I have a confession to make.

I don’t like heights.

I never have. Whether I’m standing on a rooftop, looking down from a tall building, or peering over a balcony, something inside me just says no. It’s not rational, I know that, but fear rarely is.

So, when my 11-year-old son looked at me with those eyes and told me he wanted to spend his vacation this summer riding roller coasters, I did what any reasonable person with a deep-seated fear of heights would do.

I said yes. Not only did I say yes,...