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| Here's a throwback to 2001 with our 3 Year Old, almost 2 Year Old and Pregnant with my daughter! |
**PARENT TIP**
FOR THOSE
WITH YOUNG CHILDREN
It’s always a challenge to
guess what kids will be scared of and what doesn’t bother them. I always encourage people not to push their
kids onto rides that look scary to their child.
As your vacation progresses, they will likely come to realize there is
nothing that will hurt them and they will get braver if allowed to figure this
out on their own terms. However, if you
get them on a ride they didn’t want to go on and it is scary for them, you will
have them doubting the rides and what you say about the rides all week. The same holds true for approaching the
characters. The costumed characters can
be really scary for many children. In my
experience, the characters are very good about dealing with this. If your child
is afraid, the “face” characters such as the princesses etc. are usually much
less scary. When not forced, the timid
child usually comes around by the end of the vacation. Either way, looking from afar can be all that
is needed.
When my daughter was
little, sometimes parts of rides, like on the Pirates of the Caribbean, felt
too scary for her. My husband would have
her sit on his lap and would drape his jacket (or blankie etc.) over her and
told her she was safe under the magic blanket.
This seemed to work for her if she was unsure or wanted to go on a ride
but was afraid of certain parts. She
could peek out when she was feeling brave and duck under when she wasn’t. I always encourage people not to push their
kids but sometimes, the situation arises and you find yourself with a very
frightened child. This strategy might work for you too… but only
for tame rides with potentially scary images – not roller coasters etc!!
