The #FatChick Celebrates Another Birthday and Discovers Parents Who Use Strollers as Weapons #aging #MyWANA

I'm BAAAAACK!!!

Yesterday was my birthday and the official end of the surprise celebration my hubby planned for me. He took me to Disneyland. That's right. It's one of my favorite places on the planet second only to VEGAS. In fact, Vegas is the Adult Disneyland. It's why I put both locations in my first book For the Love of Quinn. 

I love all things Disney...except those high tech weapons all parents come armed to the teeth with...strollers.

I'm not talking your average every day carriage for the wee ones. Some of these buggers are three and four seaters and packed with everything you can think of to keep Little Mikey and Janey happy. As all of you know, nothing in that contraption keeps them happy for longer than fifteen minutes unless they're passed out. Usually the little darlin' is screaming his or her head off with chocolate smeared all over their bright red tear stained faces. "I don't want to see the parade! I want to chase Mickey around...NOW!!!"

Of course, the kids are rarely in those things but wandering aimlessly, and slooooowwwwwllllyyyy in front of the line at Small World leaving a HUGE gap. Don't you DARE go around them in line. They were there first, dontcha know and they have every right to take their sweet time moving forward, allowing the child to throw popcorn all over the ground, dump their slushy all over the person behind them in line and screaming that the want another slushy...NOW!

Once you get through the ride and try to make it to the next one, you encounter the dreaded stroller parking areas. These are conveniently placed so that the foot traffic can continue unimpeded around the start and finish of the rides. Of course the stroller owners don't think these areas apply to them and their top of the line double decker stroller. These folks will chain up their wheels to the exit, blocking it so no one can pass or they will just abandon the buggy right in the middle of the path, because they can. Heaven help you if you touch the thing to move it out of your way so you can pass. 

STROLLER POLICE PLEASE TAKE ME AWAY!!!

And they do.  hehehe

There are actual 'stroller police' at Disney. They will move the strollers to the designated areas and even CUT the locks from the ones tied up in the wrong areas. Of course the stroller owners get all pissy and try to call security...can you imagine what happens then? 

Buh bye! hehehe

Now don't get me wrong. I don't think kids or strollers shouldn't be allowed at amusement parks at all. I just think people today don't have the respect for the rules we had when we grew up. I wouldn't dare scream at my parents at the top of my lungs and expect to still be in the park fifteen minutes later. My backside would be bright red, slammed back into the stroller and we'd be halfway back to the car. No ifs, ands or BUTTS about it. hehehe

Now it's a battle of the strollers in these things. You can't even win if you have a wheel chair or scooter/Amigo. There is absolutely zero respect for these things with parents telling their kids to crawl on these items belonging to strangers in order to get better views of parades. Who does that? Apparently the parents of today think it's okay and encourage their children to do this crap.

Great article!

I kid you not. Experienced it myself and let me just say I gave those disrespectful "adults" an earful before security carted them off.  These are the same group of folks who think they can get people to move faster or simply 'out of their way' by shoving their stroller repeatedly into the feet, heels and calves of those in front of them. My left big toe is black and blue because one young father thought he could continue to run me over with the front wheel of his double stroller holding ONE child much too old to be in it. 

After the sixth time he rolled over it, and then glared at me because I stopped him from moving forward, I decided I had enough. I pretended to not know it was his stroller that kept hitting me. Instead I just raised my voice a bit over my normal speaking level and reached for my husband's waistband. "Honey! Some idiot keeps hitting me with a stroller. I think my foot is broken!"

LMAO!!! You should have seen the number of folks turn around to help me. Of course, hubby was holding on to me and moving me along through the crowd as best he could, but the others zeroed in on the offender and walled him off at the bottom of the little hill. All he had to do was wait his turn. We all would make it out together, but no. He had to push and push. 

Disney justice at it's finest!

My hope is one day Disney comes up with "stroller lanes" like we have "bike lanes" on the roads here in California. It won't be a perfect solution, but it may help keep things moving along with fewer injuries. I have to wonder how many kids are actually mowed down by other families or is it only adults who get the stroller war wounds?

Signs up that say "Keep to the right" would also be helpful as will "NO more than 2 strollers abreast."  I know I'm not the only one to hate seeing a line of five or more strollers racing toward me, daring me  to break their line.

In my twenties I wouldn't ever dream of it. In my thirties I fantasized about it. Now in my forties...I'm a brick wall. I freeze and make them go around ME. I'm done being the nice guy and having to walk single file behind my husband because these rude individuals feel they have the right of way because they have little ones. Besides, it's SAFER to just stop and let them go around then to try to move around them. You never can move fast enough and you will get slammed into anyway. Might as well make it worth the bruises!  LOL!

Until next time,
~The Fat Chick aka Tammy

*please note, no child or stroller was harmed during my trip to Disneyland this year. My toe is is badly bruised as are my ankles but that's all the injuries that occurred.*