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TIFU by traumatising children at the water fun park

TIFU and I feel terrible.

Today the family and I went to have a fun day out. It's the last few days of school holidays. It was a stinking hot day. A waterslide was perfect!! So exciting to go up the tower waiting for your turn to slide. So many kids having fun. Everyone was happy. Perfect fun for the little ones. Happy days!! Happy memories!!! Fabulous!!!

Suddenly, the official at the top of the tower says we must turn back. He says, "the slide is now closed, we see lightning". I look across the skies and sure enough, notice there really is some lightning in the distance, albeit quite far away.

So everyone calmly, begrudgingly, heads back down the stairs. There's a collective disappointment, as we make the slow gradual descent back.

As I just happened to be the only adult in the situation I thought it might be a good opportunity to explain to my kids exactly what was going on. I try to be scientific..."Well the issue is if lightning strikes this tower which is metal and up really high....we are very high...well lightning is attracted to metal and higher places are closer to lightning...and there is a lot of water on this tower which means if lightning strikes water you get electrocuted...umm yeah, I guess if lightning strikes we all get electrocuted".

Okay. So I did not expect what happened next. I did not think that maybe all the children could actually hear me. I dont know what I was thinking... but the next thing, all the little kids panicked. They literally thought they would be electrocuted. One of them does not help the situation by exclaiming out loud "lightning!!!". The whole lot of them start running down the stairs. Meanwhile, I'm trying to call for calm but it's too late ...they are desperate to get to the bottom of the tower. Terrified that lighning will strike the tower. Their little feet pattering down those steel steps and the panic I felt that one might fall.... I will never forget. I was so grateful that everyone safely made it to the bottom without slipping. Oh, and there were no lightning strikes to the tower. We were all fine and safe.

Later, in the change room I heard a little girl refusing to leave the change room because she was so scared of the lightning electrocuting her. The mother says "You will not get electrocuted!!" Then mutters to herself, "I don't know what they said to you to scare you so much!!"

I quickly and quietly left the change room hoping the little girl didn't spot me 😳

TL ; DR On a waterslide tower with my kids, we got told to turn back because of the lightning in the distance. I tried to explain the process of how lightning is attracted to metal to my kids and terrified all other children that they might get electrocuted on the tower.

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