It’s common for us to feel sympathy for those who are dealing with tough situations — losing a house to fire or foreclosure, finding out about a terminal cancer diagnosis, having a loved one sacrifice his or her life while serving in the military, unable to cut through the long line at Walt Disney World to get a toddler a pretzel right now …

Did that last example make you do a double take? Good, that was the point, and there is actually a mom out there who has gone viral because her family trip to Walt Disney World did not go as planned, and her solution was to post a rant on Facebook on the evils of childless millennials.

So, apparently this mother took her 3-year-old son to the happiest place on Earth, and in the course of all the fun and frivolity, the boy wanted a pretzel shaped like Mickey Mouse. However, the line was long — a common occurrence in most lines in any Disney park — and the mother had to tell her son that he would have to wait. As most kids that age do when they can’t get something right away, the son cried.

Then the unthinkable happened.

A young woman who had no children in tow and was further up in the line was finally rewarded for her patience with a pretzel. The mother saw this taking place, and she was horrified.

Aren’t you horrified, too? No? Good, because neither was I, and I was less impressed with her post about the experience.

The mother announced that she believed “childless millennials” should be banned from Walt Disney World because it’s a “family” amusement park, and therefore no place for these folks to “throw their money away on useless crap.” Interestingly, she counters her own statement shortly thereafter that the childless people who roam unattended in the park will “never” experience the ecstasy that comes from buying babies treats and toys.

Just so we’re clear, it’s fine to spend money on the useless items, so long as it’s only for the children. I wonder how a 3-year-old would look wearing an extra-large adult T-shirt with Mickey Mouse’s face on it. So he might trip on it and fall and bust something, but who cares, as long as we buy things for baby. Right?

The post was viral enough to make it onto Fox 11 Online, along with responses from other Facebook users who were appalled by her commentary. Besides the usual chorus of people wondering why someone would think nothing could go wrong by taking a 3-year-old in public anywhere, much less to a Disney theme park, there were some pointing out the sense of entitlement in her Facebook post.

I have to agree, considering she felt that anyone with a child should be allowed to cut through all the lines, meaning the folks who had the good sense to get in line and wait will need to wait longer because she can’t figure out a way to teach her child patience. She assumes that because she planned a vacation, the only happiness that matters is hers and her family’s.

Anyone who has ever been on a vacation knows that rarely does everything go according to plan. Flight delays, lost hotel reservations, learning that the prices online do not match the price charged once you get to your destination — not getting a pretzel right away seems rather petty by comparison.

However, blaming innocent bystanders because the good time has been ruined by a crying child is just plain wrong. Those bystanders aren’t responsible for that mother not getting in line sooner. They aren’t responsible for her vacation plans, and they’re definitely not responsible for the timetable she chose to start a family.

A simple reality that the mother doesn’t get is that anything Disney is timeless. From the first Mickey Mouse cartoon airing in 1928 to the amusement parks opening (Walt Disney World first opened its gates in 1971) to all the films and television programs out there, Disney is and always has been for all ages to enjoy — I count myself among the millions of fans.

To assume the parks should only be for parents with cranky babies is a futile leap of faith across the Grand Canyon. In the end, I don’t think the folks at Disney give a rip that adults acting like children are going to the parks, buying stuff and munching on pretzels. At the end of the day, Walt Disney World is a business, and all businesses want to make money.

Therefore, I suggest three things for the mother in question — Learn how to say no and live with the decision, don’t blame others for your lack of skills or planning, and don’t go attacking an entire generation on Facebook. This individual is a mother in name only if she lets her child’s emotions hold her hostage and can’t see beyond her own personal bubble. There are more important things for her to rage against; a bad day with Disney is not one of them.