From the Tales Inbox: Cheering Her On

Yesterday at the pool, my six year old daughter, Madilyn, came running up to me, her eyes brimming with tears. "The lifeguard won't let me go down the big slide anymore. She says I'm not tall enough." It turns out that Madilyn, indeed, was one inch too short to go down the big slide. However, yesterday was the first time any of the lifeguards had actually measured her. So although she'd been going down the slide for the last week, if she wanted to go down the big slide again, she either had to grow an inch or pass the infamous "SWIM TEST."

Madilyn and I walked down to the lap pool with the lifeguard (who ominously grabbed a life preserver on the way). As we approached the pool the lifeguard explained, "She needs to swim the length of the pool without touching the sides. She can tread water for a while if she needs a break. But she cannot touch the sides." I have to confess the pool length has never looked longer, and I was worried that Madilyn would not be able to do it. But I gathered as much positive energy as I could, said a silent prayer, and knelt down in front of Madilyn. Her brown eyes widened as she stared at the length of the pool. "Mommy?" She pleaded, her voice revealing her fear. "You can do this!" I encouraged. "Don't forget to come up for air. You can do this!"

Madilyn jumped in the water and started swimming. She has definitely progressed beyond the doggy-paddle. She kicked hard and her arms did baby free strokes. I walked along the pool's edge cheering her on. Behind me, my friend from church, Shannon, and her daughter appeared (they were at the pool and realized Madilyn was doing a swim test). They started cheering Madilyn on with me. About 2/3 of the way, as Madilyn came up for a breath, I saw the fear in her eyes. Madilyn looked to her left and saw a ladder. I could tell she was considering it as an option. I jumped into the pool at the far end, and reached my arm out to her. "You're doing it! You're doing it! Don't stop now!" I yelled. She took a deep breath and kept swimming She swam the last fifteen feet and grabbed my outstretched hand. She climbed out of the pool and everyone cheered, even the lifeguard. I hugged her and hugged her. She whispered, "I didn't think I could do it. That was a REALLY long way." She watched proudly as the lifeguard wrote her name with a permanent marker in the offical swim test book. The lifeguard then wrote her initials on Madilyn's hand, and Madilyn was free to go down the big slide again.

So much of my parenting life, I've done most everything for my children. I've fed them, clothed them, bathed them, read to them, and cared for them. But I realized as I watched Madilyn swim that as a parent, my real job isn't doing things for my children - it's helping my children do things for themselves. I couldn't swim the length of the pool for Madilyn - eventhough I wanted to. All I could do was believe in her, cheer her on, and celebrate with her. So while Madilyn's best part of the day was getting to go on the big slide again, the best part of my day was cheering her on.

By Tales Reader Holly