I have a 4 year old son and we just arrived home after 5 days at the most magical place in the world. I just wonder what some people are thinking? I saw hundreds of children crying, screaming and just general fit throwing because of them being tired. Why can't parents know their children's limits? My son is not the perfect child but we knew when he was tired and starting to get cranky that it was time to head back to the hotel. I hope that parents that read this will keep that in mind when visiting the parks. It's no fun for the kid if he is miserable and crying.

I think people feel that "they have spent SO much on this vacation, they are gonna squeeze every last ounce of fun out of it, darnit, crying child or not." I think that's a sad way to look at it, but I understand the motivation.

I'm thankful to be in a position where I can just leave before it gets to the breaking point, knowing there will always be another day.

I am with lisap on this one. I can leave when my kids get cranky, luckily though that rarely happens when we are there. If they get tired, they just fall asleep. The only time I usually hear my oldest cry is when we are leaving for the evening! :(

One of my favorite picture at WDW is my 18mt son asleep sprawled out on a bench at Epcot (very uncrowded in Dec) with the space ball and palm trees in the background. It's got to be about quality not just quanity right?. A 2 hour break can save a whole evening. To be honest- I often needed a break as well. My grouchy, short temper when tired had as much to do with a shift in mood of my kids as their own tiredness. I bet many of those kids who are crying have grumpy parents too. Next time we are slowing down or stopping each afternoon.

You know, this isn't exclusive to Disneyland. It happens every where from home to supermarkets and from church to restaurants. It isn't just parents pushing to hard to have fun on a very expensive vacation. Sometimes kids through a fit becuase they aren't getting what they want. Last time I saw a kid through a fit in DLR was at Screamin' when the attendant told the kid he was too short. The father tried to take the kid away, but he was holding the rail and screamin and kicking and making the biggest scene. Some probably assumed he was too tired or was being forced to go on a ride he was afraid of. He REALLY, REALLY wanted to ride, but the CM was not about to break the rules and let him on. Everyone that knew what was going on was heartbroken for the kid. Others we're probably upset at the bad parenting.

We went in March-DD was 17mons. I always bring my own stroller, I bought one from combi because this paticular model (perfect match) has a feature where the footrest comes up. DD was able to sleep fully reclined whenever she wished. It also has extra thick padding, wish I could grab a nap in it!!! Lots of plus's on this one, made the trip very easy. I simply sat and rested myself with a cup of coffee and or snack, while she slept. Or did attractions we wanted to. I always bring this stroller if I'm going to be away from home-base for awhile such as the mall.

I totally agree that some kids behave this way whether they are tired or not, I just saw alot of kids the night of the SpectroMagic parade crying because they didn't want to sit any longer, were tired or hungry. There was a family behind us that had 3 kids all under the age of 4 and they were so miserable, they were crying for food and the oldest one asked her Mommy for a nap. I was appalled when the mother came back with 'supper', a cup full of popcorn and a bottle of water. She made those poor children stick it out while she kept saying "quit whining and enjoy the parade". :crying: Some kids' parents.