Although I can no longer manage the Tilt O Whirl or the Scat, I do still quite enjoy the other rides. I was a bit disappointed and a little surprised to find out how few rides Little won't ride. I was hoping to convince her to go on Zippin' Pippin, the only roller coaster, but I was vehemently shot down. Numerous times. She also wouldn't go on the swings, bumper cars or the Ferris Wheel. I found out that she attempted the Ferris Wheel on her class field trip, but got so scared after two circles that she screamed until they let her off. At least that happened at school. I have no idea how I would have handled a child that terrified. Anyway, that didn't leave us with too many options. She did want to go on the Tilt O Whirl even without me, but it was closed for maintenance. So that left us with the train, the Scrambler, the Slide, the Helicopters and the Carousel. The Scrambler is actually both of our favorites, which meant we rode it three times. We also rode the Train twice, which is quite enjoyable, but not really all that exciting. It would have been much nicer if we had been walking around all day and needed a few seconds to just rest. Little was hoping to ride in the back because "you get whipped around much more that way." Round two, she got her wish: we were the only two on the ride, so we could choose the exact seats we want. I somehow managed to convince her to go on the Slide, even though she almost chickened out. We got half-way up the steps and she turned around, looked at me and said "I don't wanna do it anymore." I did NOT just walk up those steps for nothing. Not to mention, I was not going to let her give up. "Uh-uh," I responded. "Keep going." She looked like she wanted to argue but I think she could also tell I wasn't going to move out of her way. I'm fairly certain that as an only child, she isn't used to not getting her way so I'm not sure what she thinks when I don't let her. We got to the top crisis-free, threw our burlap sacks down, and went down. And what do you know, we get to the bottom and she says "That wasn't as bad as I thought." I told her I knew it wouldn't be, and we headed back towards the Scrambler for time #2.
Waiting in line for the Scrambler, there was a little boy ahead of us with some other children. The ride operator/my cousin measured him and he was too short to be on the ride. And I don't mean too short as in if he wearing different shoes he might be able to pass. I mean a solid two inches, at least, too short. Cousin/Ride Operator apologized and explained that because he wasn't tall enough, he couldn't go on, unless an adult wanted to go with him. The children looked expectantly at a lady standing behind the fence. "I am NOT going on that!" was her answer when a simple, "Not this time, guys" would have sufficed. Ride Operator/Cousin handed them their tickets back and they walked out of line. What I heard next is a textbook example of why there should be a test to reproduce. "UUUUGGGGHHH!!! HE'S GOTTEN ON BEFORE! I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THE PROBLEM IS!!" Ride Operator/Cousin: "I'm sorry. I don't know why he wasn't measured before, but if I let him on and something happens, I could get fired." Inexplicably Crabby Mom hauled the kids off to a different ride in another dramatic huff. Um, what did I just witness? First, why the hell are you so outraged by this? Second of all, do you really think that bullying the ride operator into breaking the rules will really make this situation any better? And what does that teach your children? That they can throw a fit until they get what they want? Finally, and most importantly, shouldn't you be worried about your child's safety? If his size puts him in danger, why in the hell do you think it's ok for him to hop on the ride and have a go at it? I would have loved nothing more than to tell that woman she should be ashamed of herself, but creating a scene in front of my Little would not have exactly promoted responsibility, so I pretended to ignore the whole thing.
Since I convinced Little to go on the Slide, she used it against me and got me to go on the Carousel. By no means am I afraid of it like she was the Slide, but going around in circles while moving up and down is just asking for me to get sick. But after she threw out the "I went on the Slide for you, so you gotta go on the Carousel for me" line, I couldn't much argue. So we got on, and chose animals right next to each other. Then, at the last minute, she got an impish grin and bolted for a ride two behind me. Oh, fuck. I watch SVU. It's always the Carousel that a kid gets abducted on. And now I couldn't see her when she was behind me. I manage to stay calm and not show my irrational fear and panic. After what I am certain was at least an hour, the ride ended and we hopped off, kidnapper free and just a mild case of dizziness on my end. At least I dodged those bullets.
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