Scary little whales

Last week, we took the kids to a local amusement park. We hadn't been there for about five years, so the kids were understandably excited.
Every time a commercial would come on television advertising this particular amusement park, the kids would get super excited, and talk about all the rides they were going to ride on. Max even got into the excitement, saying "I go on the BIG row coaster!"

When we got to the park, DH took the boys to go ride the big rides, and me and Brielle took Max to the kiddie rides.
We found a very mild ride for him, little whales rolling up and down in a circle. This was my favorite ride when I was a child, and I was sure that Max would love it, and he did love it the whole time we were waiting in line, right up to the point where I sat him in the little whale, and he started screaming. Loudly.

OK Max, let's try another ride.

"Airplanes. You LOVE airplanes Max, do you want to ride on the airplanes?"
"I go wide the aeopwanes!"
We stand in line again, and just as I'm sitting him in the airplane, he freaks out, starts screaming, wraps his arms and legs around my neck, and tries to climb on top of my head.
"OK Max, we won't ride the airplanes."

"Look Max! There's a ride with elephants, and bees, and dragons. Do you want to ride in one of those?"
"I wide on the ewefents!"

Same wait in line, same toddler freak out when we actually get to the ride.
This happened with several more rides.

"Max, is there ANY ride you think you might want to go on?"
"I want to wide the row coaster!"

GREAT!!

We walk over to the kiddie roller coaster, and get in line. The coaster is shaped like a cute little green dragon.
"I don't want to wide on this row coaster, I want to ride on the red one!"
"Max, honey, there isn't a red roller coaster here"
"I not wide the green row coaster, I wide the red one!"
"Max, there IS NOT a red roller coaster here!"

This time, I didn't even try to stand in line. We sat on a bench and watched Brielle ride the green row coaster.

As we were walking to the other side of kiddie land, we passed a big yellow boat that swung back and forth, then turned around. The great thing about this ride was that adults were allowed on it, so I could sit with Max.
"Max, would you go on this ride if mommy went with you? You could hold my hand."
"OK, I go on this wide."



We stood in line, and just before we got on, Max says "I not wide this one."
So being the mean mom that I am, we got on the ride, with Max panicking.
"I not wide this one! I get off! No! NO! NO!"

I wedged him between me and Brielle, as he was trying to squirm away. We each held one of his hands, and as the lap bar came down, he brought his freaking out to a whole new level, screaming at that high pitch that he usually reserves for when someone takes away his favorite toy, or drops him on his head or something.

"I NOT WIDE! I NOT WIDE! I NOT WIDE!!!"

So, we just held him tighter as the ride started, tears running down his face, other adults glaring at me with disapproving looks.
(Hey, get over it people, he acts like this every time he drops his popcicle on the ground and I won't let him pick it up and finish eating it.)

Then the ride started.

As we began to rock back and forth, he calmed down a bit. (OK, he may have very well been paralyzed by fear, but he DID stop screaming, and that's what's important. Right?)
By the end of the ride, he seemed to be doing fine. We got off, walked through the gate, Max turned around, looked up at me, clenched his fists, and his face turned red as he said......

"DAT. NOT. BE. FUN!!!!!!"

Oh how I wish I'd had my video camera.

We left Kiddie land to meet up with DH and the boys to go on some big kid rides. After a short while, Max looks up at me and says "I need to go ride the big yayo swing again."
"You mean the one where you were screaming?"
"Yes, dat one. The big yayo swing"
"Max, it's not yayo, it's yelllllow."
"Not yayo?"
"No, say yellllo."
"Ohhhh...........lllaayo?"

sure Max, lllaayo is fine.

After a few more rides, we went back to the big "yayo" swing, this time the whole family rode.
Max was so very excited! He sat between me and his daddy, and instead of screaming, he said (very quietly)
"whee.." "whee....." "whee.........."

By the time we left the park, we ended up riding that darn ride about another eight times.

Apparently this broke the ice for Max, because after that, he rode on several of the rides that he wouldn't before.

Except for the little whales, they still freaked him out.


p.s. It's so fun to run spell check after I write about the things that Max says.