40-year-old father takes away 11-year-old son Max's Xbox when son refuses to join him and 14-year-old sister Beatrice on roller coaster ride

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Aug 14, 2025 3:00 PM EDT

Waiting in line for that roller coaster ride is tense! We all know the feeling: you spend a long while waiting in line to ride that brand new coaster. It's got corkscrews and goes upside down and maybe even goes backwards! Some of these newer ones move at frightful speeds, which you'll be constantly reminded of while you wait as the current riders scream in the distance. You spend those 15 or 45 minutes in line talking and laughing with your friends… until you get to the front of the line, that is. You then have to decide where you're going to ride — front, back, or somewhere in the middle? You choose which friend you're going to ride with (and you have to hold hands, obviously). Those few moments before boarding the coaster are almost as scary as the ride itself!

I don't know about you, but I have certainly chickened out of a roller coaster or 2 in my day. I just didn't like them very much until I was older, and I'm still more of a Ferris wheel kind of guy than a whiplash-inducing coaster fanatic. There totally were times when I was a kid or a teen and I waited forever in line, only to get way too scared right before boarding and decide against going. A lot of people brag and say they've never chickened out of riding a roller coaster, so good for them, I guess I'm just a big baby over here! But that's the thing — I was scared of roller coasters. But over time, I outgrew it, and now I really enjoy them, even the ones that go upside down. If you start on the smaller coasters and work your way up to the big ones over time, you feel more comfortable with your choice to sit down, buckle in, and white-knuckle your way through an overall very fun coaster ride. 

This dad got some flack from the internet because he was really annoyed at his son for avoiding the rides. He got scolded a lot in the comments… and I just don't understand why he couldn't leave his son by the coaster's exit door for the 45 second duration of the ride. I suppose he was being a responsible parent by not allowing his 11-year-old to be alone, but punishing a child for being scared of something that literally is terrifying just isn't the way to go. 

Next up, read about the workers who quit on the spot, and shared what happened next: "The best part was the HR lady calling me every day for 2 weeks." 

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  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 10542279168
    via Frank Flores For Unsplash+

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 02
    My [40M] have two kids, Beatrice [14F] and Max [11M]. Last Saturday Beatrice turned 14, for her birthday she wanted to go to a theme park. This park is a long drive away and the tickets are expensive, so this is a big deal for her, I spent extra on purchasing a fast pass to make sure she could go on all the rides she wanted to.
    via u/myprivatestories
  • 03
    Anyway, I asked Beatrice if she would like her brother to come (he had been asking), she said she would like that as long as we would still be able to go on all the rides she wanted to.
    via u/myprivatestories
  • 04
    This is because we can't leave Max alone at the park, it is very busy and there is nowhere for him to wait where we can see him, Max also isn't comfortable being left alone in an unknown place with strangers.
    via u/myprivatestories
  • 05
    I spoke to Max, I said he could come as long as he would be ok with going on all of the rides his sister wanted to, even the big ones. He promised and everything seemed fine.
    via u/myprivatestories
  • 06
    Anyway, we got there and went on a few smaller rides until Beatrice was ready to go on a larger one, this was one of the ones she had been looking forward to the most, but when we got to the front of the line Max started crying and refusing to go on. We went on other smaller rides, my daughter was disappointed and I told him off, making it clear he was in trouble.
    via u/myprivatestories
  • 07
    When we got home I told him he wasn't going to be able to use his Xbox for a week as punishment for ruining his sisters birthday after he had asked to come and promised he would go on all the rides
    via u/myprivatestories
  • 08
    My sister found out and is saying I am the AH, I can see what she means but at the same time I made clear these would be intense rides
    via u/myprivatestories
  • 09
    1. I punished my son for not coming on the rides after he promised he would if I let him come
    via u/myprivatestories
  • 10
    2) I might be the AH because it's not his fault he was scared
    via u/myprivatestories
  • 11
    EDIT: I am sorry, forgot to mention in the post, for the more intense ride an adult has to be present, hence why Beatrice couldn't go on her own
    via u/myprivatestories
  • 12
    Cheezburger Image 10542287872
    via Matt Bowden on Unsplash+

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 13

    Commenters took a deep breath, then absolutely unleashed on this father

    Wild-Pie-7041 YTA. You don't punish someone for being scared. Does Max have some serious behavior problems, dis lity, or something? Asking because I don't understand why Max couldn't have waited on the other side of the exit. Like on the stairs/ramp you walk down after riding the ride. He's 11 years old, not 5.
    via u/Wild-Pie-7041
  • 14
    [deleted] YTA -- OF COURSE. You are punishing him for being a child and getting scared. YOU could have stayed off the ride and sat with Max but YOU wanted to go on the ride yourself. This has nothing to do with the rides Beatrice wanted to go on but the rides you wanted to go on. I'm under the impression you are well
    via u/[deleted]
  • 15
    aware of this as you conveniently left out details about your own ride participation. You didn't let Beatrice go on the ride because you didn't get to go on it. A lot of parents have had to sacrifice their own fun for the sake of ensuring their child's safety and security. You clearly aren't one of them. Poor Max.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 16
    dart1126 YTA. How could you PUNISH him for being afraid of the big rides? Way to parent Also....FYI...for future reference...you can all be in line together, and Max simply waits until you get off the ride. He didn't need to be left far away for longer while you were in line. He
    via u/dart1126
  • 17
    would have been alone at the ride exit for only the few minutes you were ON the ride. He could have been in view of workers etc so somewhat safe etc
    via u/dart1126
  • 18
    Repulsive_State_7... Yes YTA. He didn't say no to ruin her day, he was a frightened kid. What is your punishment going to achieve? I'm sure he already feels quite bad.
    via u/Repulsive_State_7399
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    Yellow roller coaster holding 16 riders on a metal looping track with blue sky background
    via Jonny Gios on Unsplash+

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 20
    Teddi... YTA- sure it was disappointing and inconvenient but how was he to know what a huge rollercoaster is like until he was there? Obviously he hasn't been to this park many times before to know what he was agreeing to.
    via u/TeddingtonMerson
  • 21
    And he's only 11- quite possibly there are rollercoasters he's too short for. Do you really want to teach him that because he said he'd jump off a cliff to his friends he has to, no matter how unsafe it appears to be when he gets there? And do
    via u/TeddingtonMerson
  • 22
    you want to teach your daughter that people should be forced into things they don't want to do, too? "Cmon, you promised, and it will ruin my fun if you don't" is a lesson girls should learn from dads?!
    via u/TeddingtonMerson
  • 23
    When you invite a kid to these things, it's a risk you run that they'll nope out and you need to plan around it. If it was her day and all she wanted was big roller coasters, you should have left him at home to take another time.
    via u/TeddingtonMerson
  • 24
    HeirOfRavenclaw YTA. You're punishing the kid of being afraid of something? Is this the first example of you being a terrible father? The fact that you think you're justified here is truly baffling.
    via u/HeirOfRavenclaw

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family drama kids amusement park family rides daughter son children Father roller coaster
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