Posting as I listen to the new Crowded House album…
We took the girls to the magnificent, opulent, new city pool here in Carmel Monday. I think the city spent something like $800 million on it (slight exaggeration) and still has the nerve to charge residents to use it. Anyway, it’s loaded with all kinds of stuff: a kiddie pool, a lap pool, a hybrid pool that is for bigger kids and feeds into a normal pool, a dive and slide pool, a lazy river (which of course was not working), and then a huge water slide. Pretty snazzy, and any of you out-of-towners who visit us in the summer months will be taken there, since it’s cheap entertainment and a way to show off our tax dollars at work.
The girls reacted predictably. We spent the majority of our time in the kiddie pool, which gets 18 inches deep at its deepest, and has a little slide, some fun water toys, and small fountains off one side. C. lunged into the pool, waded all over, cheered for other kids as they went down the slide, and spent a ton of time in the fountains. She would get sprayed in the face, scream with delight, and go back for more. More than one mom at the pool commented on how well she walked in the water and how she had no fear. “Remember these moments when she’s racing cars one day,” said one mom. In short, C. loved it and couldn’t get enough. She even fell asleep on the way home from all of her hard work.
The big sister, on the other hand, had her usual issues. Didn’t want to get in the water at first. When she would get a drop or two splashed on her, she would freeze and cover her head like she was under attack. Refused to go down the slide, although she did start to climb the stairs on her own once but scurried back down as soon as some other kids got near her. And generally played the role of the worrier who can’t relax. We met some friends, so she had a couple kids her age to play with, but that was mostly out of the water. She finally got brave near the end of our time at the pool, and would take a long lap all the way around the pool, and then walk through the water to the corner where we were sitting. It’s still frustrating that she can’t relax and really enjoy things, but I’m starting to relax myself and realize that eventually she will get over these fears and allow herself to have the same kind of fun all the other kids are having. I just have to learn the art of patience while she is going through this stage.