Pins and kids

Lew and I still aren't very well.  We took a quick walk around Animal Kingdom and called it quits.  I did make one pin trade.

Pins can be traded at Disney world with any cast member who has pins. The rules are pretty simple.  You select a pin from a cast member and give the cast member a pin in return.  The pin you give must be an original Disney Pin.  I went on Ebay some time ago and bought a bunch of pins cheap.  They were not very pretty or nice.  But they were original Disney Pins. 

You can tell they are original by the back of the pin.  Of course the ears are what covers the stick of the pin.
Here are some of the pins I started with that I bought through Ebay. 

Here are the pins I've gotten so far by trading with cast members.

I carry them around in a fanny pack that I roll up and stick in a pocket so I don't have to wait in the bag line.

I take all the character pins along so I can help entertain children while we are in lines or waiting for a show/parade to start.  I get out a pin and ask who it is and start a conversation with the child/children.  I think I've saved several parents sanity and mine with this entertaining method.  I even got a child to sing me a disney song.

That helps offset the children who are just rude and inconsiderate along with the parents of such children.  During Fantasmic, I had a child behind me literally put his hands on my shoulders and lean on my head. The child beside me was the cousin and she literally kicked my hand with her feet during the show.  She got a very strong teacher glare that stopped her from kicking again. I liked the parent in front of us that told her child, "If you stand on the bench, we will leave the show."  The child sat and watched. Or the child that pushed me and the parent made them apologize and then say, "Excuse me can I get by?"  In such a crowded, exciting world, it is good to know some parents use the environment to teach manners.  Others do not.