Nate loves the water in the pool and he has a swim ring that he enjoys floating around in. We were at the neighbor's pool and he was on the pool step, mind you, holding onto his swim ring, when suddenly he lost his grip and went under. Instead of standing on the step, which was right under him, he panicked and could not get himself up. Not to mention that it happened so QUIETLY. No crying, splashing, gulping for air....one moment he was there, the next he was under and struggling to get up. Thankfully, I was right there, so I yanked him up out of the water. Scared me to death. He is so heavy & solid, he just sinks like a stone.
On the news they were saying that even if kids 4 & under have swim lessons, they still do not have the logic & reasoning to "save" themselves if they go under water & instead will panic. I think it's still important for kids to have swim lessons but can see how a parent cannot totally rely on that when your kids are in the pool. It's one thing for them to swim under water playfully but if they are scared and panic, they may not remember what they've learned. Fortunately, Nate's experience did not scare him and he still loves to jump in the pool and swim. But you can bet my watchful eye has become even MORE so!
Today we got a rare treat & Nate & I went out on the town. On our way home, we stopped at the grocery store and up until then, Nate had been doing really well. However, it was nap time & he was getting tired which also means he becomes more disobedient. He decided to stand up in the grocery cart (one of those that looks like a car w/the steering wheels) and I told him to sit back down. He frowned & just looked at me. I said it again and he kneeled down in the floor of the car in a big HUFF (and an equally big frown).
Ok, so I need to be more specific. "Sit down in the seat or you will get out of the cart and walk with me." More frowning..no movement..just looking at me to see if I'm good on my word. So, with some drama, I pulled him out of the car and made him hold onto the cart with one hand and walk with me. HOLY COW you should've heard the screaming, crying & stamping of feet.
Cue....checkout and get the heck out of there!
So I'm loading groceries onto the checkout lane as fast as I can. There's a guy in front of me who looks at us and says, "GOOD GRIEF! What is ALL that crying about??!" And he goes on & on about Nate's crying. At first I just smiled and brushed it off but now I'm thinking, "Will you just shut up & move on? You're not helping the situation any!" Apparently he forgot that 2 yr olds can throw quite a tantrum.
And so Nate screamed and cried all the way into the car..however, he did continue to hold onto the cart and my hand the entire rest of the time. He had to surrender his bear to me, during his nap but he was so tired, he didn't care & went right to sleep! Despite the tantrum, I find it interesting that since he's getting older, losing special privileges like riding in the car cart, sleeping with his bear or playing with certain toys are already becoming effective punishment for him. Makes it pretty easy for us......we just need ear plugs for the crying!
