How not to parent a height/speed skittish 11yr old at the carnival, part 1.
11 was invited to go to the carnival with her friend, Melody, today. She went and had a blast. Later in the afternoon, she and her brothers, 13, 18 and 20, met up with me at the local mall, where the carnival was set up. I decided to take her and 13 back to the carnival, while 18 and 20 fed their appetites at the local pizza place. She had a carnie bracelet which was still good until closing tonight.
While we were there I talked her into going on this thing called The Free Fall. Now last year she went on this ride called 1001 Nights – and was terrified. Swore she’d never ever ever go on it again. Imagine my surprise when she was skipping around me, with sparkling, proud and happy eyes telling me all about how today she and Melody went on that ride 4 times!!! So I figured she must have conquered her fear of heights and speed, so the next two moments of questionable parenting is based on this erroneous theory of mine. I should point out that due to an as yet unexplained, but protracted, issue with pain in the back of my head and neck, I was unable to accompany her on any rides. Oh, and I’m a chicken. I have never gone on any ride which is more than 4 to 5 feet off the ground, with only one marked exception (an indoor roller coaster). This was about 10 years or so ago.
11 was pretty hesitant about going on The Free Fall. I foolishly talked her into it. I talked about “conquering her fears” and “remember how scared you were about 1001 Nights last year and look at you this year” and well ….more of the same. She very hesitantly agreed to give it a whirl.
Well . . . to be perfectly frank, it did NOT go well. The Free Fall is a ride which slooooowly takes you up a *needle* like pole what appears to be about 25 – 30ft in the air. Then, as it’s name clearly states, it free falls VERY FAST straight back down to about 5′ off the platform, then slows down to come to a gentle rest. 11 apparently started CRYING about 20 or so feet in the air, just anticipating the sudden drop to come. No one could even hear her at that height, we only found out when she got back down into view. She was clutching the thickly padded harness bars and sobbing. By the time she came to rest on the ground she was nigh on hysterical. Lots of hugging from a contrite Mama to make up for suggesting it. If I can ever figure out how to attach the video I took, I’ll add it. Right now still photos will have to do.
11 is right in the front, you can't even see her feet!
How not to parent a height/speed skittish 11yr old at the carnival, part 2.
13 bought enough tickets to go on one ride. Then 18 and 20 also decided to get enough tickets for one ride too. I suggested this intriguing looking ride called the KamiKazi, for everyone. We’d seen it at several traveling carnivals over the years, but I don’t think any of the children had ever tried it out. After the Free Fall incident, 11 was more than hesitant. However, since her brothers were going too, and she could sit right beside 13, (who has a major protective streak for sister) she bravely relented.
OH. MY. WORD! It was BAAAAAD!, and that’s putting it mildly. She started screaming about 10 seconds into the ride, when it went backwards instead of forwards at the beginning. It had made a slight forward motion and then all of a sudden hauled butt backwards. She was right up front with windows all around her. It moves like a giant pendulum. When it started backward, she started screaming, by the time it pendulum-ed back towards me, about 15seconds into the ride, she had covered her face with her hands, ducked down as far as the rigid harnessing system would allow her (not far), and was just screaming. Oh and not one of those ‘wheeeeeeee isn’t this a blast’ screams, but one of those right from your toes frightened out of your wits screams. What I didn’t know about this ride is it flips right upside down at four different points in the ride and just hangs there for about 5 or so seconds, before it drops back into it’s pendulum motions and begins the whole horrible cycle again. According to 13, she started crying when the thing flipped upside down and didn’t stop crying or screaming for the rest of the ride. This ride seemed to go on forever. At least the Free Fall was only ONE trip up and then down, and done.
There is trepidation there, but willingness.
13 was hugging her, and 18 (right behind her) was patting her and trying to sooth her, but all to no avail. (20 was fundamentally useless, as he was just laughing – hard – at the whole situation. Now he loves his sister, and doesn’t like her to be hurt or upset, but he said he couldn’t help it, it was just something straight out of a Hollywood kids movie to him, and he couldn’t stop laughing). 11, did not find it amusing at all, she was nearly green when she finally touched ground again. She buried her face in my stomach and just sobbed when she got back on terra firma. She was shaking. She was pale. Fortunately, she really loves her Mama, so forgave me almost immediately. Truly I felt horrible for having her go on the ride. 
Alas, apparently I have an evil side to me too, because in a very strange way it was also the funniest thing to see. So I was saying, ‘there there’ while trying to keep any inkling of laughter out of my voice – it was not an easy task. She was the only one on the thing who just cowered there in her pendulum swinging tube prison, with her hands firmly pressed to her whole face – screaming! She told me she did peak twice, when the thing stopped. Unfortunately, it was stopped because they were hanging upside down for those 5 seconds. She said it was a horrible feeling, and sight, and after the second time, she kept her eyes squeezed shut and exercised both her lungs and tear ducts profusely for the duration. She has proclaimed she will never go on either ride again, “For as long as I live!!!!!”. 11 has her Mama’s oddball sense of humour, and by the end of our evening she was able to see the humour of the situation though. I’m wondering if I’m ‘truly forgiven though.
I regained some of my tarnished parenting points, by rounding out the day by taking us all off to Tim Horton’s. Some extra large hot chocolates for 11 and 13, French Vanillas for 18 and 20, and a nice hot Earl Grey (or is that Gray??) tea for me, and a box of doughnuts for all of us to share, went a long way to making things all better.
(If you click on the pictures, you can see them full size. 
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