As I dangled a couple hundred feet in the air on a ride called, “Griffon,” I was biting my tongue.
One, I was scared so I was trying to refrain from cursing or letting on to my son that my aversion to heights was getting the best of me.
Yes there I was two weekends ago braving something I never would have done before if it weren’t for my 9-year-old son, Beckett.
I’m not a roller coaster fanatic by any means. I like a thrill as much as the next person, but mastering roller coasters at huge parks like Busch Gardens was never at the top of my list of things to do. Disney World roller coasters are more my speed.
Well, two weekends ago I faked being a roller coaster maniac for Beckett, who was incredibly excited to try something new for him.
After we arrived in the hotel on Friday night, Beckett was talking to anyone and everyone about the rides at Busch Gardens. He wanted to know which rides were the best, the scariest and which he could and could not go on.
This happens everywhere we go, as our extroverted son has never met a stranger. He’s quick to ask questions on a wide range of topics depending on what we are doing and where we are at any given time. In this case, the man was wearing a “Griffon” T-shirt, referring to the biggest thrill ride at Busch Gardens. After a few questions, the man made it pretty clear the ride was not for a 9-year-old. He rattled off one ride — the Loch Ness Monster — he thought he could handle while mentioning others he thought would be too much for him.
Hours later, there we were waiting in line for the very ride the man advised me not to take him on because it was fierce. The ride features a 205-foot, 90-degree, 75-mph free fall along with other inverts and cork screws. The steep drop comes after a massive incline to the top followed by a six-second dangle (felt like minutes) in which the riders are looking straight down at the ground with no sight of the track underneath. As one man, who was dangling near me on the ride, said during one of the three times I rode it, “I don’t like this one bit.” He threw in a couple colorful (and hilarious) adaptions of words in there that Beckett, of course, recited multiple times the entire day.
It was during this high-altitude stall that I wondered if my son understands the boundless love I have for him because I was struggling and way outside my comfort zone. He was probably the only person in the world who could get me on that ride, and there was no way I was going to let him down and hold him back.
He later did confess he would have been too scared to do the big rides if I wasn’t there with him. He also asked me about what happened to my aversion to heights and how come I didn’t get sick like I did the week before after doing a ride at Jolly Rogers at the Pier. I told him I overcame my fear because I refused to let him down and didn’t get sick because of Dramamine.
Throughout the two days we were at Busch Gardens, I was impressed with Beckett, who showed no fear. That’s interesting when compared with the fact when we got to our hotel pool the first night he screamed like a baby when a fly buzzed by him.
After riding all the big rides, he asked me, “Dad do you think I’m ready for the Tidal Wave?” He was of course referring to the white roller coaster at Trimper’s Rides. I told him of course he was. He then asked about the Zipper. I told him “you’re never really ready for that one. You just do it.”
The amusement ride junkie of the house did both last weekend.
When we told the kids we were going to see a Michael Jackson tribute band at The Freeman Stage last Saturday, they were not impressed.
I think Carson was disappointed because he wanted to spend his Saturday night playing the family’s favorite new card game — Five Crowns. Beckett’s blasé attitude stemmed from questions over why he would want to see an impersonator of someone famous.
Despite their reluctance, we dragged them along anyway. Carson was asleep within the first 10 minutes of the show (but did wake up for the second set), while Beckett complained about song selections until the end when the band played all his favorites, including Thriller, which consisted of zombies roaming through the audience in a take-off of the famous music video.
Afterwards, I cringed as the emcee welcomed all to check out the merchandise table and to get a chance to “meet the Michaels” in the VIP area. I knew what that meant — there would be a fee and Beckett would want to do it. Fortunately, the cost was reasonable.
Beckett was awe struck when he met them and got his picture taken. Yes there were two for different songs and portions of the show. As we were walking out, Beckett veered away from me (again something familiar to us). He was going straight to the merchandise table. He had his eyes on a white glove. He convinced me when he asked if he could get one for Carson, who was asleep in the car with his mom. Beckett slept with the glove on that night.
The lesson here was sometimes you have to force your kids into having a good time no matter what they say.
