Since summer has come (and is almost gone) my fear of water plus my children has been growing. I guess you could call it being over-protective, but isn't that what moms are supposed to do?
TV News and parents magazines have always informed me that kids can so easily drown in just 2 inches of water, and now I'm throwing them in pools 5 feet deep? Sounds a little unsafe to me. But what are you supposed to do in Texas during the summer when it's over 100 degrees outside?
I've never been really worried about Nolan. I did all the "first mom" things with him, like taking him to swim class when he was almost 2 years old. He was not a fan. He liked water, in general, but then really didn't see the point of just floating around. I LOVED that about him. Whenever we went swimming, he was perfectly happy just hanging out on the steps or playing in the kiddie pool which is only 1 to 2 feet deep (still more than 2 inches, but better than 5 feet). And he has always been extremely happy to wear a life vest. I guess he almost thought it was an accessory, because he would wear it around the house and even to the Splashpad where I think the drowning factor was almost zero. But still, I'm glad he likes safety.
Then, he threw me a curve ball at the pool this week. He hung out in the shallow end (yay!) but no swim vest (boo) and for some reason decided he was going to start holding his breath under water. Scary! He blows up his cheeks really big, plugs his nose and then just disappears under the water. I would thank God every time he brings his head back up. I don't know why it makes me so nervous, it just does. I don't have a tragic pool story from my childhood, but it seems the day after you have your first child you get the responsibility of worrying about every little thing that could hurt or harm them.
Mallory is a different story. She's my clingy baby....until you get to the water. She wants to do everything herself. At the same pool, she decided to hang out in the shallow end, but is still too deep for her. We do not yet have a swim vest for her, and have always held her or put her in a floaty device. Well, she starts walking around all cute in the shallow end, the water was up to her ankles...then her knees...then her waist...then her chin. She was still going towards deeper waters like it was no big deal. I sat VERY close by trying to act all calm around all the other moms, but inside I was screaming,"Are you crazy?" The mom beside me was watching Mallory try to see if she was secretly a mermaid and said,"They have a death wish at this age.hahaha!" I giggled politely but do not see anything funny of Mallory testing her boundaries of what she can or can't do. Yet again, being over-protective, I know it's a part of life.
We thankfully all left the pool still breathing, and sadly Mallory is not secretly a mermaid (she finally figured that out herself). My mom was never the type to just let us go swimming alone, even when we got older and were allowed to go by ourselves, per pool rules. She always went with us. I guess I might have inherited that tad phobia of pools from my mom, but I guess it could be worse. We DO love to go to the pool, I just feel a bit frazzled inside whenever we go. The term "Get Over It" pops in to my head, and I guess I will...eventually...when the kids are 50.
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