Children Who Are or Seem to Be Afraid

[Miythandria]

While at KI last week, I saw something happen that I'd never seen before.  A gentleman was getting onto The Beast with his granddaughter.  She appeared to be 6-7 years of age.  She was crying quite a bit and did not wish to ride.  Her grandfather kept telling her that she would like the ride.  After she was buckled in, she was still crying (not screaming, just crying).  The worker asked her if she wanted to ride.  She stopped crying and hesitated for a moment.  Her grandfather said, "Yes, she wants to ride."  The worker told the grandfather that the child herself had to say that she wanted to ride.  The girl sniffed a little and said, "Yes."  

 

After the ride, the girl was laughing, hugging, and actually thanking her grandfather.  

 

I go to Kings Island a lot during the summer and have had a pass since 1986, but I have never heard an employee specifically state that the crying child had to verbally agree to the ride.  Is this a new rule?  Or have I just not seen it before?

 

Either way, I'm glad it wasn't in force when I started putting my kids on the big rides.  They were always terrified getting on and thrilled getting off.

[TheCandyManCan]

It's been there for years. If a child looks stressed and distraught they need to make sure the child is alright and wants to ride. Last thing the parks want is a screaming anxiety driven child who doesn't want to ride and is scared for their life trying to get off the ride say on a lift hill, or worse during the ride. Many bad things could happen. I've seen it before, parents want to ride the rides and get their kids on them for them to have a good day, and the kid clearly doesn't want to ride and says no. Parents kinda pressures/hazes the kid, but the park won't have it and asks the parent and child to exit. Safety is key, and always will be.

[darkrider68]

 Her grandfather said, "Yes, she wants to ride."  

 

 

What a jerk.

[Tr0y]

I saw these 2 crying kids being forced by their mother to ride Diamondback. They left the station crying, and soon returned smiling ear to ear. Just like mama bird teaching her chicks to fly, it's called tough love..

[RollerNut]

Her grandfather said, "Yes, she wants to ride."

What a jerk.

I do it to my daughter....

Only on one ride has she not wanted to ride again. Southern Star(Carowinds), everything else, within ten minutes...."Daddy, can we ride _____ again"

[KIBeast]

I almost did this on my most recent visit to Camden Park. I wanted to get one lap on Big Dipper and my 6 year old son said he didn't want to ride. I started to drag him, but didn't because I wanted to do what he wanted to. Now, I'm wondering if I shouldn't have because he's been on it several times and likes it. He just isn't into night rides yet. We went on it after dark and I think the tunnel scared him. He hates the dark.

[Browntggrr]

Most parents learn quickly how far they can push their kids.  As Tr0y mentioned- tough love.

 

My youngest will look at food she has never tried and scream yuck.  Some parents will allow their kids to be a picky eater.  But me as big bad dad will just take her phone away until she at least tries some of it.  Typically she likes it.

 

I did the same with TTD.  She loved it.  Not so much with X-Scream at Waldameer, which she still hates.  When going to KI her first time & seeing Drop Tower, before even asking she told me to keep the phone.  She didn't go on.

 

Yes, she still has her phone.  

[dtk1378]

I saw something similar on Woodstock Express last week. A girl was looking quite afraid to ride the ride and there was a supervisor nearby (at least I think she was, she was dressed nicer than the rest). The supervisor came over to the girl and talked to her really calmly and made the girl feel at ease to ride the ride. I thought the supervisor did an excellent job and it never seemed like she was pushing the girl to ride, just explained to her how the ride goes. I completely forgot about it until I saw this thread, I meant to give kudos to the supervisor at Guest Relations but forgot.

[benny1388]

My youngest stepson just overcame his fear. He did it himself, though...well, mostly.

 

We encouraged him, but promised him we'd never force him, to ride. But that also meant he'd have to sit and wait for us. I honestly think he decided he'd rather be scared than bored and realized it's fun.

[shark6495]

Most parents learn quickly how far they can push their kids.  As Tr0y mentioned- tough love.

 

My youngest will look at food she has never tried and scream yuck.  Some parents will allow their kids to be a picky eater.  But me as big bad dad will just take her phone away until she at least tries some of it.  Typically she likes it.

 

I did the same with TTD.  She loved it.  Not so much with X-Scream at Waldameer, which she still hates.  When going to KI her first time & seeing Drop Tower, before even asking she told me to keep the phone.  She didn't go on.

 

Yes, she still has her phone.  

 

I feel for your daughter.  Drop Tower is a ride as a grown adult I only conquer once every few years....

[KIBeast]

I agree with you on Drop Tower.

 

Good advice, folks.

 

That was pretty cool of that supervisor to do that for that girl dtk.

[Diamondback96]

My mom has a saying: "Try it once. If you don't like it, you don't have to ride it again." I don't think it's exactly that, but that's the gist of it. She used this to get us on the roller coasters, Drop Tower, etc. And especially Tower of Terror at WDW. That's her favorite ride ever. She made everyone try it (besides me, I was pretty young at the time, and my brother I think) and my dad and sister despised it. I believe my sister still has a mild fear of elevators, and she's almost 25!

 

Last time we went to KI (I believe 2012, pretty sure we decided to only go to HW in 2011), my dad and I used this against her. She did not want to ride WindSeeker at all, but we told her she needed to ride it at least once. She did, and she ended up hating it.

 

The only rides this never applied to were upcharges.

[Dieseltech20]

They have been doing this for a long time. First time we tried to get our Daughter to ride Adventure Express she freaked out. She was fine until she hit the seat, then the tears started flowing. We were politely told that she could not ride in that condition. The next season we decided to just ask "Do you want to try this now" once and leave it at that. It worked because eventually she rode AE, Racer and finally The Beast. She loves them all.

 

Next step is getting her on a big Steel Coaster. She rode Cheetah Hunt last Summer and enjoyed it, even the inversion. She isn't too fond of extreme heights.

 

My Son started out riding most anything we asked him about. These days though, he won't ride much of anything. 

[Thrill_Biscuit]

Sometimes I start talking aloud to whoever I'm with about how roller coasters are just like big "sled rides," and the nearby parents will say, "Yeah, did you hear that? It's just a big sled ride." Then as the kid starts calming down, they start asking the ubiquitous questions about flying off, and then they get their first lesson in observing the amazing up-stop and side-friction wheels, which a great many first-time riders have never really noticed before.

[KatieF]

I used to be the kid who would cry in line if I was being forced to ride something I was scared of. Heck, if you still try to make me ride something that I'm not up for, I'll probably give you a good cussing and cry still. 

 

So, in a way, I'm really glad to see that KI employees don't send sobbing children away on a roller coaster without at least talking to the parents and asking if this is really what they want to do. In my case when I was younger, the people who make me ride stuff (whether it was  my parents, friends, or my sister)-- it was because they wanted to ride it and didn't want to worry about me waiting for them. 

 

My sister took me to KI when I was 12 or 13 (she's 8 years older than me), and I did really well for a few rides. I rode The Beast, Racer, and Vortex with no problems-- but I really didn't enjoy Vortex well. I was still scared of going upside down, but I TRIED it. She wanted to ride FOF next, and it just terrified me. We waited in the queue line while I cried and hyperventilated and finally we ended up literally hitting each other because she wouldn't let me leave. When we got up to the train, I bolted towards the chicken exit while her and her boyfriend rode angrily. We left the park afterwards without me getting to choose what I wanted to ride even though we went for my birthday. Now that I'm older, I know that she did it because my mother told her to not leave me alone in the park-- but it was a bad memory. It's funny to tell, but I won't even get near FOF now and I'm completely okay with it.

 

So, forcing a kid to ride something is one thing if it's Haunted Mansion or another tame ride intended for children, but I'm completely in support of not letting a kid ride if they're not ready for it. Not always, but it might create a really terrible memory and scare kids off in the future. 

[LoraX]

I have been at Kings Island all but one day so far this season. I don't know if it's because I am there more or because my daughter works there and I pay more attention, but the ride ops seem to ask the child if they want to ride. I have seen many ride ops put the child's mind at ease and they get them to ride. I have seen a time or two where the ride op will ask the child and the child says no they don't want to ride and they let them off the coaster.

I have been fortunate that aside from one circumstance (son was terrified of riding Phantom Theater) my children have always rode coasters without tears.

[Tr0y]

My first coaster ride was on AE, my dad convinced me to ride and even tho I was scared I didn't cry. ( at first ) we reach the first lift hill and while looking to my left I see this huge wooden structure with a loop. ( SOB ) and not thinking much as a kid I thought both the rides were connected and we where heading that way. Than I began to cry, my dad laughed the till the end.

[Miythandria]

Thanks for all of the input, everyone.  It is a difficult line to draw.  Each child is different and has his own way of dealing with things.  I've never taken a crying child on a ride, but I have told each of my children (6 total) that "one needs to try a ride at least once."  Then again, I pretty much know my children.  

 

The only time I've regretted this decision was on the Haunted Train Ride (not sure of its official name) at KI.   I thought it was a train ride ONLY.  I convinced my grandson (10) and youngest daughter (13) to ride.  These two kids loved going to Halloween Haunt, but just don't want to visit the actual "haunted attractions." All of the adults agreed to put them in the middle of the train bench.  Well, we didn't know they would make us get off and walk.  My daughter, who is not much of a cryer, cried all of the way home...and we live an hour away.

[blue171717]

This thread struck a nerve with me... I have a friend who totally coddles and babies her 7 year old son and they got gold passes last year at his request then only went twice and he rode exactly one ride the whole season.  Over and over, he would get into line for something, wait until he got almost to the front of the line then say "I'm not riding that and neither are you" and she would just say to my daughter and I, we'll wait for you at the exit, and lead him calmly away.  The kid even jumped off the train after we had been on it and waiting for 5 minutes, AFTER it was cleared to go, freaking the poor girl working there out, and declared he wasn't riding it and neither were we, so we were forced to get off to get him then walk all the way to the waterpark.  This drives me nuts!  I can see not making a screaming crying toddler go on a ride, however a whiney older kid can be reasoned with and needs a push to try new things or they are going to miss out on everything fun in life and be afraid of everything forever.  I kind of feel like if just once she had stood up to the kid and said, no suck it up and get on the ride, he would have gotten over it and enjoyed coming to the park the rest of the summer.  I have always made my 7 year old daughter at least try something before she makes judgement and now she's one awesome independant kid.  She had never been to an amusement park prior to last summer and she rode everything she was tall enough for from day one.  She's like a hair from being tall enough for Diamond Back this summer and she told me she is kind of afraid because of how steep the first hill looks but that she would try it anyway if I hold her hand.  Love her .

[Browntggrr]

^Some parents believe not "pushing" your child & let them find things out on their own is a good thing.

They are so terribly wrong.

Allowing that type of behavior is bad parenting. It sets the child up for failure later in life.

But let's face it (and I am going to apologize in advance for being blunt) the mother purchased season passes not knowing if the child even liked rides?? She does not have the greatest decision making skills......

[shark6495]

I learned the hard way last season with my niece.  She had been trooper all day hanging in the kids area with my son.  Then my niece wanted some bigger rides.  She is 9 or 10 years old.  I thought she was ready for The Beast.  She was absolutely fine till we climbed the lift hill.  Then the terror look, then the drop, then the sobbing, then she hit her head on the seat divider.  More tears.  She got off never wanting to ride another coaster.  That was the time I saw Lorax at the park.  Good first meet up, me and a crying niece.  Haha... well by the end of the day she was talking about Beast but saying she doesnt think she will ride it again....

 

Lesson learned for my son.  Only push him on one new ride per visit instead of 9 new ones haha...

[The Interpreter]

Much also depends on the kid. Some kids secretly want to be pushed. Others are bull headed, self reliant types that no amount of pushing is a good idea. Logic might work, but pressure? Nope.

Terp...who bets you know which type of kid he was/is.

[shark6495]

Well he's 2 so right now Peanuts 500 is his jam!!! Also last year he loved Boo Blasters... Don't know yet for this season

[LoraX]

Shark, I felt bad she had a bad experience. You were great with her though.

You do need to know your children. I have taken my children to amusement parks since they were weeks old, so riding rides (coasters and flats) have been normal for them as long as they can remember. Had we not gone to parks, they may have been harder to get them on rides.

Princess Sparkles really does not like drop type rides or WindSeeker, but will try them if she has not ridden a new type. She willingly rode the Big Droppy Thing last summer and probably would never do that again. However, she loves Xtreme Skyflyer.

[shark6495]

I'm hoping if I play the "you can't ride this yet because you are not big enough" will grow a want to ride for him. So when his time comes it's a joyful anticipation versus a dreaded experience.

[LoraX]

I think just being around the park from the time they are young really helps. Most kids I know that have gone since they were young have always been ready to ride when they are tall enough.

[KIDB]

New to the forum and I've been lurking for awhile.

This is our first year for Gold Passes and my kids had only been to KI once before (they are 5 & 8). My 8yo is tall enough for everything, but pretty scared of most of it considering I got her on Delirium last year and she was terrified and won't ride it now.

After three trips this season, my bribing and coaxing finally worked. For a $20 gift shop purchase and color changing nail polish, I got her on Banshee last weekend. She absolutely loved it! She teared up in line but calmed herself down as we got up there. If she were hysterical I wouldn't have done it, but I knew it would open up a whole experience for her this summer if she got over the fear now.

[ohioparksrock]

I've been lucky to have a kid who rode Millennium Force at age 5 and rides everything but Drop Tower now (I won't ride it either!). Her friends who have had passes since they were little will barely ride anything even now at age 8-10. The non riders are the kids who aren't quite as logical as she is though. They all tend to be more artsy and don't want to understand the science behind a ride.

[The Interpreter]

Welcome to KIC, KIDB!

[KIDB]

Thank you, Terp, looking forward to sticking around!

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