Conquering Water Worries

I was cleaning out the fish aquarium. It was an ordinary day. I needed to siphon the water across the kitchen to the sink. It took the entire afternoon to drain the tank, scrub it out, and set it back up again. While cleaning, I watched my boys play in the backyard. They were running and playing. They were at the side of the house playing on the swing set a while later. I looked out my bedroom window and saw them swinging and laughing together. I finished in the bathroom and walked through the house.

A Sudden Silence

Returning to the aquarium, I looked out the living room windows—no boys. Walking out onto the deck—no boys. I listened—no laughter, no shouting, no boy sounds, only birds and the sound of the wind in the trees. Calling out to them, “Luka, Kadon” …I waited, but only silence answered. Walking quickly down the steps from the deck to the grass, I began to run toward the swing set. The swings hung without moving.

“Luka, Kadon?” I called repeatedly. But no one answered.

Panic by the Lake

I now ran over to the bank of the lake. As I ran along the shoreline, I continued to call their names and look for movement, bubbles, ripples—anything in the water that would indicate that my boys had gone into the water. As I reached the midpoint of the yard, I thought I saw bubbles by the dock. It had already been about three minutes since I had seen the boys. I jumped in the water and began walking and waving my arms under the water’s surface. Within seconds, I heard “Momma, momma,” as the two boys ran toward me from the opposite side of the house. I came out of the water with relief and worried about how we would keep these two guys safe and me sane through the coming summer.

Facing Fears

I talked to Craig about the incident and my concern about what would happen if one of the boys accidentally fell into the shallow lake. What would they do? How could we know? Then I had an idea….

My concern was that one of the kids would somehow fall into the water, and the other would try to help his brother, and they would both drown. Obviously, this is a VERY real fear. But an even more problematic fear was my worrying about the possibility of this happening. So I just wanted to know…what if?

The Plan

Craig and I set it up. We all walked out onto the dock. Craig and I looked down into the water at the end and said, “Oh, wow, look at that!” The boys, of course, came to the edge, leaned over, and intently gazed into the shallow green depths. This is where the story takes an evil turn.

I pointed down and said, “Look, down there. Is it a fish?” I encouraged the two boys to lean out further. At this point, Craig gently nudged/pushed the boys over the edge and into the water. They fell 24 inches into the lake fully clothed, with even their shoes on. Shocked, both boys quickly surfaced and paddled to the edge of the dock. They were crying. They scrambled up the ladder, and we dried them off, feeling relieved and a little guilty.

Lessons Learned

As we wrapped them in towels and promised them ice cream for their bravery, I realized something important: Sometimes, the best way to calm your fears is to face them head-on. And if that means giving your kids an impromptu swimming lesson fully clothed, so be it. This experience didn’t lessen my vigilance in watching my young children around water; it only relieved my anxiety about the possibility of an accident. I remained watchful, understanding the importance of constant supervision to keep them safe.

But a word to the wise, the next time you feel the urge to push your kids into a lake for a life lesson, make sure you have plenty of towels—and ice cream—on hand.