Did we ever fly! Look at Joy jump:
... and jump...
... and jump with Rose...
... and jump with Rose some more!
I loved getting to take some photos, but even more I loved an interaction I had with another mom while I was having Joy jump to me, and climb out and jump again, and climb and jump again. No hand-holding needed, no running... Well, there was another little guy almost her height, doing the same thing at the poolside a few feet over. After a few rounds his mom turned to me and commented what a good example my daughter was for her son, what positive peer pressure, he's never been willing to jump like this before! Then she asked me how old my daughter was, I told her (5), and asked how old her son was (4 1/2), and we talked a bit about how tall he was for his age, and how tall his little 2-year-old brother was for his age, but little brother was having something of a fuss and they might have to cut the evening short. All the while our kiddos were doing the jump/climb cycle over and over.
My daughter was a good example! To her son!! Full stop, no qualifications, no watering down, just a good example!!!
With most interactions like this, something will happen that will lead to my feeling the need to do some gentle commenting or educating about Joy's developmental issues. Like, the other parent will ask Joy how old she is, or what's her name, and of course get no answer. And I'll say something like "She's a lady of few words but many jumps! I bet, though, she'd give you a high-five if you asked..." or something like that, which often leads to questions that circle around what's-up-with-the-lack-of-language. This time? No such detour. Just a short cheerful conversation about pool-jumping and positive peer pressure.
That felt almost as good as the fact that Joy did not even look like she was considering running the other direction instead of jumping in.
Oh, and I got to fly too. Down the huge long twisty waterslide, bullet-like, lying down with my arms crossed tight. Wheee! Thanks for coming to the pool, JoyDad -- I don't get to waterslide when it's just me on duty! What a lovely evening.
11 comments:
soaring with you!
as i read, i kept glancing at the photo of you jumping off the bridge. i guess the girls come by it honestly, huh, mom? :)
What a great post!
Sounds positively lovely.
Wow! Joy really gets some height in those jumps, too! Like Jess said...she must come by it naturally.
Glad you ALL had a great time. Papa bear looks pretty happy, too. :-)
Oh, and, FWIW, I think Joy is an excellent role model ALL the time. xo
I think this qualifies as a positive story....
Awesome :)
JoyMama, indeed! What a wonderful post. I love the interaction with that other mom. I have had a few of those myself, and there is something so comforting in those "normal" moments where we just get to be moms.
Yay for Joy!! Let's hear it for good role modeling!! It certainly supports the idea that everyone has strengths that can benefit others. Sometimes, we just have to look a little harder or be open to recognizing these moments!
And I agree with jesswilson that there does appear to be a clear connection between Joy's jumping and JoyMama's style of jumping off of bridges! LOL!
-AuntieS
I love conversations like the one you described with the other mom. That's awesome!
And look at Joy's hair - growing in so beautiful!
Yay! What a lovely evening!
This is great. The jumping reminds me of Daniel at that age. He could do that for HOURS. He is a complete fish now. Thanks for your comment and it wasn't too nosy. I DIDN'T ask and I should have, you were so right and it was sort of too late by then. The problem is a lot of the time he just says "yea thats it" even if it isn't, but it would really help if I tried to connect the dots for him. Thanks for the insight! :)
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