However, that should never mean abandoning your child so that you can go on a ride at the same time as a friend or partner.
But that's exactly what TikToker @keesha4rank witnessed a couple do at Disneyland when they both wanted to go on the Guardians of the Galaxy roller coaster. The pair left their child in a stroller in between two buildings, covered up with a large Spider-Man blanket, and went to go wait in line for the ride.
The TikToker questioned what two people had to be thinking to justify leaving a young child unattended just to experience a ride together.
She later caught a security guard on camera who had noticed the stroller and checked on the child, who was trying to kick the blanket off and uncover themselves. He appeared to reassure the child before standing back up straight and observing the crowd.
The text overlayed on the video stated that "security came and got them off the ride," but nothing else was stated about what had happened after the parents left their child.
You can watch the video here:
Fellow TikTokers were appalled by the video and could not believe that two adults had prioritized their amusement over their child's safety.
It was particularly concerning that it was in such a public place and in direct sunlight where the baby could have easily overheated under the blanket.
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Other TikTokers agreed and hoped that the parents were punished in some way for sacrificing their child's safety.
Security getting them off the ride was promising, but they were left hoping for more.
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Anyone who has been to an amusement park knows that the anticipation for certain rides and experiences is a real thing, and it can be horribly frustrating to waste a big chunk of your day just waiting in a line.
But if you choose to sacrifice a child's safety just to cut down on that wait time, you need to sort out your priorities.
She shared her stunning revelation in a storytime TikTok video about when she found out she had been "saying something extremely inappropriate" to children her entire career when a student happily turned in their essay.
“They were really excited about it, so I gave a big ol’ high-five,” Steph said. “And I said, ‘Wham-bam, thank you ma’am.’”
At that exact moment, Steph said the school's vice principal happened to walk by and asked to confirm what she just told the student.
The vice principal asked, "What did you just say?" prompting Steph to respond with the same enthusiasm she showed a few seconds ago, saying:
"I said, ‘Wham-bam, thank you ma’am,’ and they’re like, ‘Yeah, you shouldn’t say that, like, that doesn’t mean what you think it means.’”
Steph admitted she was confused because she'd been saying it for as long as she could remember, and nobody had called her out on it before…until now.
Here's the video.
She later did some research and agreed with the school administrator's advising against the casual turn of phrase.
"So after school, on the school Wi-Fi mind you, I Googled what it meant, and yeah. I shouldn’t be saying it," she said.
The TikToker later saw a commercial depicting a similar scenario in which a woman was schooled the same way Steph was by the vice principal for saying the phrase.
She continued:
“Then about two weeks later, my husband and I are watching a commercial for a TV show, and a woman says it to her colleagues and they’re like, ‘that doesn’t mean what you think it means.' "
“So I know this is not a unique experience. So how many of us are there out there walking around saying that not knowing what it means?” Steph added.
So what does it really mean?
Previous generations may recall "Wham! Bam! Thank You, Ma'am!" being a song by Dean Martin or the lyrics at the end of David Bowie's song, "Sufragette City."
In those contexts, "Wham-bam, thank you ma’am" refers to a quick sexual encounter between two consenting adults where the male partner ups and leaves first.
The Free Dictionary describes it as a slang term meaning "Hasty sexual activity, especially when rough, unemotional, or unromantic."
While it's been widely used with slightly different variations, the earliest use of the phrase was believed to be from the 1948 play Mister Roberts, in which a sailor character says, “Well there goes the liberty. That was sure a wham-bam-thank-you ma’am!”
TikTokers were today years old when they learned the meaning.
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Some agreed it's best to avoid saying it.
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Others cut her some slack.
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Users shared anecdotes relating to casual ignorance that also served as a PSA against using other common sayings that would be inappropriate in 2025.
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In a similar vein, a classic Christmas duet has, in recent years, been yanked from holiday playlists for having sinister sexual undertones.
The song "Baby It's Cold Outside" hasn't aged well, and some radio stations have even banned the song, leading to backlash against the decision.
The lyrics focus on a man seducing a woman against her will to stay with him longer because he claims the temperature is too cold for her to go outside.
Basically, he's clueless about, or choosing to ignore, being told "No means no."
If he succeeded in having his way, "Wham-bam, thank you ma’am" could apply in this context as well.
