When it comes to amusement parks, we don’t push the kids. If they don’t want to ride on something, they don’t have to. I do, however, encourage them. Sometimes they can be a little hesitant about trying something for the first time. I try to match that hesitancy with enthusiasm. After all, if they never try anything, then they’ll never …ah… try anything. Okay, that didn’t come out well. You know what I mean, though.

This little tale takes place the last time we were at Disney. We were standing at the entrance to the Goofy Rollercoaster which N (our two year old) had suddenly decided not to go on. This was the first time we’d been there when he was tall enough to ride, however, and I know he’d been looking forward to it for a while.

I gushed with excitement. “It’s fun! You’ll love it!”

He shook his head. “No. I don’t want to.”

“But it’s great!”

“I don’t want to.”

“But you get to ride around and go up and down and – “

He interrupted me. “Daddy.”

“Yes?”

“I’m only two. I’m only two, Daddy.”

And so ended the discussion.