Florida father was impressed his daughter chose a horror ride. Then he remembered one thing: ‘It builds character’

Justin Smith, a Florida-based photographer who posts under the handle @vi2midnite on TikTok and SmittyBlendz on Instagram, recently shared a hilarious peek into his family’s fair outing that has gone viral. With 6.2 million views on TikTok and 9.9 million views on Instagram, his story poses a question: how much of a thrill-seeker are you, if you don’t know what you are getting into?

His post is a video montage of his young daughter’s journey through a horror-themed attraction on a fairground. It starts with her excited for the ride, grinning as she waits, even though she is the only person on the train. However, once that train pulls into the horror attraction, with just her, his wife laughed nervously and asked, “She’ll be okay?” He responded, “I don’t know!” and laughed. “It builds character. Hey, she asked to do it. I mean, I haven’t heard her scream yet.”

When the train emerged from the exit, instead of the excited kid from earlier, Justin’s daughter was wide-eyed, with a heavy frown. His wife started laughing hysterically, trying to ask, “Are you ok?” The girl slumped a bit, gave a sheepish pout, and shook her head in clear disappointment. As her mother kept laughing, the girl crossed her arms and looked like she was now holding back a laugh, even though she looked a little shellshocked. 

TikTok’s verdict: The girl was a champ

In his caption, Justin gave us, his viewers, a little more context: “After our daughter was turned down for 2 rides previously because of height she saw this ride and asked if she could do this one. After we checked to make sure she met any height and age requirements we asked if she was sure she wanted to and she said yes 🤷‍♂️ What we weren’t expecting was that they would start the ride before other kids got on (other rides had made her wait until it filled up more).”

“I was filming our fair experience because I like filming our family outings and memories,” he added. “Well the ride started rolling and I’m like , “they started it already? Well she’s always been a thrill seeker so… then I realized that even though she’s doing really well with reading… she may not know how to read the rides name 😅 She was fine though lol”

Additionally, the on-screen text summarized the situation: “Thinking your daughter’s being brave only to realize once she’s inside that she may not be able to read the ride’s name”. The Instagram version of the clip is a bit longer, showing the mom walking with her, laughing, and giving her a one-armed hug while the girl tries to pull her away. The text there reads: “Unintentional lesson of the evening… The Importance of Learning How To Read.”

The TikTok community was floored by the entire situation. HannaH asked a common questio, “You sent her in by herself!?” while fluffiestpanda89 noted what everyone else found amusing, “Her face when she came out, cracked me up”. 

Katelyn Schorn✨ remarked on her vibe, stating, “She said “we need to talk”😂.” Kathy observed, “She didn’t even look scared. She’s just so confused and concerned.” RavenclawedMouseketeer also pointed out, “The arm crossed like “you let me do this alone””. A large majority were impressed by her composure, like gurlygirl99 who said, “She handled that like a boss. Inside a dark ride alone. I might have cried lol 😂 she will be a thrill seeker.” 

Over on Instagram, theoneandonlydallaslovato remarked on Justin’s parenting attitude, ““it builds character” is diabolical 😂😂😂”. Aj_sloane commented, “Baby girl was mad disappointed in y’all, she rolled outta there like 🙎‍♀️.” The.shadow.nugget added, “look at her face, she’s flabbergasted, but i think she’ll be alright. that playful pout said everything 😂”. 

According to researchers, that last commenter might be right. An article by PsyPost pointed out that researchers have found that the vast majority of children enjoy what is called recreational fear. This is the phenomenon where kids seek out scary but fun experiences to help them learn about their own limits and build coping skills. 

The study stated that as long as the environment is controlled and safe, these kinds of experiences can actually help kids build resilience. So, as mrs._porter_ concluded, “She’s fiiiiinnnnnne, probably.”

Fairgrounds and theme parks can come with a learning experience, as it did for Justin as a father. It can also come with a heaping dose of fear as one Canadian mom learned, when a negligent staff member almost cost her daughter’s life. Although, as hayatandoko illustrated in New York, sometimes just a new experience can be scary, especially if you are her high-maintenance mom.