A Day at the Pool

It is so nice to have John "back" after over two long years of work, work, work on the project. We have been enjoying some good quality family time. This Saturday we went to the city's public pool. They just completed a million dollar renovation with a new area for babies and toddlers that goes from a zero entrance to about 2 feet deep. It has cool fountains and a slide that Megan couldn't get enough of. She was so fiercely independent in the water and did not want to hold hands with us. Since she wasn't used to walking in the water, her legs were moving slower than her top half and she would inevitably crash face first into the water. In some places, it was deep enough to engulf her entire head when she fell to her hands and knees. We would (first gasp! ahhh) and then pull her out of the water, certain she would need immediate CPR. Nope! She just squirmed and wiggled to get free, and off she went running away from us again. Do we hover too much? Probably. As new parents, we're obsessed with anticipating every possible danger with the hopes of planning an intervention that protects our little one from any harm. Then sometimes we just sit back and realize we have to let her have a little fun once and a while. It is ok for her to eat NON-ORGANIC (gulp) ice cream once in a while. (For special occasions only, and even then no more than 1 time per summer.) We don't have to spend 2 hours in the cereal aisle of the grocery store comparing the grams of sugar in whole grain cheerios vs. rice chex. She can eat a french fry once in a while. (No, actually NANA, she is still not allowed to eat french fries. No exceptions!) It is ok for her to take off her shoes in the car and suck on the dirty bottoms if she is really, really bored. (Ummm, on second thought, that is still not ok with me and I reserve the right to pull the car over and put a stop to that immediately.) It is ok for her to swallow a mouthful of public pool water (yuck) once and a while. Really. She is realizing she is an independent person who can actually control her destiny. I have to constantly remind myself of that, take a step back, and watch my little baby girl develop a mind of her own. Why didn't anyone tell me about this?? Why don't they cover this in the "make you feel guilty for not doing everything perfect" parenting magazine that comes once a month? (You know, the ones with the pictures of the perfectly groomed, skinny moms who make it look so effortless as you wonder to yourself if it is normal to have yesterday's carrots still smeared in your hair.) Our wise pediatrician tried to teach me a lesson when I brought Megan in, convinced there was something SERIOUSLY wrong with her because she wouldn't sleep at night unless I held her. "Look in her ears," I told him. "She must have an infection." I was shocked to find out there was nothing physically wrong with her. "Then why is she doing this at night???" He told me "Megan doesn't have a Mommy problem. Mommy has a Megan problem." The nerve of that doctor! Did he seriously mean I should let her cry and eventually she would go to sleep on her own. Wasn't he there to diagnose Megan, not me???Guess what? It worked. The lesson I'm learning in my journey as a mom is that sometimes the best thing we can do for our kids is to do nothing at all..........even if it does include a few gulps of public pool water once in a while.