How can I get my 10 yr old son to ride Haunted Mansion? - Page 5 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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He is totally interested in the hidden mickeys since I showed him the post here about them.... and now for the first time, I can tell the gears are moving and he's contemplating this. I still won't hold my breath.... but at least there's a slight thought about it. Maybe if not this trip, he'll ride it on the next (when we go December 2013 for his 12th birthday).
There's a Hidden Mickey Book out (by Steve Barrett I believe) and in one section it gives you clues to where the Mickey's are, the other section tells you outright where they are. Would this book and a flashlight to go with it maybe keep him interested enough to go in and focused enough to tune out the ride if it still bothers him?
I'm so glad there was some advice that might help to open up a new experience for your son, Sarah!
You've had trips you've made in the past, and trips you're planning for the future. There's plenty of time for WDW to "open up" and reveal itself slowly.
In addition to watching YouTube and looking for Hidden Mickey's, you might try having your son write and illustrate a silly adventure the ghosts have at the mansion.
Maybe he could hide a Hidden Mickey for the reader to find on each page. It might be fun to see what his imagination comes up with.
If he rides, great. If not, maybe he could share the book with a character he meets.
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I did just show him this post, and he is quite intrigued. He said "Mom, can you google and see if there are any pictures of the hidden mickeys .... then if I decide to go, I will know of some places to look"
So...maybe.....just maybe. But I'm not holding my breath.
It sounds promising... & don't you just love the google ? . I have a lot of fears & a lot had to do with rides.. I was petrified to go on ITTTBAB until Donna (GoofyMom ) gave me a detailed description of the ride. due to her help here on PP I went in & loved it... so maybe if you make it a game with your DS.. sort of like a scavenger hunt .. give him a list of the general area the hidden mickeys are & have him find them he will be more amenable to ride it..
you know I was never fond of a lot of dark rides & HM was one of them.. I rode it but I didn't like the 'ghosts' jumping out at me. but my DH did the Backstage Magic tour & rode with the tour guide who pointed out tons of hidden mickeys for him .. he showed them to me & since then I got a new perspective on the ride..
Another thing that came to my mind is maybe he really doesn't know why he doesn't like it.. he just doesn't.. I have a very headstrong DD & have had several battles with her in WDW. including her grabbing hold of a garbage can & screaming bloody murder to not ride Kali river rapids...
I hope it works out for you. It sounds like there is something tweaked his interest and maybe you will be able to encourage him. I hope so. Those of us with kids have most likely been down the road with you and it is very frustating. There is a couple of things I have learned being a parent, it isn't easy and answers are alway ready made. Good luck and hope it works.
I'm sorry if my response was one of the ones you considered snarky, but for me and my daughter (and this is for us, it may not work for everyone), when she sees people coming off the ride after having fun, and she didn't get to have fun by sitting on the bench and waiting, she's much more willing to try new things. Then, if she still doesn't like it, we don't have to do it again. Its a bit of psychology. But then, I know she also has to work things out in her head before she's comfortable with riding something new.
We'd been to a local amusement park and she'd ridden several of the big coasters and there was a smaller one she just refused to ride. Her dad kept pushing her again and again. Which made her dig her feet in and refuse even more. We did a parent swap and after we'd both come off of it after having fun, she decided she would give it a try.
Umm no. Walt made Disneyland so everyone would be able to enjoy it not just kids. That was his whole point he was tired of just sitting and watching his kids have the fun. Hubby and I went for 5 year before we had kids and I go solo every Oct. for the food and wine fest and MNSSHP. Do I love watching my kids have fun, of course. But I also enjoy my time doing what I want to do even going on rides. And even though I like the "thrill rides" I also love the non thrill that you may call "tame", the story line and the way they pull you in to the story is so much more for me then going to six flags type of 30 sec roller coaster with no theme. That is the beauty of WDW it is for everyone.
At the risk of drifting off topic...Look, I totally love WDW, even as a grown-up. But personally, I get so much more out of it when my kids are with me and having fun. What I was trying to say originally, is that it's supposed to be FUN. If Sarah's boy is too frightened to ride HM, then maybe she and he could do something else while the rest of her party rides and have an enjoyable and positive experience for all.
Hmmm, I guess I don't see fear as having an "age limit." I'm far older than the OP's son and if you get a spider anywhere near me you better duck and cover because I'm out of there -- even if that means climbing over your head to do so! So if I were being pulled toward a pen of bugs, just to do so because I should see if I could "handle it," you best believe I'd be having a meltdown too -- and nobody will be having any fun!
So, I see the situation the same way; forcing someone (child or adult) to try anything that they reeeeeeeeeeeeally feel they are not ready to try is just incomprehensible to me. Is my vacation really going to be ruined if I don't get to go on a particular ride this year? No. Will I potentially feel like a heel if my child's experience is somehow marred because I felt they had to try something that I couldn't just skip this time around? Most definitely.
I think people are failing to simply put themselves in the shoes of the OP's son.
Making suggestions of what she can try, that is, providing positive suggestions like using a keychain light, searching for Hidden Mickeys, watching other kids' reactions as they are exiting the ride and seeing that they're not afraid, applying the squish/sandwich method (if he thought he could even try the ride), etc. are all beneficial advice. Making judgments about a child's past reactions to similar situations, critiquing anyone's parenting techniques, etc., are not -- nor was it asked for.
We need to remember that our opinions are personal and as such should generally remain that way; i.e. to one's self. However, continuing to offer suggestions for how to overcome the OP's dilemma, and not exacerbate it, are far more valuable.
So, I, too, wish you that the Hidden Mickeys is the key to getting him to try it this year. If not, a Dole Whip is delicious alternative!
I did just show him this post, and he is quite intrigued. He said "Mom, can you google and see if there are any pictures of the hidden mickeys .... then if I decide to go, I will know of some places to look"
So...maybe.....just maybe. But I'm not holding my breath.
There's a Hidden Donald in the HM too! There aren't too many of those in all of WDW!
At the risk of drifting off topic...Look, I totally love WDW, even as a grown-up. But personally, I get so much more out of it when my kids are with me and having fun. What I was trying to say originally, is that it's supposed to be FUN. If Sarah's boy is too frightened to ride HM, then maybe she and he could do something else while the rest of her party rides and have an enjoyable and positive experience for all.
This was in response to someone saying the WDW is not for adults and only for the kids, it had nothing to do with the boy going on HM.
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This was in response to someone saying the WDW is not for adults and only for the kids, it had nothing to do with the boy going on HM.
I believe it was in response to my post, #35 on page 3, wherein I wrote "After all, its for them, not for us." The sentence preceding it clearly refers to HM by name.
The point I was attempting to make is that there are lots of fun things to do with her child that don't entail forcing him to confront his fear of this ride while on vacation.
Let's not get all wrapped around the axle. I think we all agree that Disney is fun for kids of all ages.
I'm a little late to the party - but I think I might be able to offer a bit of advice:
Do NOT even talk about it anymore. He's said he doesn't want to ride the ride, what's the big deal?? It's just one ride of many. You don't like other rides and will be sitting those out. He's 10. At that age, I had no problem letting my kids sit out on a bench and wait for the rest of us. If nothing else, take him with you through the line and then, at the very end, he can "chicken out". Seriously, though, unless there is something developmentally wrong with him, why couldn't you tell him to sit on one of the benches nearby, ride the ride with everyone else and then rejoin him?
I have one DD who does not and never has liked ToT. So, she sits and waits for us to be done riding and rejoins us. Everyone's happy. I could care less that she misses that one ride - there are so many other things we do to make us "a Family", my DD riding one ride is a moot point.
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So if I were being pulled toward a pen of bugs, just to do so because I should see if I could "handle it," you best believe I'd be having a meltdown too -- and nobody will be having any fun!
that the Hidden Mickeys is the key to getting him to try it this year. If not, a Dole Whip is delicious alternative! 
Let's move on.
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