Me and Naief ventured out yesterday w/ a friend of mine, her little girl (who happens to be a few months older than Naief), and her friend and her daughter. How I let myself get talked into going to the beach is beyone me... but it happened. Now I'm reminded once again why I hate the sea water and beaches here!!
I found myself dreading going that morning... it was just sooo hot and the thought of getting baked by the sun didn't really appeal to me - I'm no sun goddess. Never have been. The sun makes me sick and gives me a severe headache (I have a massive one today... lingering from yesterday afternoon). Even as a teenager when my mom would lay out for hours... I'd lather myself up, get a pillow and plop myself down next to her - only to get up after about 20 mins or so complaining of the heat. Once I even passed out after coming inside... and here I was born in August! You'd think me and hot weather would be pals...
Naief has my skin... he gets bright red cheeks from heat and would probably burn if out too long, so I made sure to put heavy sunblock on him yesterday and give it a whirl (being in the sun)... since he loves the water and this place was said to have an actual sand beach - the kind of sand that actually goes down into the water. Well... it did, but the water was .... not nice. It wasn't terrible - didn't smell, but after standing in knee deep water for about 5 mins., I felt something bumping (or so I thought) up against my foot, and after the 5th time of feeling it, I immediately thought that there couldn't be anything floating in the water to create that feeling... upon looking down, I realized I was being bitten by tiny little fish!! It totally creeped me out... there's just something about little fish trying to eat at you that doesn't sit too well w/ me.
Naief loved being in the water... but I must tell you guys that I had a terrifying moment when we first went in. I let go of his hand for a second and looked up to say something to a friend and when I looked down, he was face down in the water!!!!!! My heart skipped a beat. I jerked him up... put him on my shoulder and got out. He didn't cry... I think he was too scared to cry. I didn't feel him fall... he made not a sound. I can't believe I'm sitting here typing this... even telling anyone... I feel like a lousy mother for not holding onto him so tightly that nothing like that could even happen - but it did. BUT... it will never happen again if I have anything to do w/ it.
You hear about children drowning in the bathtub all the time... now I see why. He could have drowned so easily.... if I hadn't been paying attention... my heart hurts just thinking about it. I wont be taking him to the beach again for a while. I think he's too young.... I think the beach is better suited for older children who can swim or at least know how to right themselves if they fall face first into the water.
All three children fell face first yesterday.... I think the sand was difficult to walk in and wearing crocs made it probably impossible to navigate - especially for a little one. I keep asking myself what I was thinking to even take him. It was too hot, the water wasn't really fit to swim in, I hate sea water (the salt kills my eyes), and to have my baby scared just isn't worth it. He had a good time after, but I'm a bit concerned about the sea water he probably swallowed or inhaled... I can only imagine the parasites living in that somewhat stagnant water...
Last night he tossed and turned for a while. I wondered if he was having nightmares about it... I know I couldn't sleep just from thinking about it and letting myself linger too long on the thought of 'what if'....
This was a lesson learned....
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13 comments:
I had a similar thing with my youngest in a swimming pool a few years ago. He just hurled himself face-first into the water! I got to him just before the life guard did. He is now a very good swimmer, but at the time I was scared to death!
i'll tell ya... it scared me to death. i don't think i've ever felt so much panic.
it's good to know that yours isn't afraid of the water now... i was wondering about that... fearful that when it comes time for swim lessons, he'll be too afraid or such.. but hopefully he wont remember!
What a shame it was a bad experience because all small children need to be confident in the water and also to be able to float and swim a little. Try again some time. My kids just lived in the sea - we were in Fiji when they were small, the water was warm and they just taught themselves how to swim as they played with all their cousins.
w.
hello Um Naief,
It was scary to read, the bad experience u had.
But on a second thought, kids are used to be in the water, they spent 9m in the water/womb, so i dont think these few secs in the water damaged his mind, he just remembered his old times.
I have seen a TV program where kids were in a pool (age: approx around a year per my view) and they were swimming under the water and noone taught them how to stop breathing and etc, it all happened on a reflex level. So chill, its not that bad as it sounds, luckily you were near and could help in case he would be tired of diving :), come on cheer up, its not that bad, really. Kids can swim very easily at their young age, they know how to do it on subconscious level.
Take Care,
Puppy.
Ohhh congrats on your new blog color, which is black :)
Don't be so hard on yourself! Lesson learnt and next time you'll be prepared. It has happened to us all, Umm Naief! Thinking about it over and over will only upset you more. Believe me - been there, done that.
I hope your next trip (in much cooler weather, of course) to the beach is better for you all. I personally love Winter at the beach - I bring my carafe of tea / coffee and watch the kids build castles.
wendy, don't get me wrong... i love beaches... just not here. when we were in calif, we took naief to the beach a few times and he loved it. i just think he's too young for the water in bahrain... maybe by next year, he'll be ready. i've been wanting to go to a pool, but it's just too hot right now. we went earlier in the year and had a lot of fun, so it's just a matter of time. i learned to swim at a young age and completely believe in young children learning to swim, so hopefully the next time around it'll be a better experience for all of us! :)
puppy, i like the way you look at it. :) maybe when we go to the pool the next time, he'll enjoy going under and wont be afraid. i did notice that when i gave him a bath that evening, he wasn't scared of the water or anything.. so i know it didn't damage his psyche!! ;) yeah, i've seen these programs as well... but remember, when they're in the womb, they're not breathing in the liquid.. they get their oxygen from momma... but... i think that it's easier for young kids around water for some reason.. maybe it's on some subconscious level or something. i need to read more about this.
l_oman, glad to know it's happened to others. yeah, i love the beach during the cold months, altho don't think i've ever been to them here during those months. the beaches aren't really up to par here... it's as if no one cares that the public has no place to go to enjoy the water. it's a shame really. not sure of what the beaches are like in oman, but i've seen pics and they look tons better than the beaches of bahrain. here you get mud when you go in and it goes between your toes and it's just really dirty. i really don't like it. but.. they've opened a big water park and i hope that before year end, we can go and enjoy the swimming there - and take naief as well. he loves water.
puppy, thanks on the blog comment. i was so bored of the colors and the look... it's a nice change but i'm sure i'll get bored of it after a while. :)
I too saw some video of a baby swimming in a pool and he naturally knew to hold his breath, and he was definitely under a year old.
I thought you had taken him swimming as a baby, or was it someone else? I think when I have kids, I will teach them from that early - I can barely swim and the older you are the harder it gets, and I don't want them to have my problem with water.
You are really brave to go out in that heat. It was in the 90s here this week and unbearable. I can't imagine human skin withstanding any hotter than Texas summer though.
olivia, yes, we took him swimming at the pool, which was a totally different experience. the beach and the sea water just isn't the way i want him to get used to the water. it frightens me... maybe not him, but it does me.
yes, the weather here is unbearable. it's been up to 49 C, which is around 120F. i can't stand it. it's been up to 60C in Kuwait. imagine!! they've let ppl off work because of it. i don't want to leave the house... can't stand even to walk across the street. the a/c's hardly cool things off... this is the worst that it's been since living here!
i'd much rather have your temps!! :)
Omigosh, then NYC's temps must seem like nothing, and here I have already acclimatized to where I can wear long khakis at 90 degrees, as I did today...when I first arrived I was in skirts every day because 79 felt tropical to me!
i am back... to us. to me. to you. to our family... crazy my life gets. thank you for "getting it". tables turn. one of us gets black jack. as for this post, let me go back and catch up. Love the new Digs.
Me
xoxoxoxox Nuffs
p.s.
i have the most precious pics of Kate when she was just over one and walking. She went in for her 1 year old shots (you can see the little red bumps on her legs) and then two days later she was in the pool with an swim coach.
Years went by with us having no house and no pool, then we bought a home with no pool. Blow ups and slippin slides are the best BTW, and now we own our home with still no pool... your neice is 8.5 and taught herself how to swim at friends and family houses, etc. Kinda like her Mom, getting thrown into a pool in Indiana by our brother saying... "SWIM!". I did. ;)~
You are a great Mom and I am VERY PROUD OF YOU. Even being your younger sibs...
Love, me
again..... ;)
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