Ive figured it out...
the node is .tscn... The child nodes can't be accessed in the player tree.
var hitBox = 0;
func _ready():
hitBox = get_node("hitBox/CollisionShape");
pass
func _physics_process(delta: float) -> void:
$playerAnim.play("attack");
if ( $playerAnim.frame == 1 ):
hitBox.disabled = false;
else:
hitBox.disabled = true;