water park related

lauriebyronm

Ok so I took ds, my nephew and niece to the waterpark yesterday with my mom. While the older two were waiting in line for a slide a mother had taken her child up to the slide and was trying to force her daughter down the slide. The little girl had to have been like 6 or 7 maybe and was clearly terrified to go down. The mother was yelling and screaming at the child and trying to rip her hands off the bar to push her down. The whole time everyone including the lifeguard watched and did nothing. What would you have done in this situation? I felt so bad for the child.

Kitiara5512

I don't know that I would have done anything beyond give he woman a really dirty look. Forcing a kid when afraid will only make them more afraid. C screams on even the smallest water slide. We don't force the issue.

jpearce327

I pushed my kid down a slide at the park the other day, but he's 2, and I knew he would love it (which he did--laughed hysterically the whole way down).

I just had to teach him that mommy can't always go down the slide with him, and he's gotta be a big boy.

 

6 year old... side eye. ..Who cares if they don't wanna go down a water slide?!

IrishEyes0530

I would have just given a dirty look. Not much you can do.

lauriebyronm

I thought the lifeguard would have at least said something, but she just watched as well

JNBrickey

I wouldn't have done anything. There's really noting you can do in a situation like that.

When I was little I used to be terrified of amusement park characters. I thought they were going to kidnap me. I wouldn't go near them at our local amusement park. When I was six and we were on vaca at Disney I swore to my mom I wouldn't be scared any more. The minute we walked in the park, I freaked. She informed me that we hadn't traveled so far for me to cry and deposited me next to Tigger. We have that one photo of me screaming my head off and from then on, I was cured.

I don't know if water slides are the same thing, but I think sometimes kids need a little push. DD has been terrified of the grass ad I keep putting her down in our yard and yesterday she finally ran around playing. I've always had a bit of water phobia so I'm not sure I'd kick her down a water slide. 

wife1014

What would I do as another parent?  Nothing. It's none of my business.

If I was the guard at the top of the slide?  I would probably ask that they both go down the stairs, as to not hold up the line any longer.

delg23

I would have  yelled "this place is supposed to be fun, not torture."

MrsPteranodon

Honestly? I'd probably make Buddy do it.

He is so stubborn and is "scared" easily, but then when he does something he loves it. He just needs a "push" Recently we went to a fair type place, it had barrel pigs pulled behind a tractor. He SCREAMED when we put him in, like we were killing him. I forced him to sit in the pig until it started, as soon as he was going he LOVED it, and wanted to keep doing it. Had I not forced that issue, he wouldn't have had as much fun that day, because it was the only "kid" thing to do. 

At 6? I probably wouldn't even be on the top of the slide thing with my kids, I'd probably just be watching from a lounge chair.

 

 

As another parent witnessing? I wouldn't say anything. Except for maybe a comment about how rude she's being holding up the fun for the rest of us.  

 

MonkeySender

As a child who was traumatized by a waterslide, I think I would want to say something. I think I would probably say something to the lifeguard though, not the parent. I was about that age when my dad sent me down a bigass water slide all by myself and I didn't really know how to swim. It was a body slide so at the end I just hit the water and panicked. I still to this day do not like to swim.

grr_aargh

I try very very hard not to judge parents in situations like this, particularly because I have no idea what they've dealt with that day.  Maybe the kid's been begging for water park fun for years. . . maybe Mom knew that the kid would enjoy it. . . maybe the mom never, ever, ever wanted to go to a waterslide park again.  Maybe the mom didn't know what to do at that point - couldn't deal with standing in line then walking back down the stairs. I don't know.  Maybe the mom was so horrified afterward that she couldn't deal with what happened and will be getting therapy.  We just don't know.

 

I do think the lifeguards should have a system in place for dealing with it.  

ATMmom324

MrsPteranodon:

Honestly? I'd probably make Buddy do it.

He is so stubborn and is "scared" easily, but then when he does something he loves it. He just needs a "push" Recently we went to a fair type place, it had barrel pigs pulled behind a tractor. He SCREAMED when we put him in, like we were killing him. I forced him to sit in the pig until it started, as soon as he was going he LOVED it, and wanted to keep doing it. Had I not forced that issue, he wouldn't have had as much fun that day, because it was the only "kid" thing to do. 

At 6? I probably wouldn't even be on the top of the slide thing with my kids, I'd probably just be watching from a lounge chair.

 

 

As another parent witnessing? I wouldn't say anything. Except for maybe a comment about how rude she's being holding up the fun for the rest of us.  

 

What is a barrel pig?