Sioux Empire Fair

For a while now, Brian has been highly motivated to increase the boys' amusement park ride repertoire. We have told the boys that we aren't going back to Disney World until they get some guts with regards to the rides. So, Brian especially, was looking forward to the fair this year as an opportunity to practice some of the more intense kiddie rides. Namely, the roller coaster. I, being 32 weeks pregnant was not allowed to go on the rides, but Brian went with the boys for their first ride of the day. Michael's face revealed that he was loving it. David, not so much. By the end of the ride, David had vowed that he would not be going on it again. We went and did some other rides, and eventually, Brian brought them back to the roller coaster and insisted that they ride again. Michael was all for it. David not so much. In fact, it turned into quite a scene with David wailing away that he didn't want to go, and Brian and I not giving in. (These are the moments that I question myself as a parent and wonder if it's worth the "trauma." That being said, Brian and I were both wimps as children and only discovered the joy of roller coasters much later in life. If somebody had "pushed" us a little, we might have enjoyed many more years of roller coaster bliss...) Brian patiently explained to David that it often takes a while to get used to new things and to realize how fun they can be. He gave David several examples of new situations of which David was initially scared, but eventually came to love (e.g., going underwater). Long story long, they went on the ride and David tolerated it. He came off saying that it was better than his last ride. Daddy encouraged the boys to yell silly things (like Geronimo and Cowabunga) on the way down the hill, which seemed to add to Michael's exhilaration and to relieve some of David's anxiety. We went off and did some other things, ate some nasty fair food, passed on some even nastier fair food (Fried Kool-Aid????What is that???) and before we left, Brian asked the boys if they wanted to ride the coaster one last time. To our amazement, both boys said yes! They rode one more time with Brian, and then, at David's request, rode again one last time...all by themselves! Brian and I loved seeing them have so much fun, screaming with delight all the way down the "big" hill. The video clip I have attached is short, not in HD, and hard to track, but at the very least watching it helps me remember the joy on their faces. Shout out to Daddy for knowing when to push a little bit. All in the name of roller coaster fun!