What would you do if your 6 yr old got up to change places once a fairground ride had started?

[lagaanisace]

This is what my son did. We could do nothing until the ride was finished. My DH was insistent that he wanted to handle it, but I was furious when all he did was give him a 'talking to' and nothing more.

My inclination was to go home straight away, so that this would be a lesson he would remember. His behaviour had potentially tragic consequences. My DH said it was 'a mistake on DS' part'. My argument is that however wide-eyed and innocent a 'mistake' it was, it was an oppurtunity to divert future disaster by driving the lesson home in ways that would be memorable to him. Even half an hour of not going on rides while his siblings did might have sufficed. I am furious!

Find a story on the internet about a little boy who was injured at a fairground.
Show him, tell him you are glad he is ok. Tell him you are glad he is such a grown up boy that he would never do anything like that.
Shock tactics!

Well, yeah good point. He stays with his Nana in Bridlington a lot and therefore goes on rides a lot, so he does know the drill, but whether we reminded him immediately prior to this incident, I couldn't say. My DH put him on the ride and I was pacifying his sister.

Sounds like a risk taker? Agree that broken record approach is probably the most effective tactic if he is.

purepurple - interesting idea. Thanks.

It's a good way to hammer it home.
It's the reason I have never smoked. At school we were shown a film of a smoker's lung. It was full of black tar. I was horrified. I have never smoked a cigarette in my life.

iwouldnt have discused in a calm rational manner. i would have been cross angry ans shouty.

and y'know what - sometimes that's ok

Risk taker? Yep. DH has taken him on a rock climbing course this morning (professional supervision) because he needs that kind of outlet. I think we do the broken record thing, but clearly not enough. I do feel anxious for him.

Think I'll do that. He's 'with it' enough to take that on board, I think.

I have one also. I worry a lot!

I suppose the incident was good for highlighted areas that need to be worked on, both in his behaviour, and our approach to it.

I live near Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Here are some stories from the BBC

Thanks!

Just had a look - this is useful stuff.

I would have gone over to the person in charge of the ride and asked them to stop it right away. Then I would have spoken to my child about it; if they didn't realise it wasn't allowed then punishing them will make no difference other than them feeling picked on. A 6 year old will not even have the sense of danger that we, or older chidlren, would have so they wouldn't necessarily see it as the wrong thing to do.

I did try to get the attention of the operator, but by the time I did, he'd sat down.

Anyway, I must go and make lunch now, but thanks everyone for your objective comments, and purepurple for your very useful suggestion.

Oh, it had a rail, from which he wriggled free. He often goes on rides with his Nana, so I believe he does understand.

Agree with cat and other posters. If I had failed to remind him before I let him go alone at such a young age, I might have given myself some punishment, but let him get off with a talking-to. With such a young child, that means reminding him every time.

Believing he understands simply isn't good enough. The responsibility lies with the adult who lets him on the ride.

And I don't think you need to frighten him with horror stories unless he deliberately disobeys you after having been reminded. The horror stories are for you, so you don't forget to remind him.

Just because he goes on rides with other people doesn't mean he actually understands the danger for every other time he goes on one. Agree with Cory.

Also, I would have gone over to the person running the ride not just waved etc. Why didn't you go straight over there and tell them to stop it?

"Why didn't you go straight over there and tell them to stop it?" - Er, a tad judgemental, maybe. Had you been there you'd have known that to do so would have increased the danger manifold, and disproportionately.

I think most people would have viewed the ride as age appropriate, and we do the broken record thing, folks.