It was meant to be a romantic evening for Holly and Mark Santos: a candlelight dinner at California Grill, a fireworks display at the top of the Contemporary Resort, a walk on the path to the Magic Kingdom, the kids tucked safely inside the hotel room resting up for another big day at the theme parks. This perfect night turned to disaster when the Santos kids unmercifully disrupted Holly and Mark’s chance for a good time.
“Holly and I planned a romantic evening away from the kids,” Mark Santos told us. “We were staying at the Contemporary Resort, so we were very close [in proximity] to our kids. They were to stay in the room and watch TV until bed time.”
The Santos Family is comprised of father Mark, mother Holly, and their children Jake (13), Luke and Leia (9), and John (5). Mark and Holly took their children to Disney World to celebrate their anniversary.
Mark and Holly left Jake, their eldest son, in charge of the kids. He was given instructions to call if something went wrong.
“They barely put menus in our hands and our phone was already ringing,” Holly Santos said of her kids calling. “‘Mom, John wants some Skittles’, ‘Mom, Leia and Luke are fighting’, ‘Mom, John is drinking from the toilet again.’ They just wouldn’t let up.”
The trouble began around 8:45pm when Luke and Leia started arguing over which park they were going to visit the next day. Things got worse when John started crashing from his sugar high and was demanding more Skittles. He would eventually take his frustrations out on the toilet as a way to passively protest.
“I knew we should have gotten rid of those kids years ago,” Mark Santos said of his children. “They’re good for mowing the lawn or doing some minor chores now and then, but for the most part, they are the ultimate cock-blockers.”
It may come as a surprise to some that interruptions from children can be quite frequent when left home alone. We spoke with Thomas Jefferson Geronimo III, an Orlando-area Family Psychologist, and asked him to explain.
“This is a classic romantic evening ruined by poorly supervised children,” Geronimo said. “Here you have a situation where the parents are trying to get their groove on but their little sex trophies back in the room are messing it up. I can see why Holly thinks the magic is gone in their relationship.”
“Wait, when did she say that?” Mark inquired shockingly.
The evening continued to be hampered by interruptions, forcing Holly and Mark to cut their romantic night short.
“We skipped the appetizers and dessert,” Holly explained. “We tried to stay for the fireworks, but I was just too distracted to enjoy it.”
Despite having his night ruined and any chance to consummate their marriage destroyed by his kids, Mark Santos was surprisingly upbeat.
“I suppose there’s always next year,” Mark said when asked when he plans to try another romantic evening.
