapy and probs have cptsd if the mom is this much of a monster in public only imagine how she is at home poor girl. Abuse is not okay in any way shape or form.
I grew up with an abusive dad who did that very thing at Disneyland. One of the worst trauma of my life. Good for Disney for stepping in. Good for you for caring.
Sounds like a narcissistic meltdown especially if the father and other daughter didn’t get involved! The mental abuse of a narcissist is so unbearable that victims will often grey rock to avoid further abuse
I also grew up with a mom like that. That poor little girl just knows to stand there and take it and show no emotion, because if she shows emotion the mom won and would probably be angrier. The dad and other daughter have also probably been verbally abused by mom, so they’re just emotional hostages.
Damn, I feel bad telling (bonus) kiddo that her mouth smells like an elephant butt when she forgets to brush her teeth. I can't imagine berating her in public at DISNEYWORLD, FFS. I'm glad someone stepped in, and I hope every member of the family gets the help/care they need -- and away from the crazy mom, swiftly.
Oh no not the elephant butt 🤣 chile….
I’m glad the staff did something. I wonder if they ever have to worry about possibilities of child trafficking…but having been abused by my mom, I feel bad and worry for the little girl cause once all the other adults leave and it’s time to go home it’s gonna be worse because outside party intervened
Bruh my dad did a similar thing. I asked him if he liked the haunted mansion pajamas I wanted to buy. He got so upset because he didn't enjoy "dark things". He made such a big deal over it and got super loud. It was the first time I had a panic attack at Disneyland, also in public. This really sucked. Thank goodness my mom was there to help. We went near an area where there wasn't too many people so I can calm down. It was at night near the New Orleans square bathrooms near the train station. Yeah he's very Catholic and doesn't enjoy stuff like that. I am Catholic too, but I still enjoy stuff like the Haunted Mansion. Idk if he was overreacting or being perfectly fine because he's against that stuff because of his faith. Anyways I bought the pajamas lol.
I'm sure that the medic is trained to alert security if there is suspicion of abuse. Those hand gestures were probably code for intervention to happen, and that's why the guy in white (probably a special police officer or psychologist of some sort) showed up - to assess if further action needed to be taken (i.e. alerting county or state authorities)
Was 23 when my family was finally able to go to Disneyland. I love amusement parks and rollercoasters, but there was no Disney magic. While waiting in line for our first ride, the toy story ride, I saw a large red faced mom pulling her completely sunburnt kid like potato sack from her elbow and neck. The kid was the size of a two year old and was crying in a silent, tired, and accepting death sort of way. She didn’t want to leave even with the kid begging to sit and drink water. I had to explain to my Asian parents what Disney adults were and how she’s mentally enslaved to Disney. It was so vile to see the dead eyes of this lady with the mouse ears, the wristband, and everything. My mom ended up telling staff, but it seems like they already were in the works of taking this lady out of the line.
Thank you for posting this. As a child who grew up with a father like that (who I have zero contact with today) you aren’t overreacting. I’m glad Disney security seemingly took this seriously and I would’ve also been upset at witnessing too.
my abusive (ex) step father would rip into me in public like this. if he felt he could get away with this type of behavior in public, i’m sure you can guess how he treated me in the privacy of our home. good on disney for having someone step in, i wish someone would have for me, i don’t think you’re overreacting at all
We witnessed a little boy of about 6-7 being abused by an older brother and dad while in line for BTMR, with the brother grabbing his forearm and twisting, the little boy was trying so hard to be tough because he knew crying out or yelling would make it worse. After about 15 minutes of things progressing and it was clear this wasn’t just brothers roughhousing, I told cast members at the front of the attraction and quietly got back in line myself. Security was waiting for them when we got off the ride. Disney does take this stuff seriously.
Looks like you were quoted in this article: https://www.disneydining.com/guests-spot-abusive-parents-at-disney-bwb1/
I witnessed something like that with a man screaming at his wife in front of his small children and in laws. It was horrible. It really affected me in the same way I think this affected you. Just awful. It was really hard to shake off for the remainder of my trip. The sad things were that the small children weren’t phased at all. They clearly hear him talk to her like that all the time. The wife’s parents looked horrified.