Too scared to go on school excursion - WWYD

[Jellyfish]

I would not make my child do something they were uncomfortable with. If it was something they also wanted to do or understood that they needed to do (thinking like dental work), then I would help them find a solution that would help them feel more able to overcome their discomfort (such as offering to be with them).

If a child can't swim, pushing them in the deep end isn't exactly the best solution. Mental challenges are no different, mastering them is the same as mastering any physical skill and happens best when it is worked through in a supported environment and at a comfortable pace (and this will be different for all people). I will add that sometimes all a person actually needs is the option to say no too, it is like a weight off their shoulders that they can try with the ability to pull out at any point should it become too much - I know I am far more able to push through discomfort if I know I have the ability to stop at any point if needed so maybe if you go that opens up the opportunity to leave the movie should it become too much at any point which might be a solution he is interested in. But I mean it is a movie, it isn't going anywhere so he can always watch it when he is older should he desire, it isn't a once in a lifetime opportunity (in reality, not many things are) so I think that that would make me less inclined to push it. Even if it is meant to be educational, I wouldn't be worried for a number of reasons but a big one being if he spends the whole time anxious then how much is he even going to take away from the experience anyway?

I understand the whole face your fears sentiment but he is what 5ish? So there's his whole lifetime ahead to do that, bit by bit! Nobody has to overcome all their fears all at once