An observation

I'd like to think that I'm not TOO overprotective as a parent. I don't know maybe people would say otherwise. I think the little paranoia that does exist in this house comes from 2 sources--having your 1-year-old first baby be diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and from Jared. I think he's a little more high strung than I... ;)

So, Jared's dad gave us some passes to a great water park near by. It was great. We had a wonderful time.

There was a slide...about 3 or 4 yards wide and about 8 or 10 yards long...not much of a pitch to it, but enough for the little ones to get some speed. At the bottom of this slide was about 18 inches of water. As I watched the kids I noticed that it was just perfect. Each child seems to land with a big smile on their face and the water hit them at about their chest. Not intimidating at all for any of them.

I watched Seth go down several times laughing all the way. Then this is where I start to giggle. There was a dad there, with his 2 girls who appeared to be around 18 months and maybe 3. It was a situation I've seen over and over again at the doctors office. First time parents with their beautiful little newborn and the ENTIRE extended family there for the well baby check up. What exactly is it that they think is going to happen at this visit?? And how do you fit all those adults in the tiny little exam room? Maybe I'm just bitter because I have never had an adult escort to ANY of my kids doctors appointments. I did, however, make Jared come with me to one of Rachel's well baby checks so he could go through the pain of immunizations and having your baby look at you and with their little eyes say, HOW COULD YOU LET THEM DO THIS TO ME? That feeling has since worn off and I just pin my boys down now and tell them to KEEP STILL!

I digress...

So back to the water slide. This dad was there with his little girls...wife, grandma and grandpa. All in the kiddie area. I notice the dad take ONE of the little girls to the top of the slide as grandpa positions himself at the bottom. As they slide down I watch the dad lift his daughter into the air as to keep her from getting wet. As he approaches the end Grandpa reaches forward and grabs her from dad saving her from the impending doom that awaited her at the bottom.

The funniest part of it all was that in doing so dad lost his balance and he went completely under and was thrashing around trying to find which way was up. And then it began again with the other little one. I watched them do this over and over, and wondered when they would notice that no one else was going to these extreme measures to protect their children from the water at the water park....or that the 18 inches of water that would not have touched her face had she gone in on her own.

So after getting a good laugh I took my 3 year-old "baby" back to the "Racer"--a 3 story slide that you go down head first on your tummy, on a mat, BY YOURSELF because there are no dual riders. It was great fun!