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A mother was concerned that she ruined other people’s Disney World vacations by taking her daughter, who reportedly suffers from “brain damage,” to the park.
Credit: Disney
The Walt Disney World Resort is universally agreed upon to be one of the most magical places on the planet. The Central Florida Disney resort has won hearts for its wonderful attractions and rides like Space Mountain in Magic Kingdom or Avatar Flight of Passage in Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Guests have a big responsibility in maintaining the vibe at Disney World. Behaving appropriately is a big part of keeping the magic alive. However, there are times when guests can be accused of “ruining” the vibe unfairly, and reportedly, that was the case with this mother and daughter.
Here’s what happened.
Credit: Brian McGowan, Unsplash
Related: Another Disney Park Engagement Ruined by Loud Guest
Mother Asks “AITA” for Taking Little Girl with Brain Damage to Disney World
A Disney guest took to social media to share her story of taking her young child to Disney World. She explained that her daughter was “born with brain damage” that “causes her to have difficulty understanding a lot of things.” The mother also explained that her toddler can’t talk, and “her only form of communication is screaming/crying.”
Despite this, the daughter has “fallen in love with all things Disney,” and the mother decided to take her to a Disney Park. However, fellow Disney guests were incredibly rude to the pair.
The Disney Store / Credit: Disney
The mother explained,
We’d had people be rude to us and her all day long, mostly little things. A group of teenage girls pointed, laughed, and even took pictures of my daughter as she did her best to eat her lunch. People rolled their eyes at us and made snide comments as she attempted to carry every stuffed Disney toy she saw.
Credit: Disney
Related: Shocking Disney World “Pooping In Line” Trend is Real?!
Worse still, the situation escalated until the mother and daughter had to leave the Disney theme parks. Here’s what happened:
…we were waiting in line for the Toy Story Alien ride. She was able to see the ride from where we were in line, so of course she started getting antsy. I did my best to distract her, but I was failing. She couldn’t wait any longer. When the line wasn’t moving, she started to scream in frustration. I picked her up to comfort her but that made things worse. She started screaming louder and thrashing around.
People were staring and talking about her under their breath. “She needs to control her kid.”
“That’s just ridiculous. Why bring your kid if they act like that?”
Finally someone said, “A swift spanking will fix that.”
I’d had enough and snapped that she had brain damage and she couldn’t help it. I got so upset that we just ended up leaving.
Toy Story Land, Disney’s Hollywood Studios Theme Park, Disney World / Credit: Disney
The upset mother concluded, saying at first she felt like people had been rude, but then she spoke to a friend who said that the daughter had ruined everyone else’s day by screaming, and it was the mother’s fault for taking the young kid in the first place.
This made the mother question if she was actually at fault for taking child to Disney.
In the comments, fellow fans were largely supportive of the mother.
Credit: Disney
One shared,
NTA and when you go again, arrange for the Disney Disability Pass. It will help you cut down on the time spent in the lines that little one has such trouble coping with. And don’t be shy about seeking advice from cast member in guest relations and the Disability Services team. They’re all there to help and have a wealth of knowledge about how to make your visit as easy and enjoyable as possible.
Another also spoke in support of her, “I’m glad you got to take her because it sounds like she did enjoy things. Disney is for everyone.”
“Partners” statue in front of Cinderella Castle, Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park, Walt Disney World Resort / Credit: Disney
However, others thought the mother had been inconsiderate to other guests enjoying a Walt Disney World vacation.
One felt the mother had expectations that were unreasonable,
I do not mean to hurt your feelings. You and your Daughter are not entitled to infinite patience from the general populace simply because she suffers from a condition…People are allowed to be annoyed over negative experiences. Screaming Crying Children can be pretty grating. They shouldn’t lash out at you, but you really can’t expect everyone else to bear the circumstance with a smile.
Credit: Disney
Another guest from a third-world country added what they knew would be an unpopular opinion:
I know my opinion will be very unpopular, but as a person who lives in a third world country and who all my life has dreamed of going to Disney, I would hate that after saving so much my experience is ruined by something like that. I understand it’s not your fault, but your daughter is three years old, she won’t remember this situation when she grows up. Perhaps it would have been better to wait for it to grow a little more.
Credit: Nicholas Fuentes, Unsplash
What do you think of this situation? Do you think the mother is at fault? Let us know in the comments below!
Please note that the story outlined in this article is based on a personal Disney parks guest experience. No two guest experiences are alike, and this article does not necessarily align with Disney Fanatic’s personal views on Disney Park operations.
I’m glad you took her and I hope overall she had a good time! People can be so rude! You were as entitled to be there as anyone else! Bless your sweet, precious daughter! Thank you for being such a good mother!❤️
Where is Disney in this situation? They should have helped them, giving them an special past for all the attractions…
I’m a mom of a brain injured son. It’s not the mom’s fault if she honestly didn’t know how her daughter was going to react since it was her first time. Now she knows and hopefully takes this experience and apply it to future ones. Ie avoid long lines. If extreme crowds set her off, avoid those areas …my son can’t handle Harry Potter at Universal due to some extremely crowded areas. I commend mom for trying to do something nice for her daughter. My personal worst experience was taking our son on a big cruise…he got kicked out of the ship’s camp, wet his bed nightly and was very short tempered on most excursions. We now know it was due to anxiety vof the unknown for him. Us parents of brain injured children have to learn from experience and I apologize if those experiences caused discomfort for others.
I have loved Disney and have been going since the day it opened. I feel the mother had every right to bring her 3 year old to the Magic Kingdom. Yes, I’ve seen many screaming kids throughout the years, but I feel sorry for the parent and always give them a smile of encouragement. Believe me, that parent is not enjoying the screaming either. Parents don’t go to Disney and hope for a rough day, they want to share the magic that I always feel when I go. I too have wanted to scream at the long lines – who hasn’t ? Let’s all be a bit more understanding and stop judging people when we know nothing about their situations.
The pair would have benefitted from a DAS pass, Disney’s current solution for people in their situation. For the people that aren’t understanding, aren’t you lucky for this not being your everyday. Did the mother know exactly how it would go? Probably not. What else compares to a Disney park? If you can’t find a little empathy or consider you don’t know the whole situation, you should probably stay home as Disney does not have a solution at present for a$$ho!es
The mom isnt at fault. She has the right to enjoy the park just like everyone else. I understand that screaming kids annoy some people, but Disney is for everyone. How would you like it if some one told you you dont belong or should come there for something you have no control over? I am a disabled person and have experinced first hand that some guests at the park can be very rude to disabled people. Saying things that they think you dont hear. Dont think they realize how their words effect people. Until you loose your temper and comment back, but maybe not even then. Cast members are good about stepping in when they hear or see this happening. Its bot just comments either, ive seene people block in handicap cars and trailors by parking to close to them or beside them making it hard for wheel chairs or other medical things like a scooter to be loaded up.
There are those who are not like that and are considerate of other people. They offer help and treat people with respect and kindness.
In essances those who are rude and incodsiderate espeacially of disablled people have become the adult version of a playground bully. No one wants bullies around si just home and let everyone else enjoy themselves. Besides those pepple said that mom was wrong and ruining there fun, who says they werent ruing peoples fun with things they were doing or saying? No one is perfect, so no one has the right to judge anyone else. Espeacially if they dont know their story.
Next time see if guest relations can get you into the parks early and let you and your daughter enjoy with less or no other people. Bless you and your family for trying. They don’t realize the expense that you also went through.
so glad you took her and i hope you can do so again in a time that may be more enjoyable for both of you, those guest your concerned about should take a hard look at themselves and to realize Walt Disney’s Ideals that it is a place for everyone not just the selfish.
All things Disney are meant for everyone to enjoy and be apart of. As someone mentioned next get the Disability pass and it will help tremendously. Please do not let the others bring you down. It’s also none of their business that she has a disability. My disability is not seen by the naked I, but when I have a convulsive seizure it then can be seen. Shame on them for judging. Walt Disney would not be happy with those who were disrespectful.
I think that it is great that you took your child to Disney. I have to kids with disabilities and would love to take them. Disney parks we originally made for everybody no matter what the disability or issue or whatever else is going on. He made those parks so that all children can be able to feel like they belong. You just have to ignore the bad apples. Don’t let anybody make you feel like you made the wrong choice you didn’t.
SHE SHOULD HAVE CHECK FOR SPECIAL SERVICE FOR HANDICAPS CHILDREN, DISNEY HAVE SO MANY TO CHOOSE IN THAT WAY EVERYONE EXPERIENCE WILL BE PLEASANT.
As the parent of an Autistic Son,I know this poor Mother’s frustration and pain. My son is 17 and still wears pullups. He’s a very big boy,5’11” 230 pounds. But he is as gentle as a lamb. This little girl,my wonderful son and all children have every right to experience and enjoy Disney Magic. Didn’t their parents teach them its rude to stair. Walk one minute in our shoes
Sorry you don’t get to bring a child regardless of the situation who can do nothing but holler and scream and expect everyone there to show compassion. Disney isn’t the time and place for compassion as many people won’t have another opportunity to enjoy their time. The mother should have made concessions to bring the daughter there when the park is less crowded using the special Disney service for these types of kids. Even though I’m sorry for the unfortunate situation the family is in, it’s doesn’t entitle them to interfere in other people’s enjoyment.