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I set out for a swim as he followed me down to the water. By now, other moms, dads and kids had arrived, though no one was swimming yet.
All at once he cried out, “Wait! Look at all the fish! What if they bite you?” A school of minnows swarmed around my ankles.
“They’re friendly,” I said. “And watch their flashing movement in the sun — you’ll see that swimming is easy in the ocean, not just for fish but for people, too.”
I watched my son as he struggled between “yes” and “no.” But soon he said, “OK, go ahead.”
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Then, to my astonishment, he sat down on the wet sand as a curl of water touched his toes. And he was fine.
4.) Going for it. Out of nowhere, a large wave now crested, as so often happens at the sea.
I smiled. “See that big wave? I’m going to get on top of it and ride it all the way back to your toes!”
My little son stood up. “You can’t!”
Diving in, I said to him, “Oh, yes, I can!”
5.) Bringing it home. Now it was time for Mom to take the fall. I let the wave lift me up. As it was tumbling down with a crash, I intentionally did a wipe out — momentarily disappearing underwater.
When I hit bottom and bounced back up, I saw the loveliest sight. My son was moving into waist-deep water — believing I was in trouble. “I’ll save you, Mom!”
I paddled to him. Just as he was about to dip into water over his head, I grabbed him. We held onto each other.
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After a few breaths, I said, “Let’s try to swim like little fishes back to shore, but I’ll win the race!”
He sputtered. But he worked so hard he came in first.
Some of the other parents nearby had been watching, and they applauded when he won the race.
That day, we wound up with a bunch of new friends. Some even asked me to help their kids learn to swim in the ocean.
And with my son’s help — those kids became nothing less than a school of happy little minnows in the ocean.
The author, a retired attorney, is a published poet and columnist based in Arizona and a regular contributor to LifeZette. [lz_pagination]
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