Picture an adorable toddler dressed in her polka dotted swim suit that has a stripped bum thoroughly enjoying the water. Slowly other toddlers, older toddlers arrive to splash around too. Soon the older toddlers start to slide down the slide. Obviously my fearless toddler is not to be out done! I am torn between watching her on the platform, hovering over her like a helicopter mom and letting her explore by waiting at the end of the slide should she decide to take the plunge. Pushing helicopter mom out of the pool, I opt for letting Miss M experiencing life while waiting desperately at the end of the slide to catch her should she come barreling out of the shoot. After all I am a mom, I will recognize her distinctive cries for help, right?
The older toddlers are flying down the slide, one right after the other. Each coming so fast after the other that after the second one I quit wiping the water splashed on my face away. Eventually it is just my brave Miss M alone on the platform. I can see the thought process going on inside her head as she puts one foot in the tube and then withdraws it. Trying to encourage her the best I can, I keep assuring my precious little one that mommy is here to catch her and that she can let go. Before I know it she has let go and is on her tummy heading straight for me at record breaking speeds. When she reaches the end she lands safely in my arms with a look of sheer terror on her face. As soon as she realizes that mommy did indeed catch her as promised that terror spreads into the widest grin my little girl has. That grin quickly turns into shrieks of joy and claps of, "Yeah!"
Many more times the rest of our ninety minutes in the pool she took herself to the edge, but every time she backed away. I think she was satisfied of her accomplishment of one slide for today. Who knows maybe next week I won't be able to keep her off the slide.
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