Well, today makes it official. All three of my kids can outswim their momma. Lilly jumped off the diving board today at Uncle Danny & Aunt Wanda's pool. She did great and did it many times. She is 6. Erika and Kayla are jealous that Lilly is doing it so much younger than they are. They were 9. If you recall, last year was my first time-jumping in, no diving board. Today, as I was mentally bracing myself just to jump into the deep end of the pool, I asked Erika and Kayla what they would do if I didn't come up. They thought out a plan and before they finished, I jumped in and swam up. "Just so you have a plan.", I said.
One of my big fears was that somehow I would pass on my fear of water to them-or one of them. Instead, I have worked dilligently to expose them to as much fun in the water as possible and prayed they would be safe and love it. Having a Dad with a love of boating, swimming and no fear has also been a big help.
Perhaps lifeguarding might even be in their futures. I always thought that would be such a cool job. Oh wait, for a moment there I was living vicariously.
3 comments:
I have many fears. Some of them are even rational.
So I know it's one of the hardest things in the world to push your fear aside and try to make things fun and fine for your kids... and not pass on your own fears to them.
I think that's the mark of a really good parent. Congratulations to you. Seriously.
I worry about passing on my fear of water. A lot.
Hey, I wasn't behind at all! I have a huge fear of animals - all animals. It was hard not to tense up when Emily was a baby so that she wouldn't have the same fears. Seems to have worked because the kid LOVES animals. Staying calm for her sake really helped me get over a lot of it, too. Those kids can be superb motivation.
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