Year of a Million Screams

It’s funny what grabs your attention when you go on vacation. In December of 2008 my wife and I were amazed by the number of ECVs that could be found in the parks at Disney World. In February 2010 something else grabbed our attention. It seemed like every time we turned around there was a kid melting down.

I really think they Give a Day, Get a Day should be replaced with “The Year of a Million Screams.” The meltdown is something that has always amazed me. In many cases meltdowns can be avoided but if parents did that I would have less to write about.

There are two very different types of melt downs. The first is the classic scream as loud as you can / disagree with everything meltdown. These tend to be cause by utter exhaustion. These often happen after 3pm depending on the age of the child. The scene is classic, a screaming kid and a parent who looks half dead carrying / dragging them. These can be avoided by a noontime break / nap. These can also be avoided by not keeping your kid awake for the 9:30pm Hoop Dee Doo or the 9pm La Nouba or ANYTHING that late.

I know this is off subject but – WHY WOULD YOU DRAG A KID TO La Nouba IN THE FIRST PLACE! That is not a kids show. The 9pm show just blows my mind entirely.

The second kind of melt down is the acting out followed by the stern lecture by a parent. This is like a double melt down because both the parent and the kid are melting down. These are some of the funniest melt downs. The canned lecture is awesome. They always include a reference to how the kid is ruining the vacation for someone else and a reference to how much money is being spent. You think I’m kidding? I quote:

“The way you are acting is ruining this vacation for your mother. I spent a lot of money for this vacation and I’m not going to let you ruin it.”

I overheard that by the cash register in the Emporium on Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom.

Another classic is when the parent threatens the child with something ridiculous. I overheard a parent threaten to leave the park and drive home. This was about an hour after the park opened. Kids are not dumb. You need a real threat.

What cause this kind of melt down? There are two things. One is a total lack of ever discipline your child. The other factor having an overly structured vacation that results more attention being given to doing everything than enjoying time with your child. To prevent this take it easy, be flexible, and remember that enjoying what you are doing is better than trying to do everything. If you kid wants to do a ride again, do it again. It’s their vacation too.