Family Responds After Being Called Out for Dodging Height Requirements to Sneak Son Onto Disney World Rides

A couple shared a 'shoe hack' to help their son reach height requirements at Disney.

One family is facing the heat for recent social media videos depicting a "shoe hack" supposedly used to get their 3-year-old son past the height requirements at Disney World, and now they're sharing their response to the criticism.

The Kelly family of Fernandina Beach, Florida, is apologizing for their actions in now-deleted TikTok and YouTube videos showing their son, Kannon, wearing padded shoes to Disney World.

In the initial video, father Ty said, "Meet my son Kannon, our thrill-seeking boy who can't get enough of Disney theme park rides. The only problem you ask? He's just not tall enough for the big ones. But we didn't want that to stop him from feeling the rush, so we took matters into our own hands."

Ty and his wife Haley received intense backlash for their actions, with people telling them that they were endangering their children and could be encouraging others to follow their lead.

The couple released an initial apology video, which has since been deleted, and Ty later admitted to TODAY.com that it was somewhat defensive.

He explained, "Nobody likes to be told that you're a terrible parent or 'I wish that your son would have died on that ride.'"

Ty went on, "People were trying to get my wife fired from her nursing) job or saying they would call CPS (Child Protective Services) to get our kids taken away from us or hoping we'd get banned from Disney World."

The Kelly family stated that Haley has not been fired from her job, and Disney World has not contacted them in any way.

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In a new TikTok, the two asked for forgiveness for their mistakes, saying, "We want to assure you that moving forward, we're going to be more mindful of our actions and what we put out on our social media. This is a privilege, it's a responsibility to set a good example for the people that follow us ... we want to be a positive influence in this world."

Ty went on, saying, "We are learning and we are going to continue to learn and we're going to do better," before Haley added, "We hope that you'll give us the opportunity to prove that we love our children."

While speaking with TODAY.com, Ty apologized again, saying, "We are truly sorry about the whole situation. I want my kids to know that parents follow the rules and we are trying to raise them right. In this situation, we bent the rules and I don’t want that to be my legacy."

Related: Fan-Favorite Show Returning to Disney World in 2023