children on adult's shoulder for fireworks

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Yeah, I agree, not a good thing for people to do. But I've accepted it as a by-product of fireworks shows. Wasn't there a Disneyland commercial at one point that showed a child on a parent's shoulders? It's something people always do at fireworks shows.

I'd say it's equally as annoying as having to show up 3 hours before a show and stake out a spot because everyone else will.

Originally Posted by Prudence

Frankly, when I was very young we didn't stay up that late anyhow. Even though we had to fly in, stay in a hotel, yadda yadda, we still went to bed at an appropriate hour. Maybe we got to stay up a little later for a treat, but we weren't out super late.

Ok, I can't help but have an opinion on this....that totally sucks and I feel sorry for any kid that has something like that imposed on them at Disneyland. It's a vacation! What sort of evil will it do to keep a child up "super late"? Sure, they may end up cranky, but so would the adults. It's no more evil than letting a child eat more sugar than usual, or get a bunch of souveniers, including a balloon that will die at the end of the day or mouse ears that they'll never wear again.

Sorry Pru, that's one of my buttons there.

[Prudence]

Originally Posted by Cadaverous Pallor

Ok, I can't help but have an opinion on this....that totally sucks and I feel sorry for any kid that has something like that imposed on them at Disneyland. It's a vacation! What sort of evil will it do to keep a child up "super late"? Sure, they may end up cranky, but so would the adults. It's no more evil than letting a child eat more sugar than usual, or get a bunch of souveniers, including a balloon that will die at the end of the day or mouse ears that they'll never wear again.

Sorry Pru, that's one of my buttons there.

See, if you're a kid, chances are you won't even know that there IS a fireworks show unless someone tells you. I'm not talking 10 or 11. I'm talking the pre-k crowd -- lightweight enough to sit on shoulders during the fireworks. There's no feeling of loss if there's no knowledge of anything missing. As a kid, I followed my parents' schedule. That meant early to bed, early to rise. And it's not like we went to bed at 7. [Actually, if my dad had his way we *would* have been in bed at 7 -- and up at 4! Better milk those non-existant cows...) But there were rules and we followed them. Now, the one teevee show a week rule was extreme. But not bedtime at that age. Not after a full day at the park with more fun than we could have ever imagined with mickey mouse pancakes and frozen bananas and dole whips and goodies galore.

Although when I was a pre-teen, it *was* cruel and unusual punishment to make me go on the matterhorn with my brother. Ewww! How was I supposed to meet cute guys with my brother along?

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Originally Posted by Prudence

There's no feeling of loss if there's no knowledge of anything missing.

Well, yeah. The child doesn't need to know about anything else fun either....and then you don't even need to take them to Disneyland at all!

As a kid, I followed my parents' schedule.
<snip>
But there were rules and we followed them.

I'm sorry babe, but the idea of rules like these being kept on a vacation....a Disney vacation....it's beyond my ken.

Now, the one teevee show a week rule was extreme. But not bedtime at that age. Not after a full day at the park with more fun than we could have ever imagined with mickey mouse pancakes and frozen bananas and dole whips and goodies galore.

So what's so horrible about staying up late? What damage would it have done to you? Yes, bedtime is important on school nights. But come on, tucking a child into bed before the fireworks even go off, simply because "that's the rule"? That's just sad in my book.

Although when I was a pre-teen, it *was* cruel and unusual punishment to make me go on the matterhorn with my brother. Ewww! How was I supposed to meet cute guys with my brother along?

Ok, everyone knows that's the absolute worst.

[Prudence]

Originally Posted by Cadaverous Pallor

So what's so horrible about staying up late? What damage would it have done to you? Yes, bedtime is important on school nights. But come on, tucking a child into bed before the fireworks even go off, simply because "that's the rule"? That's just sad in my book.

Please criticize my parents some more. Because we all know how awful I turned out.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Originally Posted by Prudence

Please criticize my parents some more. Because we all know how awful I turned out.

Hey, come on, I'm not trying to insult you. I'm sorry if it came out that way. I just want to know the logic behind it. I was (obviously) raised in a totally different environment and it's rather alien to me.

I'm definitely not going to say the lack of rules in my household was perfect parenting...I know my kids will have more rules than I did.

[Prudence]

Originally Posted by Cadaverous Pallor

Hey, come on, I'm not trying to insult you. I'm sorry if it came out that way. I just want to know the logic behind it. I was (obviously) raised in a totally different environment and it's rather alien to me.

I'm definitely not going to say the lack of rules in my household was perfect parenting...I know my kids will have more rules than I did.

Sorry -- I've been the recipient of snide, underhanded, and all around unappreciated comments all week at work (is it really only Tuesday? Because it feels like an eternity) so it's a bit easier to jump to conclusions than usual.

My parents had lots of rules. Way too many rules, I think. But this particular instance wasn't one of them, in my opinion.

We did go to Disneyland twice when I was a kid. The first time I was pretty young and my brother was probably a toddler (we're three years apart) and I remember virtually nothing from that trip. I know it was fun, but really I was too young to care about any specifics. It's not like I wanted to see fireworks and they didn't let me. We just did things my parents considered age appropriate. We were of an age where the memories were more for my parents than us, KWIM? Seriously, do not picture deprived youngsters. If you want to feel sorry for our upbringing, bemoan our lack of Atari.

Now, when we went back a few years later, and both my brother and I were older, my parents went all out to give us a vacation to remember -- because we were old enough that we *would* remember. We stayed at the Disneyland Hotel (which was amazing because my dad barely tolerates vacations, let alone non-bargain chain hotels), watched the fireworks multiple times, and got to ride ALL the rides. My parents even ran with us to see Star Tours and Captain EO first thing in the morning (they were the brand new rides then) although I'm sure they couldn't have cared less about those attractions. My parents went on all the roller coasters with us, even though they hated some of them. And they went on multiple times. I have *lots* of memories of that trip -- fireworks, my mom screaming on Big Thunder, waiting on the hotel's monorail platform -- it was truly magical.

Which is all getting off topic in a big way. But in a way not. If we were at the very very very back of a crowd, my dad might have lifted me up. But we were taught to not inconvenience others. We didn't shout in restaurants, talk in movies, or block other people's fireworks views. And if we weren't of an age to accomplish those things successfully, they were saved for later. And we DID do them later, so we weren't really deprived of anything consequential.

But we did learn that we weren't "owed" anything, including a fireworks view.

Hey -- here's a thought to chew on -- I wonder if those parents who think their kids are entitled to views would have a problem with boyfriends who hoist up their petite girlfriends?

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Originally Posted by Prudence

But we were taught to not inconvenience others. We didn't shout in restaurants, talk in movies, or block other people's fireworks views. And if we weren't of an age to accomplish those things successfully, they were saved for later. And we DID do them later, so we weren't really deprived of anything consequential.

But we did learn that we weren't "owed" anything, including a fireworks view.

This kind of thing is a page right out of my parents' book. We may have been indulged in many ways, but never at the expense of strangers. We NEVER threw tantrums in public and weren't taken places that we couldn't handle. I guess it's just that my parents let us "handle" certain things earlier.

Sorry to have judged your parents so harshly....seems they did right by you. And just for the record, I believe my father wouldn't put us on his shoulders in front of others....I think. I know I wouldn't support that myself, and would go with the "grocery bag" that Flippyshark mentioned.

There, back on topic and everything.