On our last trip in November, we watched a mother drag her son (about 9 years old) kicking and screaming onto the Star Tours ride. Clearly he was terrified of this ride and it was also apparent that the mother had been having trouble getting him onto any of the major attractions. As he cried (screaming actually) and grabbed for handrails in the fastpass line, the mother dragged him along, tried to calm him down, and apologized to others in line as she went.
I felt sorry for her, knowing how expensive is a trip to WDW, and how this child and this experience may spoil what should be a magical family vacation. I wonder if they got him onto any rides at all, after that experience.
My children are both theme park "warriors", and have grown into these rides over the span of several years. We never had to do much coaxing.
Maybe this becomes a problem for older children who have never been to a theme park, or for children who have been overly protected. I don't know. But, I don't think this lady handled the situation properly. My guess is that there is no short-cut solution for these children. I think the boy needs time and experience with smaller rides first, and gradually work his way up to the big rides. It may take an afternoon, several days, or perhaps several trips, but I would certainly recommend this over the "shock treatment" approach this lady attempted.
Does anyone have good strategy for this type of situation?
I felt sorry for her, knowing how expensive is a trip to WDW, and how this child and this experience may spoil what should be a magical family vacation. I wonder if they got him onto any rides at all, after that experience.
My children are both theme park "warriors", and have grown into these rides over the span of several years. We never had to do much coaxing.
Maybe this becomes a problem for older children who have never been to a theme park, or for children who have been overly protected. I don't know. But, I don't think this lady handled the situation properly. My guess is that there is no short-cut solution for these children. I think the boy needs time and experience with smaller rides first, and gradually work his way up to the big rides. It may take an afternoon, several days, or perhaps several trips, but I would certainly recommend this over the "shock treatment" approach this lady attempted.
Does anyone have good strategy for this type of situation?