This past Sunday, the chilluns and I headed over to Disney's California Adventure for a few hours, just because (yes, I finally broke down and bought annual passes, so now I am determined to get my money's worth).
Some anguish - despite bravely waiting in the line, at the last moment, my Dolly Girl broke into tears and simply could not face going on California Screamin', a roller coaster that features a 360-degree loop. The loop got her - despite her scientific mind and all that she knows about centrifugal force, she was just too scared to do it. Mind you, she thought the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror was a blast (and it is, actually) and the last time we went to Dollywood in Tennessee, she and I rode Thunderhead, a HUGE wooden roller coaster, some 8 times in a row . . . but it did not have a loop, you see.
We had a discussion about this. Kate has decided there are three things that frighten her:
1. Roller coasters that, at some point, have you upside down.
2. Small elevators.
3. Dolls.
Does the last one surprise you? I can see that - those baby dolls with the dead eyes staring straight ahead, and the irrationally terrifying thought that it might just suddenly turn its head of its own accord and stare straight at you. And smile. *Shudder!*
This must be genetic, since I have my own irrational fears. My top three are:
1. Dark water.
2. Touching a fish or seeing a dead one.
3. Realistic dinosaurs.
Now, I suspect some of you are looking at that last one, thinking WTF?!?!? The movie Jurraisic Park scares the crapola outta me. In fact, I was quite embarrassed the last time I was at Universal Studios as I was on a boondoggle with business colleagues and fell apart, screaming like a little girl, on the ride based on the movie. The big T. Rex at the end? Didn't see it - eyes were shut too tightly.
Look, we all have rational fears. No one wants to discover the lump on their breast, no one likes driving in very inclement weather, no one wants to hear "that strange noise" downstairs in the middle of the night. But I think life is a little more fun with strange quirks like this. Sure, it means I will never become a certified scuba diver, and Katie hopefully will become the mother of boys some day, but we can live with that. She might even outgrow the upside-down roller coaster phobia some day, or not. But the good thing about these fears? They allow us to laugh at ourselves. And that helps us with the very real ones that we must face in life.
Excuse me now. I think I hear a goldfish coming . . .
6 comments:
I don't like the loops either, despite the proof in physics.
My younger son has a fear of mannequins (any type). He used to call them "his nemesis". Interesting choice of words for a (then) seven year old. There are several Dr Who episodes he watches behind splayed fingers.
I am surprised I don't share that phobia, as my mother once told me that children who were bad and got lost in department stores from their mothers while shopping would be turned into mannequins after the store closed. Rather than frighten me, I thought it fascinating.
And frankly, standing next to my mother while she took what seemed to be an interminably long time to shoft through racks of brassieres at Sears made the mannequin option sound like a better choice . . .
Hey, Katie is right. I don't like "upsidedown" coasters either. What if those suckers stop mid loop?
I had the schadendfreude experience of going to Knot's Berry Farm with a cousin and some friends of his. They all wanted to ride the wild stuff. Well, not being a total wuss I handled the "normal" coasters like Ghost Rider fine. Ditto that thing where you get lifted up and dropped and bounced (boy that sucker was high and my cousin was more chicken about it that I was -- we got to the top and he says "What am I doing here - I HATE heights...." just before we were let loose with however many Gs.
BUT I was not, no way in hell, going to go on crap that twisted you upside down. Hell no. So there was one ride I left to them. Some let's go backwards in a corkscrew thing. Yup. Ride stopped. While they were hanging upsidedown. No $**t. Ha-ha. Schadenfreude -- it's what's for dinner.
Hey girl...do you have annuals for DL too?
Karen,
The annual pass is good for both parks. So we ended the day with a quick pop over to DL for the Jungle cruise - because the Digidaughter LOVES bad, corny jokes - and the Indiana Jones ride.
We may go over tonight, just to check out the new Finding Nemo ride and a quick jaunt on the bobsleds. Hey, it's only a 10-minute drive from home . . . there are restaurants we'll go to that are more of a trip!
I wonder where the touching or looking at dead fish came from?--some regressed image from your childhood? Who knows where irrational fears come from?
I have two, one, I have an intense fear of mice and rats. My younger daughter has hamsters--they creep me out! She asks if I want to hold them--ewwww, no!
My second is I have a weird fear of losing my teeth. I take very good care of them, but sometimes I dream they all fell out and I am in utter horror! I always notice people's teeth, in fact my husband says the way I remember people is by their tooth pattern--it's weird but true. Perhaps I should have become a dentist!?
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