So Freaking Naive

On one of our earliest trips to the local pool (which is really a small lake, but whatever) this year, a girl slipped off the high dive. She only broke her arm when she hit the freaking wall, thank goodness, but that's enough. My children assured me that they had no interest in going off any of the diving boards, let alone the high one. I sighed with relief.

I am so freaking naive.

Ironflower started asking when she found out some of her friends were going off the diving boards. I managed to put her off until they started going off the diving boards in her swim lessons. On her first trip up to the high dive platform, though, she changed her mind and came back down. I again sighed with relief, because the low and medium diving boards don't freak me out that much.

As long as I am standing there watching. I just feel like the lifeguards don't watch the kids as closely as they should. And their standards are low - there is no deep water test needed for kids to go off the diving boards or swim in the deep water.

It took Ironflower about 3 hours to change her mind about the high dive. I took the kids over to the diving boards because I figured practicing on the low and medium couldn't hurt. Lovebug conquered his diving board fear and happily jumped off the low and medium boards.

And then Ironflower wanted to try the high dive again. I mentioned the girl breaking her arm, right? And that the dive is high? And that even though Ironflower is a pretty good swimmer, she is only 7? And I didn't start doing the high dive until I was like 10? And that I'm paranoid and overprotective about certain things? Okay. 

Some parents, when confronted with the kind of panic I was feeling, might tell their kid no. But I knew intellectually that my panic was ridiculous, even if it didn't feel ridiculous. So I let her go. 

Not only did she not break anything, she absolutely loved it. She's now done it so many times, Lovebug is walking up there with her. He hasn't jumped yet, but I'm no longer naive. I know it's only a matter of time before I have to let him go too. 

Hugmonkey will probably do it when he's 5, because he hates being left behind. 

Until this high dive thing, I was always so thrilled when my kids did things on their own. I was proud (oh, okay, and a teeny bit sad) when they ran into preschool and then kindergarten without a backward glance. I've loved watching (or in Hugmonkey's case, begging) them develop each independent skill. 

But now I realize that the independent skills are only going to get scarier (for me, anyway). Sleep overs. Walking home from school. Using the stove. Driving. 

I think I need a Valium.