Hi Jennifer!
Welcome back to planDisney.
The short answer is yes! Commonly known as "chicken exits" (which I think is a totally inappropriate name because we all have our limits) there is an exit for every ride and attraction before actually stepping onto the ride itself. You can enjoy the queue with your family (and some of the best parts of the attraction are in the queueing area), and then tell the Cast Member (at the boarding point) that you wish to exit. They will direct you to somewhere you can wait for your group by the exit - quite often this will be inside the building which is a nicer, cooler place to wait than outside in the heat.
I have done this myself, and it was lovely to stay with my group rather than having to wait for them outside the attraction.
Some of the queues and pre-shows are too good to miss - I particularly love the queueing areas for
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and
Haunted Mansion, and the pre-show for
Avatar Flight of Passage. I love those rides too, but I could exit them before riding if I wanted to. Almost everyone I know absolutely LOVES (bordering on obsessed!!)
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, but this was too much of a bone-rattler for me. However, I can still wait with them until it's time for me to happily bale out before they go on their intergalactic chase!
I hope this means you can make the most of your time at the parks with your family, and maybe even try a few rides that you didn't think you would!
Please come back and visit us if you have any further questions, and you can
send me a direct question if you wish, especially if you want my opinion on any of the attractions. We will be happy to help you plan your magical vacation at Walt Disney World!
Sue