Compulsory Theme Park

[Hoppinggreen]

So DS16 hates theme park rides. He isn't scared of them, they just make him feel sick and dizzy and when he has tried he just hasn't enjoyed it.
His school do an annual theme park trip the day after they go back in September and while he wont go on rides his BFF feels the same so they just hang around and enjoy the day anyway and then meet up with the wider friend group to eat/go in arcades etc.
Unfortunately now the BFF has a girlfriend, not an issue for DS generally as he has a big group of friends but the BFF is the only 1 who also doesn't like rides so DS will have the choice of "3rd wheeling" as he put it or hanging around on his own waiting for his friends.
Anyway, he has asked if he can not go and I am undecided (DH says not). The whole of Y9-11 will be going so I don't think staying in school is an option and him being home is ok too as we both WFH and hes old enough to be left if we didn't. He has offered to do some schoolwork instead.
WWYD?

Which theme park? My daughter's school went to Chessington and she didn't want to do any rides so went and saw the animals instead?
There must be some children who can't go on rides for medical reasons so I am surprised the school doesn't have an alternative.

Although really if he doesn't want to go I'd let him stay home. He isn't missing anything educational.

Its a small (slightly rubbish one) and I am not sure that my 15 year old DS will be happy walking round on his own looking at animals, although to be fair his big sister would have if she wasn't such an adrenaline Junkie that she would have been on all the biggest rides anyway

Don't make him go.

Don’t make him go if he doesn’t want to.

Just let him stay home

Let him stay home

Another vote for stay home! It's not educational so fine to miss it

let him stay home.

If the girlfriend is an adrenalin junkie, won't she be on the rides rather than hanging around with your DS' friend?

Its my DD (his sister) who is the adrenaline Junkie so she wont be there
Sadly they are in LUURRRVVVVV and when they aren't constantly messaging they are staring into eachothers eyes so I doubt either of them will be doing the rides.
DS is a bit put out as the 2 of them have been inseperable since Y7 but they are in a gang of around 10 so he has had plenty of people to meet up with over Summer and isn't too concerned about school breaktimes etc