This Disney World Guest Has A Message For Parkgoers: “Parent Your Kids!”

If Disney is supposed to be the “happiest place on Earth,” why are children always melting down in a way that is so over the top from a tantrum that would happen at home? There is something about the Disney experience that is so pressure-filled, right? Parents are shelling out a hefty sum, so they want to make the experience as magical and wonderful as possible. This can lead to exhaustion, for parents and kids both.

Beyond the princess meet-and-greets and spontaneous dance numbers, there is tension in the air at Disney parks, especially while waiting in those tedious queues that can last for literally hours. For one mom, she hit a boiling point with another mom, leading to a bigger question: How far is too far when interfering with another parent’s kid’s behavior?

TikTok mom Rachel The Dreamer posted a video on her account asking her followers what they would have done in her situation involving another person’s child who was allegedly acting up at Hollywood Studios in Disney World.

“The week after Christmas, I took my kids to Disney World. Saved up a long time for this trip. My kids are getting old. I wanted to have this memory while I still could,” she began.

“Well, we go to the Star Wars ride, which everybody has to wait a million hours to go, and there’s this little demon child there. And yes, I mean that with sincerity, he was a menace.”

As Rachel waited in the long line along with said “demon child,” she noticed that his parents had given him a toy lightsaber.

“Which I get, when my kids were young, they loved that crap. But [his parents] were not paying any attention, and this kid’s probably like 7, 8 years old, and he kept hitting people. He was swinging it wide. Little man did not give a flip,” she recalled.

She wasn’t super bothered by the kid’s out-of-pocket behavior until he began to swing and hit her kids and herself. That’s when she stepped in and spoke to the child.

She continued, “And I was like, ‘All right, time to put it away, kiddo.’ Yeah, I got on this other person’s kid, and the mom freaked out.”

“And the mom goes, ‘He is fine. We are good. He can do what he wants. He’s not bothering anyone.’ I’m like, ‘Lady, please. Your kid hit me and my kid. Get him under control.’ And she’s like, ‘We’re fine.’”

Things escalated from there with the mother of the lightsaber kid raising her voice and yelling at Rachel, who started to dismiss the situation with a handwave. Soon enough, Disney security arrived on the scene to separate the two families.

“Just parent your kids, y’all. Just parent them,” Rachel begged.

Several TikTok users sided with Rachel, noting that she did the right thing by addressing the seemingly out-of-control boy.

“If someone told my kid to stop I would be mortified because I wasn’t paying attention and I would be apologizing like forever,” one user wrote.

“Took my kids to Disneyland. My 8yo saved up his money for a lightsaber and it stayed in the bag ALL DAY!” another said.

“If you don’t want to parent your kid, don’t get mad when someone else does!🤷🏼‍♀️I’d probably do the same,” another said.

“Yep if my kid was acting unacceptable I would want someone to help correct it,” the OP replied.

Another pointed out that this whole “parents not looking after their kids” thing is all too common at Disney parks.

“This is so many kids at Disney. And the parents don’t care and are rarely paying attention. That’s why Disney has to run a constant recording of ‘Parents please watch your children,’” they wrote.

The response to Rachel’s video made one thing clear: If mom or dad aren’t going to take the time to parent their child, mind their manners, and make sure they’re not disturbing those around them, someone else is going to do it for them.