Idiot brother took 3 year old son on HM first

[katmatry]

My 14-year-old STILL hates it, and I've abandoned any notion of her ever feeling otherwise. She just waits for us in Liberty Square now while we enjoy our doom buggy.

My daughter is 19 and feels the same as yours. She gets a nutella waffle while we ride (sometimes i skip it too...for the waffle!)

 

[Tink9721]

Character Meets?

Your story brought back a funny memory from my families first trip to WDW...even though it wasn't so funny at the time.

Our first day was at AK, and the first thing we decided to do was It's Tough To Be a Bug. My DD, who was 6 at the time, had the biggest melt down I've ever seen her have about half way through the show. At this point, my DW and I are thinking that this was going to be a terrible trip if she couldn't even make it through a simple show. Well after getting her calmed down, we went and did a character M&G with Mickey and Minnie. For whatever reason, it seemed to completely turn the trip around, and the Its Tough to Be a Bug Show was the only hiccup we had the entire trip. Granted, she's 9 now and still refuses to see that show, but I'm hopeful that one day she'll give it another try...

The same exact thing happened to me on my first trip. 6 years old, and that was my first ever Disney attraction. My parents hadn't been to WDW since AK opened, so they didn't realize how scary the show was. It totally freaked me out. That same trip I was also scared of Pirates, HM, and the Great Movie Ride. I wasn't a brave kid

Clearly it didn't scar me for life or scare me away from Disney - we just booked my 15th trip It did take a few years to get me back to It's Tough to be a Bug though. I'm in my 20's now and it still freaks me out a little

 

[Eword1004]

I could've sworn I have read before that you could skip the first part the dark shrinking room of HM...and just do the ride?? I am too worried about what all may freak my almost 3 year old out Haunted mansion is one of my favorites!!!

 

[Robo]

I could've sworn I have read before that you could skip the first part the dark shrinking room of HM...and just do the ride??

Just ask a CM greeting outside the HM gates.

 

[Eword1004]

Just ask a CM greeting outside the HM gates.

this is so good to know I personally think that is the main part that would scare my little boy.... thank you robo

 

[limabeanmom2003]

I made a similar mistake with my son when he was 4. It was our first time to Universal and I took him on the King Kong ride. What a mistake! I couldn't get him on a dark ride in any park until he was about 8 or 9.

Same thing happened to us. We were at Universal with my then 3 year old son. He was tall enough to go on Spider Man so we went on. Scared the daylights out of him and he wouldn't ride another indoor ride at any of the disney or universal parks that trip. I felt terrible. He rode Barnstormer though because he could see the entire ride. Any outdoor ride was ok. It was a running joke in our family for years (how I scared him).

 

[JAMIESMITH]

All kids are different. When my now nine year old was four, she loved HM, but Splash was very scary! She also freaked out in Captain EO. When she was six, Rockin Roller Coaster was awesome, but Everest was really scary and she never would try ToT.

 

[pens4821]

When we went for the first time in many years the first ride we took my just turned 6 year old nephew was Mission Space. I think this was his first time on a thrill ride. We went to Busch Gardens a few times when he was really little, but didn't ride much since he was so young. I hadn't been to Disney in quite some time, and thought it was more like Star Tours. Told him we'd just be going to space on a big screen in front of us. I really thought thats what it was. My mom said he wouldn't like it, but my brother and I took him anyway. When we walked in the capsule I thought, I don't know about this, but thought he'd be ok. As we leaned back he started screaming, and just kept screaming I don't like it, I don't like it the whole time. And the way you're in there, there was really no way for my brother or I to comfort him, other than to try touching his leg telling him it was ok and would be over soon.

That set the tone for most the trip, especially the first couple days. He didn't want to ride much of anything after that. We tried convincing him Test Track was just like a car ride, but he wasn't having it. Especially when we got in line and the car was above us on the track it was loud. He started crying and my mom took him out of line. We did convince him to ride Nemo which he liked (we did it a few times) and Figment, but that was it.

The next few days he just said he wanted to swim. We'd go to a park, and he wouldn't really ride much of anything. Things like Dumbo and Aladdin he was ok with because he could see it. Just said for the next 3 days he wanted to leave and go swimming.

Luckily for us we were doing a split stay, and lied to him and said our next resort didn't have a pool (Contemporary). We then got him on some rides, but didn't even attempt anything with any thrill. We really tried convincing him on rides, but he wasn't having it.

We went again when he was 8 and we had so much more fun. Although he still wasn't into thrill. Wouldn't do mission space of course, big thunder, splash, Everest, rockin roller coaster, 7 dwarfs, or tower of terror. Going again next year (he'll be 10 nearing 11) so hoping that he'll do all those. I think the only 2 he may still be on the fence about is RNRC and TOT, maybe Everest cause it looks high even though we tell him it doesn't go down a big hill.

I know he'd love all those rides, but no matter how much convincing he just won't do them. Now that he's a little older I can reason with him a little more. At our local park I tell him to just remember, if he doesn't like it he never has to do it again and that they only last a couple minutes.

 

[Robo]

Going again next year (he'll be 10 nearing 11) so hoping that he'll do all those. I think the only 2 he may still be on the fence about is RNRC and TOT,

maybe Everest cause it looks high even though we tell him it doesn't go down a big hill.

But, Everest DOES (visually) go down a big hill. (Lots of screaming guests.)

In fact, there's more than one big hill (drop) and one of them is backwards, and in total darkness.

 

[Dakota731]

Though in your brothers defense he didn’t know what the child’s reaction would be. All my daughters loved HM and went on at age four so it depends on the kiddo.

 

[DVCcurious]

I think the only 2 he may still be on the fence about is RNRC and TOT, maybe Everest cause it looks high even though we tell him it doesn't go down a big hill.

Mom: don’t worry, this ride doesn’t go down a big hill
Son (standing in front of the mountain pointing at people coming out of the hole down the big drop): then what the hell is that?

 

[Dracoa Dragoon]

I remember my dad covering my eyes when the guy decays in the main room, and not letting me see the hanging guy. After that though it was creepy, but you got used to it.

 

[annabelle004]

I'm laughing at all of the "bribe" posts. After spending my fair share of money at Disney on bribes and negotiation tools, and having seen so many families do the same, I wonder what percentage of gift shop sales are bribe-based!

 

[mom2rtk]

I'm laughing at all of the "bribe" posts. After spending my fair share on bribes and negotiation tools, and having seen so many families do the same, I wonder what percentage of gift shop sales are bribe-based!

We've only had one ride based bribe, and it was 7 years ago. We still contribute our share to gift shop sales though.

 

[PatMcDuck]

My husband insisted on Space Mountain for my 3 1/2 year old's first ride. Yes, he was tall enough. No fear, he jumped in the front seat. WELL, it scared him and his 5 year old brother. Every ride after that was met by resistance and fear. The 5 year old would not look out the portholes on the Journey submarines. My husband went to take the boys into the mens room, and they said, will it be scary? And dark? He said, "its the BATHROOM!" That whole day was a bit difficult.

We laugh about the whole thing now. They are 31 and 29, lol. They DO say they are glad we "forced" them on rides when they were young, because they adapted quickly to rides and enjoyed them. However, I remember ruining the magic sometimes, like explaining an attraction was just a movie, and they shake the seats, for example.

With my daughter, we used the REWARD system, not bribe! Haha. Once it was one of those big lollipops, which I would NEVER ordinarily buy! Another time, it was just cotton candy, which we never buy either. Rewards for "trying" a new ride. She always ended up loving the rides, as we expected she would.

 

[mom2rtk]

My husband went to take the boys into the mens room, and they said, will it be scary? And dark? He said, "its the BATHROOM!"