Riding in Roller Coasters With Boys (Part 1)
Last night Emma went to a birthday party at the Peter Piper Pizza on Decatur. Her friend chose that particular Peter Piper because there is a small roller coaster there and if you are at a party you get unlimited rides. We walked in and Emma's friend started calling her name from the front of the Roller Coaster. Emma watched as several of her friends from school flew past at "high speed". She turned to me and said, "I don't want to go on that. It seems scary." I told her she should give it a try, but was relieved when she said, "I'll just tell her that I'm not interested in roller coasters." I spent the next hour and a half criticizing myself mentally for keeping her young and protected from things. I even began to wonder if the present Emma had selected was a little "babyish" for an eight year old. Truth be told I want Emma to always act her age and if her age is 7 then I want her to act 7. I'm glad she likes Polly Pockets, wholesome music, and Barbies. I don't want her to get made fun of though.
Toward the end of the party Emma came to me and asked if I would take her on the roller coaster. She just wanted to try it. Unfortunately, I had Jack and Loredana who were too small and I didn't know any other parents at the party so I couldn't leave them with someone else-OR I could, but I am an overprotective FREAK mom and I won't do that. I suggested that Emma ask the birthday girl to go with her. The birthday girl had already promised to ride with someone else. But Bob (not his real name) said he would ride with her. Bob is a nice boy whose mom recently passed away. I think he might "like" Emma because he gave her $5.00 once (which I of course made her return) and he was just smitten to be walking to the roller coaster with Emma. They boarded the roller coaster and I could tell that Emma was really nervous. Bob kept looking at her smiling and it looked like he was saying encouraging things. The first time the roller coaster went around Emma looked unsure. Bob was laughing and giving a high five to the man working the roller coaster. The next time around Emma was smiling big. The last two rotations she smiled. When she got off she ran over to me and said, "I LOVED it! Can I go again?" I told her she could. She rode several more times all the times with Bob. Once I saw her raise her hands (but only once) and she laughed and smiled the whole time. The very last time she rode, she sat in the front and was trying to give high fives to the worker.
Maybe seven isn't too old to ride your first roller coaster. She'll probably remember it for the rest of her life. And she has the rest of her life to risk her life, go upside down, and spin around until she wants to vomit. I think seven is a good age.
Last night Emma went to a birthday party at the Peter Piper Pizza on Decatur. Her friend chose that particular Peter Piper because there is a small roller coaster there and if you are at a party you get unlimited rides. We walked in and Emma's friend started calling her name from the front of the Roller Coaster. Emma watched as several of her friends from school flew past at "high speed". She turned to me and said, "I don't want to go on that. It seems scary." I told her she should give it a try, but was relieved when she said, "I'll just tell her that I'm not interested in roller coasters." I spent the next hour and a half criticizing myself mentally for keeping her young and protected from things. I even began to wonder if the present Emma had selected was a little "babyish" for an eight year old. Truth be told I want Emma to always act her age and if her age is 7 then I want her to act 7. I'm glad she likes Polly Pockets, wholesome music, and Barbies. I don't want her to get made fun of though.
Toward the end of the party Emma came to me and asked if I would take her on the roller coaster. She just wanted to try it. Unfortunately, I had Jack and Loredana who were too small and I didn't know any other parents at the party so I couldn't leave them with someone else-OR I could, but I am an overprotective FREAK mom and I won't do that. I suggested that Emma ask the birthday girl to go with her. The birthday girl had already promised to ride with someone else. But Bob (not his real name) said he would ride with her. Bob is a nice boy whose mom recently passed away. I think he might "like" Emma because he gave her $5.00 once (which I of course made her return) and he was just smitten to be walking to the roller coaster with Emma. They boarded the roller coaster and I could tell that Emma was really nervous. Bob kept looking at her smiling and it looked like he was saying encouraging things. The first time the roller coaster went around Emma looked unsure. Bob was laughing and giving a high five to the man working the roller coaster. The next time around Emma was smiling big. The last two rotations she smiled. When she got off she ran over to me and said, "I LOVED it! Can I go again?" I told her she could. She rode several more times all the times with Bob. Once I saw her raise her hands (but only once) and she laughed and smiled the whole time. The very last time she rode, she sat in the front and was trying to give high fives to the worker.
Maybe seven isn't too old to ride your first roller coaster. She'll probably remember it for the rest of her life. And she has the rest of her life to risk her life, go upside down, and spin around until she wants to vomit. I think seven is a good age.
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