When to make unwilling kid ride?

[Luv Bunnies]

Theme park rides aren't something my kids have to try. We would ask them if they wanted to ride. If not, one of us would sit out with them. No forcing. No encouraging. Their choice. We go to parks to have fun, not to make our kids sad or uncomfortable.

 

[kandb]

I never forced any of my children to go on any rides they were scared of. They all went on the rides when "they" were ready to. It worked out and
they didn't feel forced to do something they were not comfortable doing.

 

[Aurora0427]

My then almost 3 year old, who has always enjoyed rides, became nervous before getting on The Barnstormer for the first time. She told me she didn't want to ride, but we just walked on and buckled in and I told her she'd love it. I knew that she would, and I was right because she cried when it was over and she had to get off. But she wasn't crying or freaking out before we got on the ride- if she had been we would've walked away. I would never force her to ride something like Space Mountain or ToT, although she's already asking when she can ride Space.

Interestingly, she refuses to ride Winnie the Pooh bc the thunderstorm scene scares her, and we don't force it. But she's pumped about finally being tall enough to ride BTMRR in October!

 

[Emagine]

We have never pressured our kids into rides. They know they do not have to ride anything they do not want to ride. They have come around in their own time.

 

[Disney_Trippin]

Curious how others handle kids who are scared to ride. I made my scaredy-cat daughter (probably age 6 at the time) go on Thunder Mountain a couple times - no loud crying, just a pouty face and a little pitiful whimpering. I truly thought (and still think) that she would like it if she just tried. Then when she was almost 8 I tried to get her to ride it again, but she burst into tears, so I didn't make her. But I've already told her that she's trying 7DMT next time, despite her protests (she'll be almost 9), so she has 6 months to get used to the idea .

What do you do? No judging each other please! Keep just keep about your own approach!

I would also encourage you to let her watch youtube videos of the rides as a pp suggested. I was a nanny for two boys ages 5 and 7 and we watched all the rides ahead of time for our first trip. It gives them some idea of what to expect. It also became a fun way to prepare for the trip while we waited!!

 

[AngiTN]

DGD has ridden everything once, to at least try them out. Starting as soon as she was tall enough for the ride. Some she says she never wants to ride again. So next trip well ask again multiple times. If she still says no, we do not make her. Sometimes she decides to ride last minute. Like our trip last week. She finally agreed to try ToT again. Turned out she loved it and we had ride numerous times. But she remained adamant she did not want to do EE again. So she didn't.

 

[bumbershoot]

Peter Pan. Which he had been on 18,000 times. And loved. But that morning he was tired, we were probably all hungry, the sun was bright and the line (at Disneyland) was dark. The darkness was really bugging him, getting to him. So he said he didn't want to ride. I knew better. Talked at length with him as to why we were going on the ride (mostly for the benefit of any nosy people around me), etc etc.

Went, he loved it. Of course.

Whereas between the ages of 4 and 5 (or maybe 5 and 6?) he *hated* POTC. Absolutely refused it. The way he acted with that was totally different than with PP; I could tell he truly meant it and it wasn't just being tired and hungry. So he didn't go on it that year.

First WDW trip he balked, HARD, at Dinosaur. So we left the line. I could tell he meant business, and since none of us had been on it, it wasn't worth the risk. DH was pretty annoyed at DS and at me, but when he exited the ride he said that we were totally correct.

Gotta know your kid.

 

[lizard1]

For me, it would depend on the child and how they were really acting and the child themselves. For instance, my daughter would tell me that she was scared of any of the rides with height restrictions. If she was just hesitant about the ride, I would talk her into at least trying it (and I'm not above bribery...promising an A&E balloon goes a long way for her). However, for some rides she just got herself into a panic. I remember this about RNR....she kept saying all through the line that she wanted to ride and then we got to where we were actually loading and she started freaking out screaming and crying and saying that she was too scared. At that point, I sent her out the exit (dad was waiting with her too short sister there, and my other child was already strapped into the ride).

I would also try to find out exactly what it is that she doesn't like about the ride or what could make her feel more secure when on the ride and then try to solve that problem. For instance, maybe she had an issue on BTMRR because she was riding with you so the restraint didn't feel secure enough for her. If you want her to try 7DMT, you could explain that the restraint is individual and she can make it as tight as she wants. You could also explain that even though the roller coasters feel like they are going very fast, that 7DMT is actually SLOWER than the speed you drive on the highway. I would also let her have a choice of who she wants to sit with on the rides.

Another idea, kind of similar to bribery, would be a quest for riding rides with a reward at the end. The reward could be something that you would plan anyway or an extra treat for the family....just something to get her to try something new. For instance, you could give her a quest in MK to ride Splash, BTMRR, and 7DMT. If she rides all of those you could promise a dinner at BOG or CRT or a makeover at BBB. It wouldn't have to be something that big...she could get a pin or a balloon or something you might already plan to buy her on the trip like a t-shirt or Mickey Bar. If you can still get the paper Disney dollars, you could give her $2 for each ride towards souvenirs of her choice....like a quest to earn spending money.

 

[L&Lfan]

Never. Let them realize they're a wuss when they're ready. Most likely peer pressure will work better than parental encouragement.

 

[Accident]

I wouldn't force any ride on any child. I would encourage them trying, try to show them the ride or how excited some people getting off the ride are. Maybe start smaller with something that are comfortable with and ease up to the larger ride. There's nervous and there's don't want to ride but both have a spot you need to back off.

Now I would not alter my time at a park because i'm with someone that doesn't want to ride anything. If they don't want to ride, they will need to wait and compromise with everyone else that does want to ride who is going ot wait for them or ride with them on what they do want to do. Skipping the ride doesn't get you to something you want faster.

 

[5kidsmommy]

Never.
I don't like roller coasters, my youngest son doesn't like them either. Last trip he didn't do a lot, he's autistic and my husband and I spent lots of time taking turns waiting with him while the others rode rides. My husband would never force me and I won't force any of my kids.

 

[AshleeH]

I never would - it can do more harm than good. My oldest is a thrill-seeker. He's been on every thrill ride except RNR (no loops for him), but he absolutely refuses to ride the tame Haunted Mansion. He's never been on it, but the name and the facade scare him. I know he would enjoy it, but the thought of it just terrifies him. I was able to talk him into Space Mountain (he was nervous, but agreed, and then rode it five more times), but something about HM keeps him away.

Last year, I made a bet with him and was able to talk him into it. There was no line and we got to the stretching room and he looked terrified and miserable. No ride is worth that stress, so I found a CM who showed us to the exit. He was so worried he'd disappointed me and he felt terrible, but I told him choosing not to ride something is not a big deal.

His life will not be affected one way or another by a theme park ride.

 

[mummabear]

I would show her a u tube video for the ride. This way you are taking away the unknown factor about the ride. Getting the free DVD Disney video might be good to watch, too.

Is it possible your daughter may have motion sickness with these rides?

I would encourage to try a ride if she doesn't get sick at least once. I would reward her in some small way for accomplishing the ride. Maybe, create a card with certain rides you would like her to try. Let's say you give her 8 rides to choose from and if she goes on six of the eight she can have a souvenir or whatever.

What a cool idea!

have the opposite problem. My DD who is 4, and will be almost 5 at the time of our trip, wants to go on EVERYTHING! She even wants to do TOT which I really don't think she is ready for, even though she's tall enough

DD has been riding it since she was 3 our other DD who is now 3 cannot wait to ride it...

 

[Hunterr]

Never force, but bribing and over explaining things can help

If you can get them on at least ONE "thrill" ride, you can always say "its like that one thing, but instead of THIS, it does THIS", and take it from there.

Explaining Test Track as simply being a car ride is a good way, for example, at explaining what it is.

 

[Minniesgal]

Never

 

[firstimeirishman]

Or first day will be at Ak, so our plan has our first ride as EE, my Dd6 will be tall enough but only experience is on a small kiddiecoaster (we can count the number of real coasters in Ireland on one hand, maybe finger depending on your definition lol), I don't want to scare her or put her off on the first ride so would Everest be a bit much, even if she is up for it,

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

This is a rough one. You don't want a child to b afraid of something they shouldn't need to be afraid of, but forcing them is not going to help anyone.

I would talk and show my kids everything about the attraction to show them there is nothing to be afraid of. That often worked, especially after the other kids went on the ride. Often letting them see the other kids happily exiting the ride would move them to try. Otherwise, we waited until they were ready.

AKK

 

[thr33boys]

My middle son had just turned 5 the previous month on our first trip, we went on Dinosaur. He was just following along and when he got off he said he didn't really like it but wasn't upset about it. The following year as we were going through the turnstiles, he suddenly started to remember something and started to freak out. I talked to him, calmed him down and he agreed to go on it. When he got off the ride, he had a big smile on his face and said 'it was awesome'!

I agree with you have to know your child. I just didn't want him to miss out on something I knew he'd really enjoy.

 

[labdogs42]

I'm a firm believer in not forcing the kids to try rides they say they aren't ready for, but I know there are kids out there that need a little encouragement to try rides and then they love them. My son is not one of those. Even when he chooses to go on a ride for the first time, he often comes off the ride and says "never again"! LOL. Every kid is different.

 

[Delirium]

Part of being a parent is helping a child overcome fears. Would we say 'never' if the question was about helping a young child overcome the fear of sleeping by themselves in their own bed? What if a child is scared of escalaters? Do we always go out of our way to find an elevator? What if elevators scare them too? Do we keep them on the first floor of a building at all times?

There is a fine line here. Children should not be forced to go on a ride, but backing down the first time they show a little uncertainty is not the right approach either.

I think having them watch the exit and observe other children their age getting off the ride smiling, laughing, and being excited works very well. Let them know it's just not adults that can enjoy the ride. If that doesn't work, then offering encouragement, support, and maybe even a little reward are perfectly acceptable.

Bottom line is that dragging them on kicking an screaming is not the answer, but 'never' is not the best approach either.