Breaker

Put Your Hands Up!

You know those little lies we tell our kids…the ones we tell for a ‘good’ reason?

My ‘good’ reason started with the Demon at Six Flags when my son Oscar was about 8. Oscar was comfortable with rides and rollercoasters but stated on the drive to Six Flags he’d go on anything except rides that went upside-down.

I’m the mom and I knew better. I knew he could handle it and he’d love it.

So while we neared the line for the Demon, Oscar pointed at the double corkscrew and said ‘no way’. I somehow convinced him that the black corkscrews were part of another ride and he was crazy.

Once the ride was over, I remember him being mad at me for just a second for lying to him, and I also remember how proud he was that he went upside-down twice! I’ve told numerous lies to him over the years to get him to do thrilling things especially anything that has to do with roller coasters, water slides, rock climbing, jumping in deep water, etc.

Since the day of the Demon, Oscar has learned to love rollercoasters as much as I have and has no problem going upside-down. The two of us love riding when there are low lines and the ride attendants let you go on 2 or 3 times in a row. Oscar and I put our hands straight up in the air the moment we get on a roller coaster and keep them straight up the whole time.

When Mikey and Scarlett started riding kiddie rollercoasters and rides last year at Santa’s Village and Hershey Park, Oscar and I taught them both how to “put your hands up”. It warms my heart to see how Oscar is helping my middles become brave too.

Earlier this week, I had the great fortune to spend a few days vacationing with my kids at my brother and his wife’s lake house. They took us boating and to the beach and both Mikey and Scarlett went tubing for the first time. Both of them loved it and if you look hard enough you can see in the photos they both had their hands up while flying across the water.

And while Isabella is a little too little to go tubing, she did love riding on the boat and I did give her a chance to feel the wind blowing in her face as we sped down the lake. I can’t get over how much of a sausage she looked like in her little life preserver.

Thanks for letting me share my pics of my daring kiddos on the lake! I’m curious, what lies have you told your kids and did they pay off?

 

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Katie Helgesen

Katie Helgesen is the Senior Director of Business Intelligence at Dealer Inspire, a fast-growing and award winning technology company near Chicago. Katie and her husband, Todd, have 4 awesome kids and love living in a small community centered on a lake in northwest Indiana. Baseball, t-ball, and soccer schedules are just a few pieces of Katie’s Mom Hustle. Her daydreams revolve around finding more “me time” and traveling. In real life, Katie keeps herself sane with naps, Netflix and eating out as often as she can.