What means do you go to get children to ride?

[ammeador2]

My DD is almost 4 and can't wait to ride TOT this trip. She loves the smaller coasters and rides that she has ridden and she is super excited about it. Now, I have a BIL that is 13 and won't ride anything at all. He won't even try it. A couple of years ago we went to a local park and he rode a coaster with us and he was laughing the whole time and said it was great..then when we got off he saw his parents and started whining about how horrible it was. I don't get it! Ah well..

I would never make my kids do anything....but I do think that they should try it at least once. I don't so spinning rides well, but I suck it up get some motion sickness patches and I am able to conquer the teacups, dumbo etc...

 

[mikamah]

My kids are the biggest ride weinies in the history of mankind.

We offered them $50 if they would ride either TOT or RNRC or a total of $100 if they would ride both, and both the boys rejected us.

A number of years later they did ride RNRC and we paid up. A lot of years later S17 did ride TOT because he wanted to one up his older brother.

You're a bigger spender than I am. $20 is my max. When my son was 5, his first trip, he was afraid of most rides. At MK we rode pooh, and he was scared, and he sat in the carriage on the carousel. He wouldn't go into small world, and I tried to convince him, knowing he'd love it, but he didn't. We had a blast, meeting characters, and playing in the play areas. He fed some birds while our the others we were with were on goofy's barnstormer.

Our second trip, he was 6, and had gotten much braver, I offered him 20$ to ride splash and he did and loved it. I knew he would love it if he tried it.

This year, he was 7, and it was just the two of us, and I guess I was being selfish, and wanted to ride TOT, and offered him 20$ ,and he did it. He was so scared, I felt awful. Afterward, he says he loved it, we bought the pic, and he brags about doing it, but I don't know if he'll go on it on our next trip.
I think a little bribery is ok.

 

[PrincessKara22]

Honestly? Just don't make an issue out of it. Your son is 12 years old and thats old enough to know for himself what he likes and what he doesn't. He's been to Disney many times (and the chance is he'll be there many more times in the future) and he's ridden these things and knows what he likes. If you make a big deal about it he's going to feel anxious but if you just say, Ok meet us at the end he might see everyone getting into line and say OK I'm coming! on his own. Don't pressure him or bribe him just respect his choices.

If it has to do with not knowing what to do with him or the baby have them stay in line with you until the chicken exit and then wait in the gift shop. BC once you're on the ride the kids are only going to be alone for a total of what? 4 minutes? Not enough time to get to Tampa. Thrill rides are so fast! And trust me even the rides "without" chicken exits have chicken exits just tell the CM they changed their mind and need to leave...NOW. If you end up missing a ride or two well you've ridden them before and you know this isn't your last trip to Disney. You'll get it next time. It's better that the entire family be happy and comfortable. And who knows? You might discover something you missed before or create a really wonderful memory you would have missed in that looong line for the thrill ride!

 

[dbmarie]

Well this is paying them for going on the rides, so I guess I'm confused as to what the purpose of this is?

The statement was in response to a statement in regards to parents worrying about how much they paid for the vacation. And actually buying a pin is a symbol of how courageous they were to ride the ride. They are very proud of themselves when someone comments on the pin and they can say they rode the ride. Paying them wouldn't have that same effect.

 

[Aliceacc]

DS12 has been to Disney many times including this year in March. He has rode everything except RNRC and TOT. He refuses to ride anything thrilling next trip and seems to mean it. He is always a little reluctant to ride thrill rides, but he seems to enjoy them during and after. So this got me thinking about how could I get him to ride EE and others with me again. We were going to do child swap since DH and DD4 are going this trip, but if DS won't ride we're stuck doing single rider or not at all.

So what do you guys do with your kids that won't ride things? Do you leave them alone and hope they'll come around? I'm such a mean mommy I've considered threatening leaving him at Grandma's but there's no way I'd follow through with that so that's off the table. Any suggestions?

He's 12 years old, not an infant you're trying to introduce vegetables to.

He knows his own mind and he doesn't like thrill rides.

I say you respect that choice. Ride single rider if you want to ride, but don't force him onto a ride merely because you want company.

 

[Aliceacc]

DS12 has been to Disney many times including this year in March. He has rode everything except RNRC and TOT. He refuses to ride anything thrilling next trip and seems to mean it. He is always a little reluctant to ride thrill rides, but he seems to enjoy them during and after. So this got me thinking about how could I get him to ride EE and others with me again. We were going to do child swap since DH and DD4 are going this trip, but if DS won't ride we're stuck doing single rider or not at all.

So what do you guys do with your kids that won't ride things? Do you leave them alone and hope they'll come around? I'm such a mean mommy I've considered threatening leaving him at Grandma's but there's no way I'd follow through with that so that's off the table. Any suggestions?

He's 12 years old, old enough to know his own mind. He's not an infant you're trying to introduce vegetables to.

I say you respect his choice, instead of threatening him or bribing him to get him on a ride he hates, merely to keep you company.

 

[jpolak]

"Do you want to ride_______?" Yes we go on, no we move on.

 

[DawnM]

My 11 year old has now decided he no longer likes the thrill rides.

So....DH and I agree to split up because DH doesn't care about them that much either.

My 11 year old has done the animation drawing 30 min. lesson THREE times this trip and likes many of the shows, so DH and the 5 year old often go with him while my thrill riding 9 year old and I do the thrill rides, typically single rider line, over and over again.

Making my 11 year old miserable wouldn't make for a fun vacation for any of us!

Dawn

 

[SnowandMittens]

To the OP-

Ask him if there is a reason why he dosen't want to ride anymore. If he dosen't, let him know that the majority of the family will want to ride. 12 is old enough to wait in the gift shop for 20 minutes or so, and just use his fastpass to ride again, or to offer him another chance to ride.

If the wait time is longer, maybe take him somewhere and spend time with him while his dad and other sibling ride.

He'll come around. My Dsis still won't ride the Haunted Mansion, so I just hang out with her in the giftshop and they let us do a child swap.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

Try showing them the rides on YouTube. It worked WONDERS for my son before we went. There were a couple of rides he was scared of, but I showed him the videos and then he got excited.

 

[Sleepy]

We never forced our son to ride anything he was not comfortable. If it meant that as parents, we have to make a sacrifice, so be it. I know how I would feel if someone tried to force or trick me to do something that made me not feel safe (deep end of a pool, rollercoasters with no shoulder harnesses, bungie jump, etc).

I feel for the poor kids hysterical or almost in shock mode because their parents force them to ride....all the while calling them baby, chicken, etc. Just because the 5 year old up ahead in line is excited, doesn't give a parent the right to try and humiliate their 9 year old. Some people are daredevils (like my husband) and some people are more reserved (like our son and me).

 

[Sleepy]

IWe were in line in front of a woman attemtpting to force her 8 year old dd on BTMR. My dcs were really nice to her, telling her it was fun and not scary. By the time we got to the front of the line, the girl was crying. The mom made her get on and the girl started howling. The CM told her they'd have to get off. The mom refused. The CM said there was no way they could ride-it wasn't safe for her or other guests. The mom finally got off.

Bravo! I am sure that poor child will fondly remember that CM the rest of her life even though she probably was treated like crap by mom the rest of the trip.

 

[ShannonMB]

My DD 8 is the biggest ride chicken ever. I think she gets it because her aunt is always talking up how scared SHE is on rides, so Lily got it in her head that she is, too. I'm okay with her not riding the big stuff, but I do want her to at least try some stuff! On our first trip, I bribed her to go on Soarin', which she was adamantly opposed to, and she ended up loving it. I did the same thing on Splash, and she HATED it. This last trip, I bribed her on Primevil Whirl, HATED it. So each trip I seem to be able to get her on one or 2 new ones by bribing, then I give it up if she hates it AFTER trying it. I would never drag her kicking and screaming onto a ride. But if a pin, a souvenir, etc, will get her to give something a try, I'm all for it.

One funny thing. On our first trip she was pretty freaked by Pirates and Haunted Mansion. This time she begrudgingly went on them again without too much pressure. She was convinced they changed the rides to make them less scary this time! I explained she's just a little older and braver, but she's convinced they changed the rides to make them less scary.

 

[KimR]

I honestly, honestly don't understand the insistence on "making" someone go on rides that don't appeal to them.

No one in our family likes thrill rides. DH tried ToT on our last trip and hated it. Would I insist he keep riding it? Why would I? DS13 doesn't like thrill rides, but loves the shows, non-thrill rides, and just the whole WDW environment. I think that's fine. A family vacation, to us, is one where everyone is happy doing what they're doing.

Karla B.

I tend to agree with you, and I never thought I'd push my child to ride anything they didn't want to. But now we have an issue with my middle DD. She loves most thrill rides; however she is very high strung and anxious. Once she actually gets up the nerve to try a ride, she loves it; however it takes her so long to work up the nerve to try anything new. She even gets nervous in line for Space Mountain, which she loves and has ridden many times.

Last year, she finally got up the nerve to ride Everest, late in the day. She loved it, like I knew she would. Of course then she was angry with herself because by then it was almost time to leave and she wanted to ride it over and over and over....

Now with RNRC - I know she'd love it, but she is afraid to try. I would never encourage her to ride something I thought would scare her but in this case I am sure she would love it, but just the thought of it causes so much anxiety for her. DH has tried to convince her to ride it in the past and I've always told him to drop it because it just upsets her. But now i'm starting to feel inclined to push it because I know how much she would enjoy it if she could just overcome her anxiety (she rode a similar ride this past summer and didn't stop talking about it for weeks). I would never force her to ride, though - it has to be her decision but I certainly do wish she'd choose to ride and I wish I knew what to do to help her overcome this fear. Because in her case it's not really a fear of thrill rides but maybe rather a fear of the unknown?

 

[Karibeth19]

He is always a little reluctant to ride thrill rides, but he seems to enjoy them during and after.

Only you know your child and what is best for him, and this statement stood out as key for me. My DD11 was the same way when she was younger; although she had a bit of a daredevil personality, she would always be hesitant to ride thrill rides, sometimes even if she had been on it and loved it before. But, DH and I knew that once she got on, she would have a great time, and we wanted her to learn the lesson of not letting a little fear keep her from doing fun and exciting things. Maybe to others we looked like "bad" parents, "forcing" her to go on rides she didn't want to ride (She never cried or anything, just acted hesitant and nervous.), but if they saw us at the exit, they would have seen a happy little girl, begging to ride again. And, of course, bribery ALWAYS worked on the rides she was particularly hesitant to ride, like TOT. She didn't like that ride for a long time, but was always willing to ride if there was the promise of a reward at the end. Finally, last January, after not liking it but riding it anyway for several years, she got off the elevator, turned to us, gave us a sheepish smile and said, "Ummm, do you think we could go again?". We wound up riding it 5 times in a row and it has become her favorite ride. Now, of course, if she flat out said "No", no matter what we said, or promised her, we would skip it. But, that didn't happen often, and now she brags about the fact that she has ridden every single ride at Walt Disney World. It's a point of pride with her.

I think she learned two important lessons by that. First, she learned to overcome fear, and did things outside her comfort level, which ultimately led to fun and enjoyable experiences. Second, she learned to put others wishes and feelings ahead of her own at times. She went on rides because she knew her dad and I wanted to go, and would miss out if she didn't ride. We, in return, have modeled that same behavior by riding things she loves, but that we don't like. (I can't stand the Tea Cups or Primeviel Whirl, but she wants us all to ride together, so I always do.)

So, my point is, ultimately, you know your child best and you'll do what you think is right. Don't worry about what others think.

 

[Tomh]

DS5 is a daredevil. He'll pretty much go on anything, and I suspect that he'll soon be dragging me on things that I don't much care to ride. Actually, I rode Splash Mountain last year because of him, and I'm not a big fan of any ride with a drop like that. I got out of going on it a second time, when my mother went with him. This year, mom won't be along, and I'm the only other one in the family that will do it, so . . .

I did manage to convince DD14 (then 13) to go along with us on Splash. I basically told her that at 13, it certainly wasn't going to kill her, and if she didn't like it, then I wouldn't make her do it again. Although I didn't tell her this, I figured if she really started to freak out about it, she could chicken out at the loading platform.

When we got to the loading area, she was visibly nervous, and I told her that if she told the CM she had changed her mind, the CM would let her out. I told her before we entered the loading area, so she had a chance to back out, but she rode anyway. It wasn't a good ride for her, and I can pretty confidently say she won't be riding Splash again any time soon.

Of the two, she is the ride chicken, and I think she lets her fear limit her a bit, so I do try to push her a little. It is a tough call sometimes, trying to figure out what things she is really terrified of, and what things she's refusing to ride just because she thinks she'll be scared.

She didn't go on Test Track last year, but I'm nearly 100% certain that she'll love the ride. The same goes for Big Thunder Mountain, so I'm trying to talk her into both. Soarin' she wasn't too thrilled with, nor Pirates (that little slide in it was too much for her). Although I really wish she'd reconsider Pirates, my deal with her was once she had tried it, I wouldn't make her do it again if she didn't want to, so that is that.

I think that is a fair solution in the end. I certainly won't try to push her into doing something that I know she won't enjoy. Space Mountain, RnRC, ToT I know are out of the question. Rides that I think she'll enjoy if she just gives them a try, I will try to push her into, but if she becomes visibly bothered by it, I'll offer her the chance to chicken out.

DS5, on the other hand, pushes me into doing things, and he doesn't offer me the option of the chicken exit, nor does he allow me to pass on something that I've already done, and know that I don't enjoy

 

[fairestoneofall]

I definitely wouldn't make my kids ride anything they absolutely didn't want too. I'm not getting on TOT, so I don't expect them too either.

However, my DD7 tends to get herself worked up about completely innocent rides. She was even worried about Philharmagic because there might be villains in it. The CM assured her that there were no villains and DD was fine.

Prior to our last trip, she kept going on and on about wanting to ride HM. I showed her youtube and podcast videos of the ride so that she knew what to expect. But, she started to chicken out. So, DH offered her $5 to ride with him and not freak out during the ride. Needless to say, she got her $5 and HM ended up being her favorite ride. Go figure.

DS4 will ride anything for which he's tall enough.

 

[Mickeygolf]

We used bribery and are not ashamed at all. It always paid off because all three of my kids are really ride junkies. Once they went on the rides they were afraid of they always thanked us for making them go. There's not a ride they won't go on now.

On the other hand, friends of ours tried it with their 9 yr old DD for Dinosaur at AK and she refused. They just kept pushing and pushing and finally she blurts out "You can NOT make me get on this ride, I know my RIGHTS". It was the funniest thing we all had ever heard and she did not ride the ride. We're sure she's going to make a good attorney some day.

 

[wwlees]

Are you staying on property? Sign your DS up for one of those kids programs for one day/night. Then you and your husband do whatever park (or if you have hoppers, parks) with the thrill rides of your choice. That way you can experience them together.

That seems to be a fair option. At least for an evening. Of course doing this more than once during your stay does seem unfair to your son. But I think taking a "parents night out" during your trip is reasonable.

Wendy

 

[TriMom]

I don't get it, why force them at all? If they don't want to ride, then why do they have to? I don't ride anything as I have motion sickness and am fearful of heights - neither my hubby nor children would force me as that wouldn't be cool at all, not to mention it wouldn't be respecting my wishes to not ride.

I guess I never understand these types of posts, but the only thing I can assume is that it's because it costs money and parents feel like they are wasting money on tickets if kids don't ride?

Thank goodness there is so many things to do at Disney - riding rides is only a very small part of the magic!

Tiger

Very wrong! My DS - almost 6 - begged to ride BTMR, he was tall enough so we let him - he loved it, rode it 4 times in a row. Flash forward 1 day - he cried because he was scared to ride BTMR, didn't want to do it at all. He was not bawling, he was not hysterical, he was nervous. I got him measured, and carried him through line. He loved it again! Favorite ride again, road it 2 more times that day eagerly- I don't know what made him scared. I did not force DS onto BTMR because I thought I was wasting money on tickets. I was doing the hard job of being a parent and doing what was best for my DS. It was not in his best interest to let him develop a fear of rides because he enjoys them so much.

Now I am sure that many of you, had you been in line with a mom carrying a crying child would have thought I was a miserable, mean selfish women who didn't respect my kid at all. However I was taking care of my son in the way that I thought was appropriate.

Just another point of view. - You never know the whole story.