The Boy with Fins

Tonight as it started to get cooler, we went over to Thompson Lake in the middle of Howell to flap around in the water.  We went Tuesday after activities to wade in the edge of the water because I needed to de-stress after dropping the sewing machine we had borrowed to sew the jammie pants off at Sister Down’s home.  It was a very stressful night with the Young Women.  They were very disrespectful and the lack of attention reminds me of the Sunbeam class.  It’s infuriating to me! I love being in the calling of camp director but I feel this time crunch and they are not anywhere near ready for the program at camp.  I need them one more night to work on it.  I guess we should not have even started the jammie pants this late in the month…that took too many weeks away from other more important things…like learning the song/skit for camp!!  And sometimes I don’t feel a lot of support from the other leaders.  But maybe they don’t feel support from above either.  What are we supposed to DO about the lack of respect???  Is this learned in the home? At school?? What gives?

Anyway, I digress… It is a new day, Wednesday, and Steven and I took Tallen over to the lake this evening and he got to wear his new floatie “suit” that I picked up at the Salvation Army for $4.99 last fall.  It worked great!!  It has the floatie built into the suit.  It zips up the back and he is very secure.  Tallen was able to be brave.  He ventured out on his own in the “deeper than he can reach” water after 10 minutes or so.  He would swim back and forth between Steven and I.  Daddy would say “Kick your feet, paddle your arms!  That’s right keep going!”  Mama…well I just grinned and giggled and held my arms out to receive him when he returned to me.  My heart swelled with pride in his learning one more thing to make him independent.  One more step away from his Mama.  But that is okay, I hear it happens all the time.  I heard once that Moms teach the children to be careful and Dads teach them to take risks, to be adventurous.  That’s why we all need both parents to grow up well balanced and happy.  Thanks to Steven’s Daddy influence, we have these children on that path to happiness!

What a big kid Tallen is getting to be.  Sariah and Miranda didn’t really know how to swim either when I married Steven.  So as it turns out Steven has taught ALL of my children to swim and to roller skate (so far, I figure a year or two more for Tallen.)  I taught the girls to ride a two wheeler though…that was  “ B.S.” - “Before Steven”.  Miranda learned the Summer of 2004 in the parking lot behind the bank by the “little white house” we were renting from Lacasa.  I think it was 218 McCarthy Street.  The girls are growing up too.  Though I tell them not to most every day.  These kids just don’t listen to me when it comes to that.  Oh well…step by step. They stand at the edge of the nest and stretch and wave their wings. :o)