Would you ever MAKE your child get on a ride?

[DawnM]

Yeah, this is pretty much what we have done too.

My 10 year old still doesn't like EE, but my 8 year old loves it! Actually, my 8 year old will go on anything and is very daring, my 10 year old is more cautious.

My 4 year old is easy because basically, he just wants to "be like his older brothers" and so will be brave even if he is scared!

Dawn

the rule I made for my step kids was "Every ride you are tall enough to ride, we go on at least once. If you don't like it after the first time you don't have to go on again. But you have to ride it once."

My husband and I see it as we didn't organize this trip to Disney so we could sit on the sidelines. We try everything once...cuz you never know unless you try!

that being said, your little ones are really too small to have this sort of conversation with. I'd just go on all the rides, keep my voice and attitude light and happy...if they don't think you are freaking out, they probably won't either! It's good to encourage kids to do things they may seem timid about. It keeps them from fostering and really hanging on to "FEARS".

have fun!!!

 

[Disneylvr]

My DD has no fear and will go on anything. We don't find out until afterwards (or during) whether or not it bothers her and so far the only attractions she hasn't like was the Bug movie at AK. And no, I would never make her get on a ride but our circumstances may be a bit different than most. Our DD has autism.

 

[Camno's Mama]

Yes, I would make them do it if it was something I thought they could handle. My ds is overly cautious about everything. He has to have that nudge from us. My little one is completely the opposite. Neither of them is the screaming and kicking type when it comes to that kind of stuff though. If they were that upset, I would not make them do it. Every situation is different, I guess. Every kid is different.

As for the pp that asked why bring your kids there if they're not up for the rides? Well, because you like it, too? Because it's a family vacation? Because maybe you didn't realize how afraid they would be until after the money is spent? It's our job to expose them to the world...as I said, my son would rather stay in the front yard half the time. But they can't do it their whole life! It's a chance for them to conquer a fear with their parents beside them! I guess we as parents just have to be careful about how we do it! Never hurts to have some candy or ice cream available when you get off the ride! I'm not above bribery on a vacation!

 

[SmallWorld71]

Just make sure you know what you are getting into before you go on a ride. My DD was 4 1/2 when we went to Disney last summer. We started our 1st morning off slowly with rides like the carousel and Small World. I've been on the rides before and I always told her ahead of time what the ride was like and then let her make up her own mind. I also talked her through anything she was a little nervous on (ex. on Splash Mountain I told her when the drops were coming.) She ended up trying everything that she was tall enough for except ToT, the Haunted Mansion and Snow White. I'm always upbeat and encouraging with the kids as well as honest about what to expect and I think this is the best way to be. While I do try to encourage them on to rides I think they will like, I've never forced any of them to go on anything. (Well, that's not completely true. I told the 11 year old he had to go on Small World and pretend to like it because it was my favorite ride. He was quite funny on the ride exclaiming his joy at all the dancing dolls. )
Don't worry I'm sure you'll have fun and they will be fine. But, even if they go on NOTHING there is still plenty of fun for kids that age at Disney.

 

[aidansmom]

IMHO, I think 2 1/2 is a little young to try to force a frightened child onto a ride.
We brought our neice and nephew to WDW several years ago - at the time our nephew was just 3. He was TERRIFIED of just about every ride, so my dh would take our neice on the rides and I would walk around with our nephew, checking out shops and watching all the activity from a safe distance (he loved this).
Often, we would wait in line with my dh and neice. He would be fine until right as we were about to board the ride, and then he would panic. The third day of the trip, he was able to articulate that "people weren't coming back" - in his eyes the carts, seats, etc. were leaving with people on them and returning empty. He thought we were going to get lost in the ride!!! Once we explained to him that this was not the case, he did great and enjoyed a number of rides. But I was glad that we hadn't pushed him before, since his fear was so genuine.

On the other hand, don't assume that they'll be afraid. When we brought our 23 month old ds a couple of years ago, he was hysterical that he couldn't go on Splash Mountain! He was so caught up in the excitement of everything that it was as if nothing could frighten him.
At any rate, have a great time !

 

[juliana_sd]

Hello!? What about my DD pressuring me to go on ToT and the Teacups? Last time it was just she and I so she couldn't go on anything alone so I had no choice.

This is me. I don't like thrill rides so I'm talking him OUT of stuff! He is really wary though because he insisted on going on Atlantis at Sea World, and it scared him to death. So he won't go on anything that is remotely like a flume OR a coaster.

I would never talk him into something on the spot. I would rather have him miss a ride but have a lower stress day, than to have him freaked out by something he was apprehensive about in the first place.

 

[lori123]

Well, we got asked to get off of a ride because my son was crying and didn't want on once (Splash Mountain!)

That same son also cried and kicked because he was scared to go on Test Track. We made him get on. When he got off he immediately asked if we could do that same ride 3 more times. he did the exact same thing on Rockin' Roller Coaster a few years later! We just know he is a kid afraid to try new things but that 99% of the time, after he tries is, he will love it.

We each know our children. We have generally said that we want them to TRY the ride before judging it, but we only do this at Disney because we know there really aren't very many "scary" rides.

Dawn

Yup - that happened to us too. DD is scared of a lot of rides. We found one we thought she would like and tried to make her get on. The attendant stopped our car and asked dd what was wrong and if she wanted to ride. Told us to get off because she has to give her consent (she was 6 at the time). I was kinda peeved at first - afterall she is my child - but quickly realized it was not safe to force her - what if she freaked out midride and tried to "escape". Also - not to nice to do to her - I'm sure it didn't ease her fears any. Not my proudest mommy moment. They were nice enough to let DH and DS go and when they got back around DH got off and I was allowed to immediately get on and ride again with DS.

DD still LOVES going - she gets much more out of shows, characters and riding the rides she see's as "safe". It works out good for me because I can get motion sick so there are quite a few I can't ride either. She has been to Disneyland/Disney World 3 times and she gets braver with each trip. Although she is now refusing to go back to the World because of the thunderstorms.

 

[_queenie_]

Yes, I made my DS get on Maelstrom last month, but he has no excuse, he's 17!

With kids that age, I wouldn't force them on if they have a legitimate reason not to go, but if they are just whining "I don't feel like it" I don't see any harm.

 

[momamy]

I explain to my dd what the ride is and does and she decides if she is ready or not! No need forcing her into something and (gasp) making her hate it!

i feel so bad for those kids who parents bully them! ya can see hpow afraid they are and ya know its gonna turn out bad

 

[Anc96]

I answered before I read the first post.

You know your children. If you think they'd really enjoy it... I would think it's fine to STRONGLY nudge them. But I still think if they're kicking and screaming, it's not a good idea. What IF they don't like it afterall... not only are they very upset, but the surrounding people aren't too happy either. And, they'll think you're pretty rotten for doing it to.

My dd will say yes or no.. depending on her mood (even when she was younger). If she says no.. she'll not like it, even if she really does
So I never made her go on anything she doesn't want to. I'm fortunate though.. she wants to go on everything.
Did I say fortunate? It's ME who doesn't want to go on everything (EE, RnRC, ToT)... but I do. After the scare .. I kinda like it

 

[dis75ney]

My DS, 7, is the one forcing DH and I to go on the rides!!! We live near a Six Flags park and every year he asks if he's tall enough to ride the biggest roller coaster there! We say no, and he drags us to any ride he IS tall enough to ride, which include several that go upside down...bear in mind, my son is very slender and looks like he'll fall through the overhead harness on the first loop, so I'm grabbing on to him for dear life and he says, "Mom, you're hurting my hand!"

 

[Aliceacc]

No, I absolutely would not force my kids onto a ride.

We have never forced our kids to sit for a picture with Santa or the Easter Bunny. I could never see the point of forcing them to have my idea of fun, when it quite clearly is not their idea of fun.

Each person is allowed to have fears, or likes and dislikes. Some, I have to make them get over (like my 5 year old who HATES medicine but needed the antibiotic for her double ear infection last week. Sorry, honey, but you have to do this anyway because I'm the mom.)

But something like a ride, that I'm hoping they'll enjoy? Nope. Then it becomes about ME and what I think they'll enjoy, instead of them making their own decisions. If I did force them and they were terrified, how on earth could I explain why I did that to my child? If they miss out on something they might have enjoyed, I can live with that much more easily than the alternative.

I got to choose the vacation, the resort, the ADRs, the airline-- they're allowed to choose what they like and dislike.

 

[Karel]

You have to remember that developmentally a young child of one or two doesn't know fear, they don't know how to be scared of something.

Around three or four, when they become more independent and start to develop a sense of self, children start to fear things and start to understand the concept of 'scary'. At this age, also, they cannot rationalize things - or more, you can't rationize with them. This develops at a later stage of development, when you can 'talk them' into things.

I would never force a child, esp. one so young. A child's fear may be different than an adult's fear, but they are just as real.

 

[katie111]

I think the good thing about Disney is that your kids really can't see most of the rides until you are actually on them. So they really have no idea what they are going on until they are actually on it. We first went to Disney when our kids were 3.5 and almost 2.5. They went on almost everything because they didn't know what anything was. And they did fine on most of the rides. We went again at 4.5 and 3 and again they were fine on most things (but they are not daredevils....no ToT, Everest, Splash Mountain or anything like that). My Dd went on Soarin & Test Track for the first time & liked both but didn't want to go on again. We went to just MK a few weeks ago, they were 5.5 and & almost 4.5 and they barely wanted to go on anything. I thought since they were finally both tall enough they would want to do SM and TM but they both refused. They also wouldn't go on the Haunted Mansion & Pirates, both of which they liked last time. And neither of them would even do the Barnstormer. My DS was also suddenly afraid of Peter Pan, Snow White, and Buzz. Since I know he liked them last time I did sort of drag him on those and he did totally fine. I have to admit I was a little frustrated. I was like you were fine on these rides at ages 2 and 3 but can't go on them now?

I guess my point is that you should be fine your first time out because they won't know what to expect. I found subsequent trips much harder.

 

[kandb]

To the mother who FORCED her child onto Tower of Terror, she deserves to rot in H*LL. What kind of mother would force a child on a ride like that, that is very scary, especially when the child is hysterical, kicking and screaming they don't want to go on. I also think it's a shame no one said anything or tried to stop her, in my book, this is child ABUSE. That mother sounds like one sick puppy. Linda

 

[Tam1067]

I saw a mom and dad humiliating their son (he looked about 8 or 9) about riding Dinosaur. They were calling him a baby and really being terrible. That's inexcusable. No parent should ever do that, nor should parents force their child on a ride. Most of the time, the parents don't want to be inconvenienced; that's all it is. Disney provides so much fun that you can go and never ride ToT or Dinosaur or whatever ride and still have a blast.

My DD rode Soarin' once and did not like it. She chickened out at the very last second on Star Tours. She refuses to go on any of the coaster rides, and you know, that's how it is for now. We split up and swap kids. Life's like that sometimes. When she's older, maybe she'll go on them, but then again, maybe not.

My middle DS won't go on ToT, and that's perfectly OK with me. Maybe when he's older he will, and maybe he won't. He'll still be a happy kid who has fun at WDW.

Parents need to listen to their children. Verbally abusing or forcing a child to ride something is not right.

 

[scrapnmom]

My kids were almost the same age when we went in Nov. DS changed his mind about getting on Peter Pan right at the last second, I have no idea why. He had gone on it at age 2 and loved it. I was not happy since we had waited a good 10 minutes in line and but I was not about to force him (and of course he wanted to go on it as soon as DH and DD got done!). Our DD was a little over 2 and she went on everything we took her on as she didn't know what to expect.

When we did Soarin', there was a maybe 8 yr old boy who was saying he didn't want to go the entire time in line. They got in, sat down, and the kid started sobbing. The CM came over and he and the mom left. When the show was over and the rest of the family came out they were waiting and the rest of the family started berating him, calling him baby, etc. I felt so bad for the kid.

My DS went on Soarin' twice (we had to child swap for DD) and loved it. I think it really helped that we had watched the YouTube video of it beforehand. In the video, you could see the seats and how they lifted up in the air.

 

[tinaninea]

Last year, we went for DS 5th b-day. I had to make him get on quite a few rides. They were all small rides, like It's a Small World & Peter Pan. If I didn't do it, he would not have ridden anything. He is very skiddish about just about everything new. He loved the rides and we rode them all several times!

 

[moredisneyplease]

My 3 year old boy is a pirate finatic but starts to get upset as we approach the front of the line at POC (we are SoCal residents who frequest The Land). He does get on with a little resistance and insists on sitting on my lap but once we get past the dark part at the beginning and in to the actual pirate area he really likes it. HOWEVER, he never requests to do it again right away like he does with other rides.

 

[hoosiergirl7]

I voted yes as long as it's not scary and you know they'll like it once they're on it.

The first time DS went to WDW was about 3 months before turning 3 and he enjoyed everything we went on even Haunted Mansion. Although after we got off we asked him if he wanted to go on it again and he said no, but the next day we were back at MK and he was insisting on going on it.

I'm also lucky that DS has very little to almost no fear. He's definitely going to be one of those kids that wants to go on the biggest, scariest roller coasters. He's wanting to do it now but doesn't meet the 48" height requirements.