Helping Kids Who Are Afraid of Costumed Characters :Travel Tips Tuesday

Being the baby of the family, especially if you are at the end of a long line of kids, certainly has its privileges.   You almost always get your way.   There is always someone around to clap when you learn something new.  And, chances are that your parents are so worn out from raising your siblings that won’t have the energy for any kind of discernible standards.  That’s almost a guarantee that you can eat Oreos for dinner, or breakfast.  Or both.

But, there is also a downside to being the baby, namely that you miss out on all the typical baby and toddler things that parents dote upon the earlier children back in the days when they still had principles.  You miss out on things like mom and baby classes, and outfits with matching socks, and baby books with all the dates properly penned.  You can especially forget about any outings that are designed for just for kids your age.  Clearly, your family has moved on and you’ll just have to save these early injustices for a session with your therapist. 

~I can NOT believe the embarassment of this day!~

This all too true parenting scenario has been the real life for our youngest son.  He is certainly doted upon and quite spoiled because of it, but he rarely gets an outing or vacation planned just for him.  For that reason, I was thrilled when SeaWorld San Antonio invited us to visit and arranged a character breakfast with the gang from Sesame Street.  Although my older boys were in full eye-roll mode, it is truly amazing what a group of boys will do for their baby brother, and we were all excited to the point of giddiness about sharing this special moment just for our baby.

~Here comes the fun!~

We were scheduled for a character breakfast, so we grabbed our plates and headed to our tables to wait for the main event.   The doors flew open and with a burst of sunshine, Big Bird and all his friends came into the breakfast hall.  We all waited with cameras at the ready as Morgan smiled happily from his seat.   We were so excited that we had chosen a seat at the front of the breakfast hall, so we could be the first to meet the characters.  As the furry creatures of the Apocalypse lovable characters from TVs best kid’s show made their way to our table, the sunny smile quickly faded, and before we could get even one picture, Morgan had melted into a puddle under the table. 

And that’s where he stayed for the rest of the breakfast.  

We tried every song and dance we could think of to get him to come out and meet the characters, but he wasn’t budging.   The decision was made.  Six foot tall furry creatures with oversized heads and unmoving smiles were evil, and no amount of Oreo bribery was making him change his mind.

~Not coming out.  Not no way.  Not no how~

I was completely caught off guard.  He is not normally a timid child, but he definitely had strong feelings about meeting costumed characters.  While I was secretly rejoicing that my mommy guilt was absolved from the previous character deprivation, I was also trying to figure out if there was something I could do to make the next character experience more positive.  Full Disclosure: There is never going to be another character experience.  Know when to fold ‘em.

~Ummm….everybody okay under there?~

What to do to Prepare Kids for Meeting a Theme Park Character

1.Test the Waters Before you Buy the Ticket.  Character experiences can be expensive in both time and money.  Make sure it is something your little one is really going to love before you make plans.  The best way to tell for sure is to bite the bullet and take your child to meet Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny at the mall.  If they are squeamish about these characters, there is a good chance they might not enjoy an entire breakfast populated with 6 foot stuffed animals.

2.Make Sure they Know (and Love) the Characters.  We don’t really watch much Sesame Street at home, so these were not much loved characters we were meeting.  Getting to know a stranger is always a little awkward (or downright horrifying.) Add a bubble yum colored fur coat, and the whole operation is bound for disaster from the get go.  I think we would have had a better experience if we had been meeting characters we really knew well.

3. Play Dress Up.  Some kids really need to understand that there is a person under that costume to feel comfortable.  Get some friendly masks and practice putting them on and taking them off at home to help kids understand that costumes are just for pretend.

4. Watch and Wait.  If you think your child might need a few minutes to warm up, be sure not to be in the front of the line.  Watching other children interact with the characters can make kids feel more comfortable.

5. Play Sneak Attack.   Think of this as a form of toddler desensitization therapy and just slowly inch your way closer and closer to the characters.  Morgan was completely willing to get with a certain radius of any character, but definitely pushed the kill button somewhere around the three foot mark.   Gradually getting just a little bit closer was a non-threatening way to gain confidence. 

6. Make a game of the Meeting.   Kids might feel uncertain about walking up to a character, but will feel a little more confident about a high five or a getting an autograph.   Give them a way to interact that makes them forget about the fear and start having fun.