by Danno
So we took the kids to Disney around April of 2013. Maya was about 6 1/2 and Zoe was almost 5. Let's just say that trip wasn't exactly at the top of my list of fun things to do.
We did the "Breakfast with the Princesses", of course which I'm pretty sure my wife enjoyed more than the kids. We were on track to enjoy all the most boring rides ever, waiting in line for 45-60 minutes for each one of them.
Neither kid wanted to do any of the fun rides, and obviously you can't leave the kids alone or wait in line for 45 minutes for me to do a fun ride by myself.
Finally we were at Animal Kingdom one day and I was able to get Maya to reach a little bit. I explained to her that these rides are all designed to be safe. What makes them fun is that they make you a little bit uncomfortable. If you can try something that's just a little bit out of your comfort zone, and then you come to the end of the ride safe and sound, you'll have so much more fun, and then that becomes your new mental starting point for what is fun. If we try something that is little bit too scary, then we don't have to do that one again, and we know where our upper limit is for now.
So we separate. Maya and I go 1 way to do some fun rides, Zoe and my wife go the other way to continue doing sucky stuff.
The place is filled with small children, and the bigger rides have shorter lines. We start cranking it up, 1 ride at a time, seeing how much she can handle. She's loving it. After each ride we talk about how much fun that was, discussing if that was more fun or less fun than the previous ride.
Finally we get to this Yeti ride. (YouTube link of the Yeti ride)
Solid roller coaster. She's screaming, but it's a fun scream, not a terror scream. As we coast back into the end of the ride, she says "I think that was TOO much fun for me, Dad." It was one of the funniest things I've ever heard, and one of those moments where only a kid could put it so appropriately.
(she ended up going back on it again)
When you are on a ride, and you find that it's "too much fun" in the middle of it, you don't have to go do that ride again. But you know what you don't do... you don't take off your safety harness and jump for it! You sit there, you wait for the ride to bring you to the safe conclusion, and then you reassess your tolerance for "fun".
The markets are volatile right now... stocks, bonds, bitcoin, everything. If you feel like this is "too much fun" for your liking, that's fine. File that information away, lesson learned. Hold on, the ride will be over soon enough. After this ride comes to its conclusion, you can reassess your risk tolerance, and tweak your asset allocation. Or maybe the fact that you made it through the ride strengthens you, and makes you that much more mentally prepared for the next time (because there is always going to be a next time).
You don't need to go back to the kiddie rides (i.e. CD's and savings accounts). You maybe just need to move from a 70-30 (stocks-bonds ratio) to a 60-40, or from a 60-40 to a 50-50, etc. But after the ride is over, not in the middle of it.
Now go drop some knowledge on a friend. I'm out.
Legal Disclosure: This is not personal Investment Advice. The commentary on thetransparentadvisor.com reflects the personal opinions, viewpoints, analyses, and often sarcasm of Danno Hoff and should not be regarded as a description of services provided by his employer or its affiliates. The opinions expressed in this website are for general informational and entertainment purposes only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual or on any specific security. It is only intended to provide education about the financial industry and provoke thoughts. The views reflected in the commentary are subject to change at any time without notice. Nothing on this website constitutes investment advice, performance data or any recommendation that any particular security, portfolio of securities, transaction or investment strategy is suitable for any specific person. Any mention of a particular security and related performance data is not a recommendation to buy or sell that security. Any indices referenced for comparison are unmanaged and cannot be invested into directly. Investments in securities involve the risk of loss. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
