5 Year Old...Smart and Scared!

[chrisn]

My 5 Yr old son is a daredevil and thrill seeker but has recently become scared of anything scary. Mummy Movies, Lord of the Rings Haunted houses which he use to love and am wondering if any of you have gone through this scared phaze with your little ones that popped up out of the blue. He says he is not going to be scared of the rides (Haunted Mansion, TOT ect) but I don't know now which is kinda sad because he is finally tall enough. The weird thing is this is so opposite from him up till this point. He's always loved monsters and scary things. Too weird.

Also, he is starting to ask questions and make comments about the characters like "why don't they talk" and my personal stupefide fave "Mommy, how come their mouths don't move?" I don't know what to say!

 

[CRCrazy]

This is a perfectly normal phase for a 5 year old. They are starting to become involved with the world around them, and starting to differentiate between reality and fantasy. We took my 5y/o to Disney World last year, and I was amazed at what scared her. She did great on all the mountains - Space Mountain was her favorite ride of all - but anything dark or with fire terrified her. She HATED Haunted Mansion, and scary movies have always been her favorite. She didn't like Fantasmic, or even Kali River Rapids because of the forest fire scene.

We just returned from a Dec trip - just 9 months after our last trip, and my, how things have changed. She loved Haunted Mansion, enjoyed Fantasmic, Snow White, and the 3-D movies which she hated last time. She even braved Tower of Terror, although she still did not like this one - the holograms and movies got to her, not the ride! Let him decide which he wants to brave - if you force the issue, you may set yourself up for a permanent fear of the ride.

 

[Local_Girl]

I know what you mean about the "scared phase"!! I was amazed what scared my kids on our recent trip--and they're 6 and 9 years old. Both were anxious in the Haunted Mansion. Otherwise, my 9-yr. old was fine with everything else in all the parks (though, admittedly we didn't do Extraterrorestrial!). My 6-yr. old, who is normally fearless, was afraid of several things, but to her credit she was willing to try most things once, with the exception of Tower of Terror ( I took her out the chicken exit) and Space Mountain. She didn't like the 3-D shows, and most of the roller coaster-type rides, though she has since said she would try them again (yes!). Interestingly, she hated Splash Mountain because she got splashed in the face with cold water on the drop--it made her cry for several minutes.

I believe parents should invite their kids to try something once, but definitely not force them. I would never drag a child onto a ride or belittle them for being afraid. We told our daughter that if she didn't like something after we tried it she wouldn't have to do it again--and more than once she yelled in the middle of a ride "Never again, Daddy!! Never again!!" LOL! Perhaps your son just needs some extra attention, reassurance and encouragement from you and maybe he'll be willing to try those rides he's finally tall enough for!! Have fun!

 

[merryweather's twin]

We took my sisters son last summer.... He is very bright also and seemed scared before the trip.....( he went down for the first time in feb and rode very few rides with his mom) We made an decision that worked great for us and diden't seem to hurt him or change the magic for him or his 4 cousins. WE told him the truth!!! He knew ahead of time that the char were people in costumes and that the rides were mecanical wonders and how most of them worked. And if he felt scared that it was Mickey joking with him. He had to ride all rides 1 time as a family and after that it was up to him..... It was the only way we could bring him with 4 other kids in tow all under 7! He felt very impowered and loved everything..... He never sat out on a ride all week! He and his uncle would sit by the pool and discuss the inner workings of HM and TOT! It was a hoot! I think that the magic is there even if you know how it works!

 

[catwho]

If you are concerned that he may be frightened of HM and TOT, then make it a "non-issue" by skipping those rides this time. You can always take him into the picture viewing area and show him the pics of other people on the rides to see if it is something that would frighten him or not. He might surprise you. Every ride has a "last minute opt out" and I've seen lots of families take advantage of it. Not fun when you have stood in line for 20+ minutes to have to exit without doing the ride, but it really is worth it. I've seen too many parents try to coax their frightened child onto a ride that they were afraid of only to witness the child in a constant state of fright the whole time or screaming through the whole ride. My own parents did that with my brother when he was a kid on Pirates. It wasn't fun for any of us. They thought that once the ride got underway that he would enjoy it. Well, he didn't and neither did we nor the rest of our boat. It would be more fun IMO to skp the possibly frightening rides and do the things you know you will have fun on. There are other years to do TOT and enjoy the wit of HM!

 

[tjmw2727]

You just never know with kids -and things could be very different by the time you get to WDW. My 8yo does not like the haunted mansion but dosen't mind TOT and loves RnRc. My 5yo loves ToT but won't ride barnstormer or do the 3d moviess but loves Star Tours and all the mountains. Makes no sense to me but obviously matters alot to them. Each trip is different so I let them set the pace, although if its just the 3 of us then dd 8 often rides so that lil sister can!

I would get the guide book for kids and or the planning videos and let him decide what will be fun. There are also a few kids sing along's that are good, disneyland fun, flicks adventure and the beach fun were fav's of my kids.

Take your time and enjoy. There are so many great rides that skipping a few won't make a difference but forcing and having a bad experience could make things difficult. Some of our favorite memories are quiet times at Epcot stomping on the magical lights or watching the acrobats. After our December trip my 6yo's fav part was eating popcorn from american pavilion and watching off kilter - you just never know!

Have fun
TJ

 

[Jordan's MOM]

I very much agree that you should not force your child to do something he is afraid of. We have however used several things that worked for us and our DS now 10. I told him that lots of people like to be scared just a little and Disney likes to make everyone happy so we can just close our eyes at the scary parts and other can enjoy them. I also reminded him a lot that Disney would never let anyone get hurt. That getting scared a little bit is part of the fun.
Also remember and remind him that the waiting area for several rides is more scary than the ride it's self. TOT is a big one.Encourage him to give it a try with a promise that he does not have to do it again if he does not like it. Don't think DS has ever not liked a ride that he tried.


Jordan's mom

 

[elemusing]

My DS is very tall for his age and was able to ride Test Track at 3. He loved it. Went back a few months later he was 4. Now tall enough for TOT. LOVED it while he was on - laughing and amazed at the "ghosts." When he got off, he thought about it and said it was scary.

Now he is almost 5. When we go back in June he has already stated that he will NOT ride TOT and he says he thinks Haunted Mansion (which has always been his favorite) is too scary. He also loved Splash Mtn and has decided that the drop is scary.

I guess it is just a phase that kids go through. Oh well, when he isn't scared anymore, maybe he will be tall enough for the rollercoasters and we can all ride together and have a blast. BTW, he has also stated that Goofy's Barnstormer is out of the question although he has alwasy loved it too.

Angie

 

[april riddle]

The last time we were at WDW my oldest son was almost 6. The very first thing my DH took him and they went on Tower of Terror. That was a huge mistake - for the next three days we had to tell him when we got in line for a ride that it was a show until he got his nerve back. I would not have agreed for him to go on that ride had I known what a hassle everything would turn out for him. My suggestion is just watch others go on the ride first and don't push the issue with him. My son is nine now and we are going again in two weeks and I am not sure he still will do tower of terror.

 

[AllisonG]

My now 4 y.o. went on SplMt but his 5.5 y.o. brother wouldn't. That also goes for the haunted mansion & tot.
I think we are going through the same faze. Did your child just start kindergarten? School may have something to do with it.
We're going to WDW again this January. So, I'll see what happens.
I did however get the 'Those are just fake heads, huh Mom?' from my 5.5 y.o. on Christmas day while watching the parade. I was honest but not too graphic. He didn't seem too disappointed.