Just found this Thread and think it is my Time to join in and put the Thread on Page One again.
Sorry that it got so long and my english will proberbly will make it difficult to read.
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My Name is Stefan (36) and I live with my beautiful wife Simona (38) and my fabulous DS Lukas (7) in Delmenhorst (a Town near Bremen) in the North of Germany.
In my Jobs I am the IT Responsible of a big Swedish Furniture Company and after Work a Soloist in Musical productions in Bremen. My Wife is also a professional Singer. Not to forget Lukas who is a professional Schoolboy.
As long I can think I am absolute mad about all kinds of Amusmentparks. I love everything that goes round, swings or goes up and down. All kinds of Carousels and Rollercoasters are an absolute pleasure for me. My Wife said to me: "Honey, it seems to me that you have got to be speeded up to calm down."
My Wife and I share nearly everything with each other. But there is this bad word nearly in the last Sentence. And to be honest she hates everything that goes round, swings or goes up and down. All kinds of Carousels and Rollercoasters are an absolute Horror for her or just boring.
But there is this Wonder called: Heredity transmission.
It began to happen when Lukas was 3 and we were on the funfair that happens twice a Year in our Town. Lukas stood in front of very fast Carousel called Krake (Octopus) and said, Dad I want to ride that with you. My answer came very fast: I will never let you ride that one and by the Way I dont think it is allowed for Kids of your Age. And now he said for the first Time the Sentence that I am hearing hundred times since then and what became his kind of unbeatable argument:
O.K. than we are just go to ask if they let me ride it and when they say no I will not complain or yip.
(Thank you Diberry and Nik for the right words)
I thought O.K. they will never allow a three year old boy to go on such a fast Ride. Wrong the man just told me the Price, I paid and we both were on. I know like it was yesterday that I thought that this Situation is going totally wrong and that I am going to give my Son the first Trauma of his Life. Than the Ride started and I was so scared for my Son. After a few Minutes it stopped, but instead of a crying face that I was expecting I just saw him smiling all over his face. And with this special Glance in the Eye he said: Please let us do this again.
Touché.
The next 3 Years I found no Attraction that made him afraid or was fast enough. But that is another Story.
In this year and the beginning of the next every funfair in all Town around us were ours. My Wife decided after one visit that her time is invested better by going shopping with her best friend (how little does she know
)
Then the Euro came and although 1 Euro was 2 DM worth they just changed the Currency-Symbol on the Price tags and so everything you can buy or ride on a Funfair doubled in the Price. We couldnt afford our Father and Son Hobby anymore.
But then I got the Idea: Amusement-Parks. You just pay once and than you can ride everything as often as you wanted. Lukas didnt believe me that something wonderful like this really is possible.
To our luck the biggest Amusement Park in northern Germany the Heide-Park is just one hour away from us. On our first visit I bought us Annual passports which we have till today.
When Lukas was four years old he stood in front of the big Rollercoaster in the park which has 2 Loopings and 2 Corkscrews and said O.K let us ride this one. My Reaction came very fast: I will never let you ride that one and by the Way I dont think it is allowed for Kids of your Age. His reaction followed very fast too:
O.K. than we are just go to ask if they let me ride it and when they say no I will not complain or yip.
Touché.
I remember us going up the Lift hill when I told him: O.K. my Sweetheart and this will be the first Time in your Life that I will here you scream on a ride. Yes and I also remember us in the Brake area of the Coaster when he replied: My Lips haven´t even moved, let´s go do this again. And because there was no frequence in the park we did it 5 Times in a row.
Do I get to long? If yes, sorry.
Our Disney Addiction then began when he was five. Much earlier he heared of
Disneyland and asked me if we are going there and I said: Yes before you get into school we can do this.
I said that because it was my standard sentence for big Wishes or things I don´t do like. I told him the same when he asked me to go camping with me or wanted to learn swimimg when he was three years old. But why do Kids have a Memory like Elephants?
Someday his Kindergarten teacher told us that he is bored from Kindergarten and intelligent enough to go to School one year earlier. Big Problem for me. Lukas came and said: Dad I am really happy that I will learn swimming now and go to camp with you but the best is the visit of Disneyland that we are going to make. I know we will do that all because you never broke a promise you´ve made.
Touché.
Having just 10 Weeks time for everything I made the big Plan. I took Off-Time from Work for 3 Weeks in June bought a big Tent and went with him on a Camping-Ground in the near of Bottrob which also offers Swimmingtraining for Kids. And also booked several other Camping-Grounds on the Way down to Paris were DLRP was the big Finale of our first Father and Son Holiday.
My Wife took the time on a Beautyfarm with her best Friend (Did I tell you that Women can be really odd
) and the worst was that she told us afterwards that she enjoyed the time; Pah.
Come on Stefan find an Ending.
Lukas and me stayed in Hotel Cheyenne for three days and with the first Step we both set on Main-Street we were hooked.
This Year in January we came back with the whole family and stayed in the Sequoia. My Wife really was impressed by the Parks, the Hotel, the Spirit and the Shopping. But at the End of our 4 Day Stay she told us that DLRP was a beautiful thing to have enjoyed but that from now on it should be a Father and Son thing again.
So next January Lukas and I will go again on our own for 5 Days and my Wife and her best Girlfriend will go to this boring beauty farm.
So now I hope that every one who read this still is awake and that my English wasnt that bad.
Stefan
P.S. I really love my wife allthough she had this touch for beautyfarms and I really love my Son who I loves everything that goes round, swings or goes up and down.