Comments on: Happiest Place on Earth

By: Shalee

Shalee — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 21:19:34 +0000

I don’t do the roller coaster thing, but I would love to do the Disney thing. Someday we’ll be in a place where we can enjoy our day in a park; until then, I’ll find things around home to make the kids need therapy. I’m good at that.

By: Kitty

Kitty — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 16:45:47 +0000

Lucky you there was no “inciden” at the carousel. My five year had a major fit for the entire ride because his horrible mother had put him on the pink horse instead of the orange one (shoot me, pink has always been his favorite color).

By: Wendy

Wendy — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:24:19 +0000

We had a similar story at the local Six Flags. My younger daughter, Catherine, was looking forward to riding a roller coaster, and after listening to her two older siblings rhapsodize over the “Batman” coaster, she was determined that that would be the one.

I have to point out that although I have nothing against coasters, Catherine has CP with a seizure disorder, but the seizures don’t seem to be sparked by any one thing so I figured we could try one and see how it went.

All the way into the park, all I heard from her was “Where’s the rollercoasters? I want to go on the coaster first!”

I let the two older kids go off on their own, and my B-I-L and I took the two younger ones. He agreed to take Cath on a not-so-large coaster while I found a smaller ride for Adam, the youngest kid at 4. We met up afterwards.

Catherine firmly stated that she would never, NEVER, go on another roller coaster. She flatly refused for the rest of the day to try any ride that wasn’t geared for three-year-olds.

Joe, the B-I-L, looked kind of white around the edges also. When the kids weren’t listening, he told me that Cath had spent the entire ride screaming, and he was just petrified that she’d have a seizure in the middle of the ride, so he spent it hugging her and trying to comfort her.

He has no kids of his own and tolerates mine with barely maintained patience. So at that point, he abandoned me and went off on HIS own.

But at least we tried.

By: Thea @ I'm a Drama Mama

Thea @ I'm a Drama Mama — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 21:40:38 +0000

I can’t wait to take the kids to WDW. I fear the same reaction from my older one though. He’s not so good with “new experiences”…

By: Kim

Kim — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 20:53:56 +0000

I shudder at the memories this post brought back. My dad made me ride the regular roller coaster at the state fair when I was 8 years old. I threw up. Again and again.

My kids are not chips off the old block. Their excitement quotient is higher than mine by far, and even higher than my hubby (who dreams of going hang gliding in the mountains). When they outgrew the kiddie rides and I no longer had an excuse to ride the carousel, I was SO SAD.

By: Sally

Sally — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 19:40:15 +0000

I’m laughing SO hard! I grew up in LA, so going to Disneyland wasn’t a big deal because, well, we went there all the time! But now, being stationed in the southeast for the last 9 years, our one bribe upon hearing that we were moving to FL was “But we’ll be by Disney World!” Apparently NOT looking at the map and realizing that we are actually much closer to Alabama (as in, 10 miles away) than Orlando. Sigh… I don’t think we’ll be allowed to move from here without a trip to Disney World, “squarey” voices and all!

And kudos to you for making Jensen recant and name his horse Target – we do have standards after all!

By: Becca

Becca — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 18:39:12 +0000

I’ll tell you what, I can totally understand where Emme is coming from haha

I loved the horse named Walmart! and the “squarey” voice!

By: Valerie

Valerie — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 16:25:24 +0000

So funny. Thanks for sharing your trip to Happiest Place.

I about lost it with the horse named Wal-Mart. That is great!!

By: Kelly @ Love Well

Kelly @ Love Well — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 16:02:50 +0000

If it makes you feel better, I forced my son on the same roller coaster at Disneyland. (I don’t believe I bribed him with money, but there may have been mention of ice cream if he would just give it a whirl.)

Like Emme, he screamed and cried and got off and shot me a look that said, “Are you happy now, you torturous parent?!?”

You are not alone.

By: Jen

Jen — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 16:00:15 +0000

I had to read this to my eight year old Rachel. We had a very similar experience on said roller coaster. I love the part where you offered her a dollar. I’ll never forget the summer that I offered Rachel a costume from the Disney Store if she would just get in the pool. I was desperate as she stood on the side having a tantrum. She was six.