Sally Brooks

I have not read all the posts on this topic, but would like to put my
2 cents in.

I'm 39 years old and just a few weeks ago had the opportunity to
thank the lady who lived next door to us when we were growing up.
She began giggling cause she thought I was going to make reference to
the little baggie surprises my brother would leave on her doorstep or
some other of numerous kid sh** that went on between our families (we
really were close, no really). But I thanked her instead for the
hours she spent in the lake with us. She would put on her swimsuit
and swim and play with us all afternoon. She was the one who showed
me how to float.

See, I found out a couple of years ago that the reason my mom NEVER
went in the water with us was because she knew there were snapping
turtles in the water. She feared one would grab her/our toes and
yank us under. And while it seems illogical that she would allow her
children to enter the water with such a fear, and she indeed
hyperventilated every time we went under water, she never told us
about her fear. NEVER! We all swim like fish cause we love to. We
(I have 3 siblings) also all love playing with the kids in the
water. It makes me appreciate my mom all the more. I can only
imagine the agony it took for her to watch from shore while we were
on the floating dock doing cartwheels off over and over and over. Or
when we found a 'pocket' under the dock to come up in and hide from
others.

On one level it really makes me evaluate my own fears for my children.
Don't know if you can find any wisdom in this post, but I felt it was
a story that needed told.

[email protected]

In a message dated 5/3/2004 12:33:12 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
brooksclan4@... writes:

> It makes me appreciate my mom all the more. I can only
> imagine the agony it took for her to watch from shore while we were
>
> on the floating dock doing cartwheels off over and over and over. Or
> when we found a 'pocket' under the dock to come up in and hide from
> others.
>
> On one level it really makes me evaluate my own fears for my children.
> Don't know if you can find any wisdom in this post, but I felt it was
> a story that needed told.
>
>

Very good reminder! I do this often myself, because my son has "no fear". He
tends to get in precarious situations and even dangerous (to a degree) ones,
and sometimes, I just either have to grit my teeth and bite my toungue or turn
away and not watch. I used to be similar as a child, and I can remember my
mother's constant warnings and written instructions on every field trip
permission slip, and often wonder if it made me more reckless-after all, if I was going
to get hurt ANYWAY, why not do what I want and have fun while I'm doing it?
It didn't make me any safer, just caused friction between us. So I try to keep
my mouth shut and give Wyl his freedom unless there is a serious actual threat
to his life , eye or limb (as in severed). It is the hardest part of
parenting-and something I never imagined before I had a child! LOL How cool that your
mom could do that for you! Thanks for sharing!

Síocháin ar domhan,
Sang


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