Ninja Mommy

We had a big family reunion this weekend at my grandfather's lake house. Loads of people all over, playing games, fishing, swimming, etc. John decides he is going to take JJ fishing down at the dock and swimming. We had gotten him a lifejacket before the trip but had not had a chance to try it on him yet. SO, after 20 minutes or so, I head down to the dock to take pictures of everyone. I find John helping JJ get out of the lake. He tells me that JJ freaked out in the water and that the lifejacket is too big on him (will not keep his face out of the water) and would I please watch him so John can go swimming.

I'm thinking, "no problem".

SO, JJ and I are sitting on the dock with 5 or 6 other folks and he's "fishing" (no hook, no bait - that's a daddy thing to deal with ;) ). It's a floating boat dock, so there's a railing on one side (to the open lake) and no rail on the other side (to the boat slip). JJ turns around and starts "fishing" in the empty boat slip. I am sitting right next to him. The next thing I know he's falling forward into the boat slip (he apparently saw a fish and was leaning forward to get a better look). I grab with my left hand and MISS. I grab his FOOT with my right hand (because at this point he is well and truly falling) and bodily haul him back up and into my lap. He got half his face wet, and scraped his leg on the way out, but was otherwise fine. I am checking him all over making sure he hasn't inhaled any water. He's ok (thank heavens!) In fact, he's so ok, he goes right back to doing what got him in trouble in the first place! (AHHHH!)

Next thing I know, half my family is over next to us exclaiming about my ninja-like reflexes. Apparently I moved faster than anyone had ever seen! One of my aunts said it looked like I teleported him out of the water. Personally, it all seemed like slow motion to me - I was absolutely terrified he would go in and inhale a bunch of water in his panic. I had visions of my beautiful baby boy drowned. It was horrible. The next day, my whole right side hurt like the devil, from my shoulder to my lower back. I had really wrenched something.

So, those stories they tell you about mom's lifting buses and stuff like that. I totally believe it now. And watch those little ones near the water this summer. I'm still not over the scare.

Eating disorders and young children

Monday, I read this thoughtful story on how many of the "health" messages we are currently bombarding our children with are actually causing more problems than they are solving: http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2009/05/innocence-lost-health-messages-are-not.html

It makes sense.  Children don't have the capacity for discernment that we do - if you say something is "bad if you eat too much" then in their mind it's just "bad."  I found it disturbing to think that the media's over-the-top treatment of "the obesity epidemic" is perhaps encouraging children to starve themselves.  Food as fear.  And yet, am I surprised?  I guess not.  Certainly, I know enough adults who have succumbed to the "good food bad food" characterization - smart, clever people, that, if they thought about it just a little bit, would say that was a silly thing to do.  I can't count how often I've done it myself - having a piece of chocolate even though it's "bad" for me and will "make" me fat.  Silliness, that we let ourselves be drawn into because it's easy.  

So, now I wonder how John and I can make sure that JJ gets a much more emotionally healthy message about food, body image, etc.  Step one is obviously ensuring our own attitudes are well-balanced and sensible.  But after that, it will be teaching him how to examine information that he has been given and evaluate it for himself, to realize you can entertain an idea without accepting it, and to know that just because someone is louder/older/bigger than you, it doesn't mean they know what they're talking about.

Here's to critical thinking!