I took three of my youngest sons to an indoor waterpark over Spring Break (which is no break at all if you ask me). We had two full days of splashing fun at CoCo Key Resort in Arlington Heights, IL, only about an hour drive from our home. My good friend Michelle and her two boys plus two more moms and their seven kids met us there.
It was great. The moms were planted in a corner with our swimsuits on, but neatly concealed under a layer of "cover-up". It was never our intention to swim anyway. We had reading material, but rarely looked at it as we chatted the hours away. The kids only came back to our corner when they needed money or to tell on someone.
Half way through our first day, my youngest son, Caleb (seven-years-old), came over to the mom table with his head down and looking like he just lost his puppy.
"What's the matter, Cae?" I asked him.
"I'm jealous."
"What are you jealous of?"
"My big brothers get to go on the fast slides and I don't." he said.
To that, I quickly redirected his thought process with, "You're not jealous, you're scared! If you want to go on the fast slides, there is nothing but your own fear that is stopping you. Face your fear and go down once. After that, if you don't like it, you don't ever have to do it again, but don't tell me your jealous." (My tone may appear a bit cold, but I call it "inspiring.")
Our mom table was located near the bottom of the fast slides where the people were spit out. I turned Caleb around and said, "Look in there. Do you see any dead people floating in the water? Do you see any blood? Arms and legs missing?"
"No," he said.
"Well, there you go. Then you don't have to worry about dying, losing a limb or getting bloody. If all these people are surviving the fast slide, chances are you will survive too. Be brave and just do it!"
"Maybe I will be brave tomorrow," he said and ran off to the stand under the giant bucket that was clanging indicating that it was about to dump.
That was the end of the fast slide conversation for the day. The next day, I took the boys to McDonalds for breakfast and then we returned to the waterpark for one more day of fun. Caleb was following behind me and my other two boys (Joel and Adam, ages 12 and 10 respectively) were in front of me hurrying to get us a table.
I had all but forgotten about Caleb and his jealous fears until he piped up with "Well, at least I won't die!" as we passed by the fast slides again. Then I remembered our previous conversation and encouraged him to get Joel to go with him.
Joel and Caleb headed up the long stairway to the entrance and stopped at the painted sign that said "You must be at least 48" tall to ride this attraction." Joel shoved Caleb's back up to the sign and placed his flat hand on top of his head.
"Yep, you can ride," Joel said.
Caleb looked nervous, but he followed behind his brother and the two of them waited in a long line of other brave souls. I stood at the spit out spot to get a picture. I looked at the kids in front of my boys and figured when I saw the slides spit them out, my boys would be next. I only took one picutre of a complete stranger. (Someone must have cut in line.)
Caleb had a blast and he faced his fears like a champion. I was so proud of him and he no longer had to feel jealous! When you think about it, fear is a powerful thing that can rob us of a lot of joy!
When I think about all the things I haven't said or haven't tried because I was afraid, I wonder how much I have robbed myself of over the years. I need to take my own advice and be brave and face my fears. Thanks Caleb for teaching Mom something new!!
It was great. The moms were planted in a corner with our swimsuits on, but neatly concealed under a layer of "cover-up". It was never our intention to swim anyway. We had reading material, but rarely looked at it as we chatted the hours away. The kids only came back to our corner when they needed money or to tell on someone.
Half way through our first day, my youngest son, Caleb (seven-years-old), came over to the mom table with his head down and looking like he just lost his puppy.
"What's the matter, Cae?" I asked him.
"I'm jealous."
"What are you jealous of?"
"My big brothers get to go on the fast slides and I don't." he said.
To that, I quickly redirected his thought process with, "You're not jealous, you're scared! If you want to go on the fast slides, there is nothing but your own fear that is stopping you. Face your fear and go down once. After that, if you don't like it, you don't ever have to do it again, but don't tell me your jealous." (My tone may appear a bit cold, but I call it "inspiring.")
Our mom table was located near the bottom of the fast slides where the people were spit out. I turned Caleb around and said, "Look in there. Do you see any dead people floating in the water? Do you see any blood? Arms and legs missing?"
"No," he said.
"Well, there you go. Then you don't have to worry about dying, losing a limb or getting bloody. If all these people are surviving the fast slide, chances are you will survive too. Be brave and just do it!"
"Maybe I will be brave tomorrow," he said and ran off to the stand under the giant bucket that was clanging indicating that it was about to dump.
That was the end of the fast slide conversation for the day. The next day, I took the boys to McDonalds for breakfast and then we returned to the waterpark for one more day of fun. Caleb was following behind me and my other two boys (Joel and Adam, ages 12 and 10 respectively) were in front of me hurrying to get us a table.
I had all but forgotten about Caleb and his jealous fears until he piped up with "Well, at least I won't die!" as we passed by the fast slides again. Then I remembered our previous conversation and encouraged him to get Joel to go with him.
Joel and Caleb headed up the long stairway to the entrance and stopped at the painted sign that said "You must be at least 48" tall to ride this attraction." Joel shoved Caleb's back up to the sign and placed his flat hand on top of his head.
"Yep, you can ride," Joel said.Caleb looked nervous, but he followed behind his brother and the two of them waited in a long line of other brave souls. I stood at the spit out spot to get a picture. I looked at the kids in front of my boys and figured when I saw the slides spit them out, my boys would be next. I only took one picutre of a complete stranger. (Someone must have cut in line.)
Caleb had a blast and he faced his fears like a champion. I was so proud of him and he no longer had to feel jealous! When you think about it, fear is a powerful thing that can rob us of a lot of joy!
When I think about all the things I haven't said or haven't tried because I was afraid, I wonder how much I have robbed myself of over the years. I need to take my own advice and be brave and face my fears. Thanks Caleb for teaching Mom something new!!
No comments:
Post a Comment