The Things I Do For My Kid

When I was a teenager, I would be at the pool every single day during the summer. Of course, I had a pretty nice body back then, before life hit me like a Peterbilt. And back then I was all about boys, so showing off my bathing suit, and what was in it, was sooo very important.  I stayed out of the deep end, because I absolutely MUST have one foot on the ground at all times(a sensory processing issue) so I don't freak completely out.   

These days, I have absolutely no desire to be anywhere near a pool, for several reasons.  First, I haven't swam in ages, so I am definitely out of practice. Second, I have exercise-induced asthma. Third, due to previous misadventures, aka being on a respirator, I have developed a strong aversion to anything that might inhibit my breathing.  Fourth, I sunburn easily because my skin is extremely pale, and when the sun hits it just right I can probably be seen from space.

And finally, I look simply awful in a swimsuit. 

I am not trying to garner sympathy by saying that I look terrible in a swimsuit. I am acknowledging a fact.  Swimsuits just don't seem to fit me in the right places, no matter what size I try on.  I've accepted it and moved on.  I am not bitter; I have just tried to stay away from swimming and bathing suit competitions. 

To sum up, I now avoid pools. Except that now there's this little dude living in my house.
And he wants me to take him swimming.  My kid doesn't just love the water to splashy-splashy and look cute.  Zane likes to put his head underwater and 'swim like a fish'.  He doesn't even want to get out of the pool when the lifeguards signal a break.

This has required an adjustment on my part.  I can't very well refuse to take my son swimming just because of my own reluctance.  It would be wrong of me to visit my own anxieties on Zane, no matter how "reasonable".  He is an adventurer at the moment, and I will not take that away from him.  So I dug out a swimsuit, slathered on 4000 SPF sunscreen, and went to the pool with my husband and son. I even got into the water with them!


The worst thing that happened was that I got sunscreen in my eyes.   And that call from NASA about my being visible from space.