Theme Park Kid Pulls Down His Pants And Poops On A Ride Marker, Then His Mom Calmly Tells Staff To Clean It Up Like “Brown Squares” Is A Normal Parenting Plan

Hi, I’m back with another story from my time working at a very popular theme park in Florida—a magical rat planet of sorts. I was hesitant to write about this situation but decided to share it anyway. This happened when I worked in attractions. One busy day during peak season, I was a grouper (the person that places people on the ride).

Our ride could hold 12 people in each line. There were eight lines, each with two rows separated by circles and squares painted on the ground. The circles and squares are visual cues for guests and staff, and they come in different bright colors. Anyway, on this particular day, everything was flowing well when a woman and her tween son came up through the wheelchair line. They didn’t have a wheelchair, but sometimes people with other special needs or disabilities are allowed to use that area.

So Load 1, the person who loaded wheelchairs on the entrance side, placed the woman and her kid on the squares behind a family of six that had the circles. The woman was loud and already complaining. First, she said that her kid didn’t like crowds as he was severely autistic and refused to move until the family of six had entered their ride. I understood that; some kids really struggle with crowds. After that, she said rather rudely and loudly that single riders weren’t allowed in their car. Again, understandable if the kid didn’t feel comfortable around strangers. But then, something happened before they could load into their ride.

The kid pulled down the back of his pants, squatted, and took a massive dump right on a square! The smell was immediate. His mom just stood there calmly as he finished. She didn’t try to intervene. She didn’t put an adult diaper on him since she seemed to know this could happen. She simply stood there, as if her 12-year-old pooping in public was completely normal.

After he was done, she said imperiously to Load 1, “You need to clean this up!” There was no apology. She expressed, in so many words, that her son was special needs and therefore this behavior was okay. But I was thinking, no, no it wasn’t. There were families all around, and the area had to be cleared while Load 1 jumped on the walkie-talkie to the manager announcing “brown squares.” Before that moment, I didn’t even know we had a code for that situation. I knew vomit was a “protein spill,” but “brown squares”? Seriously?

The woman just took her son and left while others gagged and had to be moved. Cleaning staff came in and sanitized the area. I have to admit, it was a bizarre sight to see: family vacation bliss interrupted by an impromptu fecal incident. Listen, I’m disabled as well, with an autoimmune disease. With it, I suffer from debilitating anxiety often, so I’m sympathetic toward others facing challenges. I also understand that some people with autism can suffer from incontinence due to sensory issues. However, most people usually wear diapers or find a more appropriate place to handle such situations, right?

All in all, that day was a whirlwind. Between the absurdity of the situation and the calm way the mom handled it, it felt like I was in an alternate reality. The park continued to operate as normal, but the memory of the “brown squares” incident lingered in everyone’s minds, leaving us all a little bewildered. Just another day at the theme park, I guess.