At the Rye Beach amusement park, when I was in elementary school, I experienced my first and only ride on a roller coaster. I took the ride alone and ended up at the conclusion of the experience, in the fetal position on the floor of the cab, shaking and completely terrified.
Scratch one activity for life.
The desire( obsessive to be sure) of my wife to keep our daughter safe involved me being her protector.
Protecting my daughter while swimming in the ocean, lake, or pool was easy for me.
I’ve been an accomplished swimmer since elementary school, and my daughter wasn’t fond of that activity.
The real problem for me were the rides at the amusement parks. Our fearless daughter loved them especially the roller coasters, which I was terrified of. I would “ escort“ her to the coaster and then find a place to hide.
One vacation the three of us were driving towards Hersey park, the well known amusement park. I refused to stop there, since I was the driver and not thrilled to be with my daughter on any ride. I say any ride. I say any ride since with her I wouldn’t be going on just any ride.
There were a couple of rides I would go on; the kiddie rides were my preference. My relationship with the roller were well known( I made sure of that)., so I didn’t have to negotiate whether to “ protect” her on that “fun” ride.
In the Hersey candy factory they offered a free ride in a car( hooked up in a long string of cars) that toured the manufacturing facility. We enjoyed that, without my charge being aware of the amusement park nearby. If she was older, she probably would have known about the park and I would have been “dragged to the slaughter.”
Later in life we were blessed with three granddaughters: twin girls and a younger girl.
There came a time when my wife and myself spent a day with the three girls at a small amusement park in Farmingdale, Long Island, New York .
We knew the twins were fearless, so my wife let them go on the small roller coaster “unescorted.”. I reluctantly agreed to go with the youngest granddaughter on a ride similar to, as I remember, being called the octopus.
When the ride ended, I vaguely recall my young granddaughter saying “ grandpa, undo your seat belt and open your eyes.”
Then and there I vowed never to step on the grounds of an amusement park, forever more.
It’s wonderful not bring a “ body guard” any more, especially at an amusement park.
I would have liked to meet the person who named these “fun” parks “amusement!”