Having a ball : and rolling down a hill in a giant hamster toy!
Cries of "Please don't make me" and "I'm not doing it" rend the air.
It wasn't quite a full-blown tantrum, but it was pretty close. However, before you phone social services, I wasn't forcing my children to do something they didn't want to; it was me who was refusing to go careering headlong down a hill encased in nothing more substantial than an inflatable globe.
My eldest daughter Eve has been desperate to give zorbing a go, so along with her fellow adventurer, Joe we headed to Bankhead Mountainball in rural West Lothian.
As I'm a big feartie, I have brought Joe's mum, Carol Anne to let me know what it's like from an adult's perspective.
You can find the mountain balling station at Bankhead Farm near Dechmont. It is a quirky example of farm diversification, a family-run sideline, which makes great use of one of their grassy fields.
The staff are lovely, really great at putting the youngsters at ease.
As there are age and weight restrictions, it's best to check everything out online first, and book your activity in advance.
You meet at the Portakabin to fill in consent forms and get weighed in and changed. First to be safely strapped in for the Harness Ball activity is Eve.
Her nerves now getting slightly the better of her, she whispers that she is, "too young to die".
How bad, do I feel!
Joe is then Velcro-d inside the orb. A quick countdown and they are off, tumbling head over heels, down the 200 metre run in a scene reminiscent of Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach.
They scream the entire way. Their sibling spectators, Mack and Hope race down the hill to meet them at the bottom, as they can't wait to see how dizzy they are.
It wasn't quite a full-blown tantrum, but it was pretty close. However, before you phone social services, I wasn't forcing my children to do something they didn't want to; it was me who was refusing to go careering headlong down a hill encased in nothing more substantial than an inflatable globe.
My eldest daughter Eve has been desperate to give zorbing a go, so along with her fellow adventurer, Joe we headed to Bankhead Mountainball in rural West Lothian.
As I'm a big feartie, I have brought Joe's mum, Carol Anne to let me know what it's like from an adult's perspective.
You can find the mountain balling station at Bankhead Farm near Dechmont. It is a quirky example of farm diversification, a family-run sideline, which makes great use of one of their grassy fields.
The staff are lovely, really great at putting the youngsters at ease.
As there are age and weight restrictions, it's best to check everything out online first, and book your activity in advance.
You meet at the Portakabin to fill in consent forms and get weighed in and changed. First to be safely strapped in for the Harness Ball activity is Eve.
Her nerves now getting slightly the better of her, she whispers that she is, "too young to die".
How bad, do I feel!
Joe is then Velcro-d inside the orb. A quick countdown and they are off, tumbling head over heels, down the 200 metre run in a scene reminiscent of Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach.
They scream the entire way. Their sibling spectators, Mack and Hope race down the hill to meet them at the bottom, as they can't wait to see how dizzy they are.
As the zorb comes to a halt, Eve staggers out saying, "I'm not scared of anything now!"
Next Carol Anne bravely volunteers to give it a whirl and proclaims the experience unforgettable.
The second activity is the Water Ball, and as Joe doesn't want to mess up his Bieber flick hairdo, he gallantly allows Eve to give this one a go by herself.
We were half expecting an expanse of water and a hamster ball, but it turns out to be more like a trip in a giant washing machine.
You clamber inside a blue vinyl bubble and sit in a puddle of warm soapy water, but this time you are not strapped in.
Eve explains it is a bit like a flume, where you slosh around inside but you never go upside down. More than one person can go in at one time, which would be excellent.
Somehow Eve managed to film the whole thing.
Next Carol Anne bravely volunteers to give it a whirl and proclaims the experience unforgettable.
The second activity is the Water Ball, and as Joe doesn't want to mess up his Bieber flick hairdo, he gallantly allows Eve to give this one a go by herself.
We were half expecting an expanse of water and a hamster ball, but it turns out to be more like a trip in a giant washing machine.
You clamber inside a blue vinyl bubble and sit in a puddle of warm soapy water, but this time you are not strapped in.
Eve explains it is a bit like a flume, where you slosh around inside but you never go upside down. More than one person can go in at one time, which would be excellent.
Somehow Eve managed to film the whole thing.
Sadly Harness Ball roll and the Water Ball experience are no longer available at this location but for further ideas for family days out check out www.visitwestlothian.co.uk
This article first appeared in Scotsman Magazine 16/06/2012
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