This morning I got a random and wild hair to take my kids swimming. You must know, taking my kids swimming is NEVER my first choice. But, I thought, hey, this could be their ONLY outing for the day. No other pressing plans...let's do it. The sheer joy and excitement that burst forth from their little mouths was adorable. Max ran around screeching "sfimming, I GO sfimming." Maggie, only slightly more cool said, "I want to go swimming, can I go?" So in a
First we stopped at Gramma Dars, and in a SHOCKING turn of events...her door was actually locked. In case you don't know this...Dars door is NEVER locked. Like EVER! But, apparently, today, she was asleep, or upstairs, or whatever, and the door was locked, therefore...we were S.O.L for the swimmin in her pool.
Plan B. Back in the car, children slightly confused, but sadness assuaged by reassurances that we would swim at Gramma and Grandpas. Crisis averted.
Show up at my Mom and Dads...no one to be found. Get ourselves sunscreened up, 'cause word up yo, it be HOT in here!!! Like 109 ridiculous, obnoxious, shoot me in the face HOT! And my little albino baby boy does NOT need the look of boiled lobster, it would most certainly clash with his pretty blue eyes. But, I digress.
We got in the FREEZING A pool (I know, the irony, it wasn't lost on me) and had ourselves a delightful time. Max and Maggie have discovered the joy of floaties, therefore making it possible for them to, umm, well float and swim about freely. We had the best time, just the three of us and the blaze o' the AZ sun. They jumped and jumped and JUMPED and played and swam. I won't lie, it was one of our best swimmy times ever.
Time comes to get out, dry off, get ready to go. I decided that we would sit on the chairs and dry off in the sun. I was sitting on a chair right next to the pool,
I don't know why I looked up, there was no sound, no scream, nothing seemed different, but I looked up to see Maggie looking over the edge saying "Just use your legs and kick Max", in a very calm and matter of fact way. And Max under the water, fighting to get back to the top and start going under again(Maggie hadn't even bothered to yell, HEY, MAX just fell in the pool Mom. NOPE, no courtesy shout out at all.) In the second it took to register...my response was "SHIT." I threw my towell off and ran over to the steps. I didn't even just jump in right there, I RAN TO THE STEPS, got in and grabbed him. He sputtered and burped and cried a little bit as I held him close and comforted him. I then got out of the pool and sat down in the chair, wrapped the towell around him and we cuddled and I loved on him.
Here is what has bothered me...I was not freaked out, I didn't go into total panic mode, I just was like "huh, crap, Max is in the pool, under the water, not good, MUST get him out NOW." And then once I had him, I was totally calm, not all insane and bawly and spazzy and freaked out. Shouldn't I have been more freaked out? What is wrong with me? Should I NOT have been a HOT MESS of neurosis and screams? That can NOT be normal to just be so calm about this. Almost as if I hadn't just witnessed my sons near drowning at all. But a mere fall and scrape o' the knee instead. And yet.... it was a VERY REAL experience, and it could have had a horrible ending. Thankfully it didn't. Am I broken? Am I really totally broken? 'Cause I sort of feel like I might be. There may be such a thing as TOO laid back. Or MAYBE I'm obsessing over nothing, and it's all just fine. I don't know. So, what do you think?
I know that all that REALLY matters is that he IS fine, that nothing tragic did happen. It matters that I WAS there and I did act quickly. Thankfully my sweet, silly, destructive, bottomless pit, sucker loving, LOUD Maximus Prime is just fine. He's perfect and happy and played the afternoon away.
THANKFULLY.
This is his "silly" face, and for whatever reason, it cracks me up EVERYTIME!
He lurved him some coconut frozen yogurt. Just love his little kewpy doll mouth.
Flat floaties and shallow ends,
Allyson
10 comments:
This is my theory, we are worst-case scenario people. You had already played this particular scenario over in your mind, knew what you were going to do, so you were cool as a cucumber.
I am very calm in times o' crisis (uh, remember the time we were carjacked/kidnapped?!). I didn't freak out during or after, because I had already played the "what if I was ever held up at gunpoint" game. Fun times. Don't stress about it. Just be glad that you handle stressful situations gracefully.
I am calm in times of crisis, its when something doesn't happen or I imagine that I get all worked up and create vivid scenarios in my head,
Really, the brain is an amazing thing. It protects you, you saw that something needed to be done and you did it. It would have been no good for you are your babies to freak out during or after.
I think you are totally normal. And I'm glad he's fine.
I think you staying so calm was a good thing. You showed your kids that everything was fine and you took charge of the situation. There was no reason to freak out because you had everything under control.
I'm happy to read that he was okay! A similar thing happened to me as a child when I fell into the deep end at Girl Scout camp. No one noticed, but luckily I was eventually able to grab onto the side of the pool and hoist myself out after what seemed like an eternity. I spent the rest of the camp as far from the pool as possible!
girl, i think you did a-ok. i know that when i was little....if someone freaked out when i got hurt, that activity was written off the books for at least the next 5 years. i got hit in the head with a water ski when i was in the 3rd grade. the folks in the boat were calm, cool, and collected, but my mom on shore was meltdown city. i have yet to water ski since then.
glad mr. max was okay! i remember this summer when my one year old nephew fell in the pool.... ava started clapping for him. guess she and maggie need to work on their "first responder" skills! lol
I'll be honest with you, since that's who I am. I'm surprised you didn't freak out completely, especially in the light of Jackson two weeks ago.
That being said, I don't think that there is any right or wrong gut reaction to a situation. I wish I could be like that. I'm not. But I don't think you should beat yourself up about reaction. That's why it's called reaction instead of action. There's enough drama at your house. They need you calm!
LIke the PPs, I am calm in crisis as well. If you are freaking out, you are not going to be able to think clearly in order to help others.
I think it takes our minds a few minutes after a situation to think through everything. We see something, react and get through it. Then later on we can contemplate all the what-if's that accompany it.
It is freaky how silently it happens. And how quickly everything can fly by. So glad that he is safe and sound. Cause I just don't think I could deal with that...
Well.... I think you did react... You said S*#@ and then could see he was still kicking and you did what needed to be done. I think your REaction would have been totally different if you hadn't seen that he was still "with us"... But besides that... MOST people are quite calm during the crisis,it's afterward that the shaking, and as Lana said, the "what if's" come about! So glad you caught him in time!
Yeah, I think our instincts tells us pretty quickly if it is something to freak out about or not. Your instincts let you know that he'd be fine, you just needed to get him out. Although I must say, I am a bit of a freak with pools especially and any amount of struggle under water gets my heart racing quite a bit. So maybe you are slightly freakish.... :) But if the outcome had been any different so would have been your reaction.
I think you are super normal. I remember when my youngest was choking on a gummy bear and my middle child ran up stairs to tell me. I ran down the stairs stuck my finger down her throat and scooped out the gummy bear. Once it was all over, I remember thinking "Wow, I was surprisingly calm". I think it is just our mommy powers coming into play.
I'm glad your baby is ok.
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