We were at a friend's pool yesterday: my DD and GD and my two DS's. Megan is nineteen months old. The child has NO FEAR!! Debby was in the pool, and Shawn had Meg by the hand on the deck. She broke free from Shawn and jumped right off the deck and into the pool next to Deb. Fortunately, she had about seven pair of eyes on her at all times, and Deb saw her and caught her, but oh my poor heart...!!!! They go to "Mommy and Me" swim classes at the Y, so she swims, but still!!

Then, she started running toward the deck stairs and Shawn was heading for the stairs. I yelled "Shawn, GRAB her before she goes down the stairs". However, she stopped, took the hand rail and walked down each step, one by one. Deb says she does that all the time.

I am too old for this!! LOL!! I think I am more protective of HER than I ever was of my kids, including HER mother. Don't get me wrong, I was always diligent with my own, too, but I was way younger. Now that a lot of years have passed between then and now, I am more aware of mortality and what can happen.

God knows what He is doing, having us have them when we are young! LOL!

By Dawnk777 on Sunday, August 20, 2006 - 12:44 pm:

I think that would have scared me half-to-death, too! When we were at Devil's Tower, on vacation, we took the trail, around it. We were pretty high up. This little girl, maybe about 2-3, was right near the edge, to throw a pine cone, down the hill. It nearly gave me heart failure. Finally grandma sees her and tells her to come back, but Mom and Dad had her, a toddler in a stroller, and a baby! So, they didn't have all their eyes on her.

By Bellajoe on Sunday, August 20, 2006 - 03:37 pm:

I know what you mean Hol, that would have scared me half to death too.

My brother, sil and thier boys 6 and 4 were at SIL's parents house.
4 yr old boy was walking around the pool in the back yard, dragging his towel. They had told him several times not to drag the towel because he could trip and fall into the pool. Well, you guessed it, he ended up tripping and falling into the deeper end of the pool. Luckily Sil's 12 yr old brother happened to be right there. But still, it really shook them up!

Also, my 2 yr old neice was at the top of my mom's stairs at her house. I happened to be upstairs with her at the time, but i know that she can walk and down the stairs pretty well while holding the railing. On this day she tossed or dropped her Care Bear down the stairs and went after it...HEAD FIRST! I have no idea how she did this but she did. I saw her and screamed "GET HER GET HER!" to my sister who was at the bottom of the stairs. Luckily she sort of stopped on the third stair from the top, and i grabbed her leg before she fell any further. But man, THAT pretty much gave me a heart attack! She was crying a lot, but i think she was upset because i screamed and panicked.

By Dawnk777 on Sunday, August 20, 2006 - 04:16 pm:

Once, we were across the street, from our old house, visiting with the grandma who lived there. All of a sudden, Emily tumbled down the stairs. I don't remember if she stumbled, or fell, or what anymore. I just know she kind of curled up in a ball and managed not to hit her head. She was fine! We were outside, on the porch. The steps and sidewalk at the bottom were concrete! I still don't know how she didn't get hurt, but she didn't. She hit softer parts than her head, I guess. There was nothing I could do, either, since I couldn't have gotten down the steps faster than she rolled down them! It was only about 4 steps, I think. I think she was 1-2 or so, when that happened.

By Karen~admin on Sunday, August 20, 2006 - 05:32 pm:

Hol, that sounds like Jen at age 2. The child had never had swim lessons, had NO fear of anything, particularly the water, and just jumped right in the 10' end of a motel pool where I was swimming (her dad was *supposed* to be watching her!) and starting swimming. Underwater......then wanted to jump off the diving board......so since I was already *in* the water, we continued with this *swim lesson* It scared me to death, and I was her mom, and only 31 at the time. I don't think I could take that these days! LOL And I agree with you feeling more protective... it's not as if we DIDN'T feel protective when we were raising kids, but there is something different about grandkids........