DS6 has gotten progressively more afraid of rides each trip. It may be our fault for having him try a new ride each year b/c he seemed to do well the year before. Example: at 2 1/2, he rode Barnstormer 3x's in a row, POC, Dumbo, Buzz, Peter Pan, really anything w/o a height restiction that wasn't too loud or scary. He even did HM that trip

I thought he was ALL set! At 3 1/2 he added Test Track and LOVED it! Well, MIL decides to take him to AK while I shopped with the baby. She had explicit instructions not to take him to ITTBAB, I knew that would freak him out! So, very well intentioned though she is, she said, "hey, the kid likes dinosaurs"......Do you see where I'm going with this? She was completely scared and freaked out, and so was my 3yo!!
When he was 4 he wanted to go on Atlantis at Sea World. No problem, DH went with him. They were smiling when I saw them come down the slide, but when they got off DS said he wasn't going to go again until he was 5, it giggled his belly TOO MUCH! Later that week, I took him on TMR, thought he would LOVE it since he loved Goofy so much. Bad mom award! He kept chanting through the whole thing, "I don't like this, I don't like this!" Wouldn't do Goofy after that or Test Track. Did do POC on that trip and HM, but only if I was covering his ears and holding onto him.
At 5, he pretty much won't do any remotely scarey rides. He wanted to try Splash, we let him, that ate up the rest of his bravery.
In Feb, he was almost 6. He has his list of favorite rides, Figment, SE, Buzz, Peter Pan, Snow White, Stitch. Criteria for him to ride: slow, not loud, and it won't giggle his belly. For months before the trip, I told him I would like him to ride Goofy with me and I knew he could do it, I wouldn't let anything hurt him, and I'd only 'make' him do this one ride with me. It didn't quite work out that way. When I was at Test Track the first day getting FPs, DS grabbed onto me and started quietly crying and stroking my hair. He wouldn't tell me what was wrong. A young CM came over and asked DS what was wrong. I said I think he's scared to let me go one TT. Well, the CM told DS that he had something for him and showed him one of those safety card w/ Timon and Pumba on them, saying to DS that they had personally certified that TT was safe. The CM then asked if it was OK w/ me if DS went on. I said sure, but he's a little scared. The two of them talked some more, then the CM said, I'll tell you waht, you can go on right now. Then he went and got us an immediate FP for 6 and gave DH a child swap pass. Once we got in DS was still scared, but I told him I'd buy him the ride photo if he went on. His cousin and I held his hands, and the only part of the ride when he smiled was when they took the pic. We got off, and he said, "I'm never doing that again!" Needless to say, I didn't make him go on Goofy.
Next trip, he's promised to ride Goofy with me if that's the only ride I make him do. I hope it works out. DD's big enough for that this year and I know she'll love it! I think.....I 'thought' I knew a lot about DS too, but he keeps switching on me, and not liking things he's done in the past. I feel badly, because I keep saying/thinking, just do it and you'll see that you love it, but it never turns out that way.
