When I was 12, I went to a water park with my family during my Summer vacation in the White Mountains.
They had one of those water slides that I only imagined. The kind that is one giant tube that shoots you out the bottom. I had been to other water parks, but they didn’t have anything that compared to this. It was called the Cannonball, I think.
I climbed the steps eagerly. I finally reached the top. The only thing standing in my way was the lifeguard…too cool for school with his fancy walkie talkie and awesome tan.
I’ll say it again. I was 12. I was very awkward. I was in an ‘I always wear a shirt over my bathing suit’ phase.
It was my turn.
The lifeguard informed me that wearing a t-shirt might slow me down. Fine by me. I was a bit scared anyway.
So I got in. I pushed away from the top. All was well for approximately 5 seconds. Just as I reached the part of the slide that was completely enclosed by a dark tube, I began to slow down. Slower, slower…stop. Motionless. Not sliding at all. I panicked, then I screamed. After what seemed like an hour, the lifeguard at the bottom of the slide yelled, “Did someone go down? No one’s come out yet.”
“No, I’m here. I stopped. What should I do?” I screamed.
“You need to crawl down and jump out.”
You have got to be kidding me. After the terror wore off, and I started moving closer to the light at the end of the tunnel, literally, I realized a new emotion. Humiliation. This slide was a huge attraction. People crowded around to watch people fly out, half-way across the pool. I was embarrassed that I couldn’t give them the same show.
I crawled to the end, and sat. I dangled my feet out of the tube, and then I jumped. When everyone else shot 20 feet out, I dropped straight down like a rock.
I swam to the ladder and got out, expecting hear uproarious laughter. For the most part, people were kind. They asked if I was ok. I was, except my injured pride. Then, on the side of the pool was my Dad, laughing like a hyena, barely able to breathe through the chuckles and tears.
I took me until now to realize how hilarious it must have been, and how ok it was for him to laugh. My girls make me laugh every day, and I always try not to laugh at them, but with them.
Sometimes it’s ok to laugh at them. To laugh really, really hard.
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I jusr laughed so hard I might have peed. And yes, I went through that awkward always wear a t-shirt over my bathing suit phase too.
I’m still in the always wear a tshirt over my bathing suit phase. I was also never brave enough to try those super fast water slides.
C @ Kid Things´s last blog ..Another First
That’s awesome. I’m totally laughing imagining that scene! I love your message at the end too… it’s ok to be laughed at. I’m also always trying not to laugh at my kids, Hannah gets so upset when I laugh at her. But laughing WITH, now that’s good. I think you may have inspired a blog post… I’ll link back to you if it comes to life!
Great post!
LZ this one was lovely! I laughed hysterically and felt that pre-teen angsty awkwardness right along with ya. You crack me up.
Michelle´s last blog ..Honey B
Your dad was right to laugh! That was absolutely tooooooo good not to!
This is funny~ Those darn water slides……..You gotta love ‘em. I wonder how many times this happens? Probably often- more times than any of us care to recall.
Sara Broers´s last blog ..Wally~ You make our lives INTERESTING!!!!
That is so a “dad” thing to do but, I was lmbo!! Kudos for sharing.
Sues2u2´s last blog ..Why homework & my brain haven’t mixed too well.
haha i remember those days… good times.. good times.. i remember my dad laughing at me at disney land, and i put my head in my lap and cried, so he took the video camera and put it under my legs and when i opened my eyes, i realized he was filming me. i was humiliated at the time, but its something i would probably do too
Breanna´s last blog ..Not My Child MONDAY
That is so stinking funny. I used to wear the shirt over my bathing suit too! They used to make us take it off for some of the rides. I think that was more humiliating for me than if I’d gotten stuck in the tube!
Kameron´s last blog ..Arielle at 2 months
Oh my gosh, I would have been soooo embarrassed!!!! Yes, 12 years old is a totally awkward stage, isn’t it? My God, my hair was terrible then!!!
Anyway, your story made me giggle… and it reminded me of my sister, years ago, in Greece – we were on an island resort, and she got stuck on the slide, too! All I remember seeing is her head popping up from near the top of the slide… I could not stop laughing! And yes, like you said, while we laugh with our children, it is also okay to laugh at them sometimes – I do, all the time!!
Loukia´s last blog ..Hope and prayers
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