What Fresh Hell is This?

We did a family vacation to Hershey Park, just a couple of days to see how the whole amusement park thing works.  Up until then, we’d only been to small fairs or the boardwalk on the Jersey Shore. 

I know half of you are thinking, “What great fun is that?” while the other half think, “What fresh hell is this?”

So, I am firmly on team “What fresh hell?”. Amusement parks are my worst nightmare. I hate crowds and lines and any ride that drops or spins or catapults (so pretty much all the rides). Basically, the only thing I like about amusement parks is the excuse to eat junk food all day. 

In this case, there was the amusement park aspect for Will and the Zoo and the Chocolate Tour for Mikey. I should say, Michael does really like all the lights and music at amusement parks. He is more of a sensory seeker, so he has fun in those environments in manageable doses.

A tip on ride safety:

I know I always say, if you don’t try, you’ll never know. I think amusement park rides are definitely the exception.  Here’s why. If you get to the top of the Ferris Wheel and your child decides they do not like this one bit…what then? What if they try to exit the vehicle while the ride is in motion? I’d say, better safe than sorry on that one. We really did not try many rides with Michael unless we were sure we could keep him safe throughout the ride. Also, riding amusement park rides is not an essential life skill so it isn’t something your child really needs to be able to do. Trust me, I’ve been getting through my own days just fine without mastering the coaster of doom.

Note:

Looking back at these pictures, I was shocked that Mikey did not have headphones on.  We use noise blocking headphones now, but I guess his need for that really started around puberty. He started putting his fingers in his ears and as a response, we offered him headphones to try.  He wore them all the time for a while and then we cut back to only using them in loud or difficult situations. 

If your child gets overstimulated, skipping the amusement park altogether may be the way to go. If you tackle it, headphones, a tee-shirt weight hoodie and sunglasses might help tamp down all the sensory input. Also, consider breaks in quieter spaces where your child can just play with a fidget toy or rest. Lots of places have sensory rooms that are quiet and your child or adult with special needs can use that space to catch a breather.