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Originally Posted By vbdad55 btw - I attended Disneyland in July 1955, one week after opening ( or so I am told- but we do have pictures) - and 1 was 3 months old, and except for getting extremely miffed and cranky when someone tells me I am a selfish parent, I seem to have turned out OK. ( kind of a test of the practice in real life ) -
Originally Posted By Beast77 While I can understand people's concern with a child as young as 1 week at the parks, as I said... I have done it. However, it is a personal choice. I don't think I would have said... gosh, my kid is a week old, lets toss her onto the teacups! But at the same time, I don't judge a parent that goes with a child fresh out. We had a trip planed before my wife got pregnant, and we stuck with the plan. It turned out great. As far as germs go.... with pathogens, you should worry about germ load, not the number of different germs... Your immune system can take millions of different germs on at a time.. it is when it gets nailed intensely by one specific, highly virulent germ that it loses. Grocery stores, daycares -any confined space where a large group of the same people stay for long periods of time without a lot of air movement- is MUCH more dangerous than places like WDW where the people are constantly moving. Even large groups in a small room are constantly rotating so that they are different people... so the germs get changed out. One specific germ doesnt have a chance to just go nuts in one place. Oh yea.... there is quite a bit more opportunity for direct germ contact at the grocery store than at a theme park. Consider shopping carts, refrigerator doors, re-handled products, and infrequent cleaning. When I was born my parents went to Disneyland on the way home from the hospital. It was 2 days after my sisters b-day and they owed her a party. I went to DL pretty much every week for a while after that till my mother went back to work. I turned out fine as well. I also have the immune system of a tank. I thank my parents for that.... I still remember when when my cousin got chicken pox, my parents had my sister and I go stay at his house for the week so that we would get it and get it over with...lol...it worked. At least they have vaccines for that now.
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Originally Posted By vbdad55 If you keep up with the comments on others parenting, someone else will go off on you also. There are criticisms I will take on the board, being to critical of WDW - OK, being too scornful of Pooh's Playspot ( OK even tho I feel that way), or anything like that, when one gets into my ability as a parent, one of the things I take most seriously in this world, and I am going to respond just as I did. This is not the W/E section.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo "This is not the W/E section" Maybe not, but the way this thread is going, maybe it should be.
Originally Posted By NikkiLOVESMickey vbdad, I didn't talk about your ability as a parent, or your taking a three month old to WDW. I was specifically referring to someone who took a WEEK OLD BABY to WDW. The only time I specifically addressed you was when you said taking a child to WDW was the same as taking a child to a theme park. I do think spending eight hours in a theme park with thousands of other people is different then spending an hour or so in the grocery with a hundred people - I don't care if your child is in a stroller or sitting on your shoulders. Germs are airborne, they can get anywhere. I got sick this week with a virus that's been going around work, and no one coughed in my face or breathed directly on me. I'm also not saying that you ignore your older children because you have a baby, but you can't reasonably expect to do all the same things you did with your older kids when you have a week old baby. You're villifying me for having an opinion. I never stated it as fact and never called you or anyone else a bad parent. I said that I thought one act was selfish-and it was the act of someone else, not you. I think taking a WEEK OLD baby to WDW is selfish - sue me for expressing MY OPINION.
Originally Posted By NikkiLOVESMickey <<There are criticisms I will take on the board, being to critical of WDW - OK, being too scornful of Pooh's Playspot ( OK even tho I feel that way), or anything like that, when one gets into my ability as a parent, one of the things I take most seriously in this world, and I am going to respond just as I did. This is not the W/E section.>> I never criticized your ability to parent.
Originally Posted By Coachbagfanatic1 >>We all know that isn't true. Some guy was just arrested here in New Orleans for holding his son's hand to a hot stove to teach him a lesson about burns. Another man up north put his 23 month old daughter outside in the freezing cold because she wouldn't go back to sleep and she froze to death. They think it's ok to raise their child that way, but we all know it's not.<< Nikki - You are correct. I did not mean it that respect but I can see where you would take as such.
Originally Posted By NikkiLOVESMickey I knew that this would be a hot button issue and that I would get a lot of comments about my posts, but I never imagined the reaction that I got from vbdad. Please let me clarify: I never accused anyone on this board of being a bad parent - I don't even know any of you, so I can't even begin to comment on your parenting skills. Someone said they took a week old baby to WDW, and I said the act of taking a week old child to WDW is, in my opinion, selfish. The ACT is selfish - I'm not saying these people regularly put themselves in front of their kids or don't sacrifice for the well-being of their children. I simply stated my opinon of their action in this case. I personally would never take a week old child to WDW. If I had a trip scheduled, I'd postpone it. If I had kids and had a trip scheduled, I'd tell them we'd have to postpone it. I think sometimes you have to disappoint your kids, even though you don't want to do so. If that makes me a bad person, so be it. It wasn't my intention to call anyone out as bad parents, and when I read back over my posts I really don't understand why they came across that way. I wasn't trying to pass judgement on anyone - I stated my opinion about ONE issue, and I got slammed for it by someone I wasn't even referring to.
Originally Posted By beamerdog Although not at WDW, I did exposemy kids when they were quite young to public places. Now in their twenties, one is sick and the other has the immune system of a god. Go figure. That being said, I think that taking a young child is okay if you take things in the child's time and ability. I'd rather not see tiny babies at the parks, but if they are there, people need to be using the Child Pass and not taking the little one on the ride (xpt for things like Small World, etc.) Geez Louise, the poor little thing just went through being born, for goodness sake ;-) Anyway, seriously, I do like the idea of having a day or evening of just adults. <<<ducking the rocks being thrown.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <I never accused anyone on this board of being a bad parent - I don't even know any of you, so I can't even begin to comment on your parenting skills. < If you tell someone they are irreesponsbile or acting selfish in their parenting, is that now a compliment? Others have reacted too, not as strong as I have, but they are telling you the same thing, you just aren't listening. << If I had kids and had a trip scheduled, I'd tell them we'd have to postpone it. I think sometimes you have to disappoint your kids, even though you don't want to do so. If that makes me a bad person, so be it. << here's the difference, no one is telling you you are a bad person or wrong for not taking the older kids- that is your option and choice, however You have chosen to make yourself the authority here and have told those who acted differently than you they are irresponsible or selfish. Quite a difference, and if you can;t see that, I can;t help you
Originally Posted By NikkiLOVESMickey vbdad, I can't do anything else. I'm trying to calm the waters here. I've apologized for you, and anyone else, who took my posts in the wrong way. If you can't understand that and call a truce, then I there's no use. I don't think it's a terrible thing to call someone selfish. I've been selfish when it comes to my nieces and nephews before. I'm not proud of it, but I've done it. I just don't agree with something someone did. I'm not trying to villify anyone. I'm not screaming child abuse or hoping the authorities will come and take this kid away from his/her parents. I just passed a comment. You're ready to hang me up by my toes for it.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <It wasn't my intention to call anyone out as bad parents, and when I read back over my posts I really don't understand why they came across that way. I wasn't trying to pass judgement on anyone < if you tell someone they are acting selfishly - that makes them selfish..not hard to follow. So you DID pass judgement so saying you didn't is innaccurate. If you had said this is what I would do because I believe it to be right - without all the selfish comments and irresponsible comments etc, no one would have cared. As for me slamming you, You told me in effect that germs in a grocery store don't = theme park - even though if you are at home and the child goes to the stores with you, they are exposed to the same things, and are awake more than a few hours a day. Many children are in day care 10 hours a day 6 - 8 weeks old, because their parents have to go back to work. But you paint the parks as some germ bin because it fits the selfishness theme. that is the issue. Then you turn around tell me you are sure I have acted selfishly at some time in raising my kids - ( off topic and personal) and you expect a free pass - sorry, no can do.
Originally Posted By NikkiLOVESMickey BTW-I never called ANYONE irresponsible. Irresponsiblity and selfishness are two VERY different things. Irresponsibility is putting your child in danger. I never said anyone did that.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 Let's get one thing straight: 1/ you did pass judgement by calling acts selfish and irresponsible 2/ this was not passed off as opinion but authoritative finding - even posted examples of real child abuse in the thread to show that those who 'think' they are not doing wrong really are 3/ Are not listening to the fact that most people who have posted saying they took their kids at a young age, also have explained all the changes they made to their trip, time in the parks, baby did not go on rides ( except maybe small world) - were wellprotected from elements / spent a lot of time in resort etc etc..and continued with the 'selfish' theme by saying parents havc eto adjust to being parents and having kids - even when people are telling you they absolutely did adjust. 4/ regardless of how many examples others have given as to how this has not been an issue - still on the selfish theme No one has criticized you for how you want to parent or do things. No one has said you're a bad parent for cancelling your trip so that you can stay home with the newborn, not taking an older kid who may feel neglected or passed by etc etc...only you have passed judegement on others parenting. That is the issue
Originally Posted By NikkiLOVESMickey I wasn't trying to paint you as a bad guy when I said that you had to have done something selfish in regards to your children at one time or another. I was just pointing out the fact that we ALL make mistakes. I've acted selfishly, my parents have acted selfishly - we all have at one time or another. I was making that point because in your post you stated that you sacrificed so much for your children - and I agree, you did - but no one is a perfect parent. If anyone thinks he/she is a perfect parent, then I can guarantee you that there are more problems in his/her house than in anyone else's home. You can commit a selfish act without being a selfish person. One act does not make you a selfish person in the overall scheme of things. I've made my share of mistakes, but I'm not a bad person. I don't think Beast77 is a bad person or a selfish person - I think he/she committed a selfish act. I refuse to speak about this with you anymore, vbdad. You're taking this far more personally than I ever intended. I've apologized and I can do no more.
Originally Posted By NikkiLOVESMickey <<2/ this was not passed off as opinion but authoritative finding - even posted examples of real child abuse in the thread to show that those who 'think' they are not doing wrong really are>> Not fair! I posted those acts in response to someone who said that if people think they're doing the right thing with their kids, they are. We all know that's not always true. I never compared bringing a kid to WDW to child abuse - Kennesaw Tom did, but not me.
