Waiting in line for that roller coaster ride is tense! We all know the feeling: you spend a long while waiting in line to ride that brand new coaster. It’s got corkscrews and goes upside down and maybe even goes backwards! Some of these newer ones move at frightful speeds, which you’ll be constantly reminded of while you wait as the current riders scream in the distance. You spend those 15 or 45 minutes in line talking and laughing with your friends… until you get to the front of the line, that is. You then have to decide where you’re going to ride — front, back, or somewhere in the middle? You choose which friend you’re going to ride with (and you have to hold hands, obviously). Those few moments before boarding the coaster are almost as scary as the ride itself!
I don’t know about you, but I have certainly chickened out of a roller coaster or 2 in my day. I just didn’t like them very much until I was older, and I’m still more of a Ferris wheel kind of guy than a whiplash-inducing coaster fanatic. There totally were times when I was a kid or a teen and I waited forever in line, only to get way too scared right before boarding and decide against going. A lot of people brag and say they’ve never chickened out of riding a roller coaster, so good for them, I guess I’m just a big baby over here! But that’s the thing — I was scared of roller coasters. But over time, I outgrew it, and now I really enjoy them, even the ones that go upside down. If you start on the smaller coasters and work your way up to the big ones over time, you feel more comfortable with your choice to sit down, buckle in, and white-knuckle your way through an overall very fun coaster ride.
This dad got some flack from the internet because he was really annoyed at his son for avoiding the rides. He got scolded a lot in the comments… and I just don’t understand why he couldn’t leave his son by the coaster’s exit door for the 45 second duration of the ride. I suppose he was being a responsible parent by not allowing his 11-year-old to be alone, but punishing a child for being scared of something that literally is terrifying just isn’t the way to go.
Next up, read about the workers who quit on the spot, and shared what happened next: “The best part was the HR lady calling me every day for 2 weeks.”
