Sunday, July 31, 2011

Fearless

Josh is fearless. Witness my soaking wet shorts from having to jump into the pool after him today. He ran FULL SPEED into the pool without even hesitating. Everyone watching commented that he didn't even turn around, flinch, slow down, or pause as he approached the edge. In he went, under he went, and in I got to go, too. (At least it was during rec swim, so I just looked like anyone else jumping in the pool, but I really would have liked to get the shorts off first.)

Witness also the current state of his forehead:


In addition to that that massive goose egg (which I THINK he obtained jumping off a chair into the leg of the kitchen table), he's sporting 3 scabbed scratches from tumbling down a rock wall last weekend, one solid bruise from trying to carry a vacuum down our stairs, and a whole host of other bruises from daily (hourly?) crashes. We decided that we might need to start calling him Harry Potter because he's sure to have some awesome scars if he survives this childhood.

Now, I know bumps and tumbles are just a part of growing up, but these are the injuries sustained by a child that our daycare provider describes as having, "... a really solid sense of balance." Stephanie has noticed that Josh works to retain balance and stays on his feet in situations where most toddlers would fall down. In other words, Josh seems to have decided that the normal range of toddler activities are just too boring and has decided he needs to push the limits even further. Oh, and all the injuries described are just the ones on his head! The arms and legs are equally bruised, scabbed, and colorful.

And, I guess we are somewhat to blame for not stepping in faster, but this kid is QUICK - I was running after him and he he still hit the water before I could catch him!

Is there anyway to instill a healthy dose of fear in this kid?

4 comments:

Jen said...

Max is our fearless kid. He runs and jumps into the water without hesitation too. It scares me to death. Don't know a way to get that healthy dose of fear but we are at least working on stop and wait till an adult says go.

Carmen Goetschius said...

I have absolutely no recommendations on this one. Plenty of other smart parent-types will probably help in this department. I consider myself to be a part of the cheering section. So, here goes: WAY TO GO ALISSA! You are awesome. You too get to develop those cat-like reflexes to keep up with your boy. The pool story is amusing- scary of course- but amusing. Soon his wee brain will catch up developmentally and he will KNOW he can trust your guidance. Keep up the good work, friend!

Peg said...

Hmmm...earlier swim lessons? :)
I think part of being "the younger" -- watching someone older gives a sense of "hey, I can do that too!"Glad he's coordinated - and quick - you'll keep him safe until he can parlay those traits into a great athletic or dancing career!

Colleen said...

Oh man! This totally reminds me of Ben at that age, our #2. He was fearless too and felt that if Zac could do it he could! When he turned 2 I had to wait 4 months before getting his "birthday" pictures done just to avoid some kind of nasty bruise or scrape on his face. But rest assured. He is cautious now, sometimes overly so. So just keep an extra eye on Josh, I bet he'll grow out of it as time passes...4 maybe? :)