Write about something that frightens you that other people might find ridiculous.
I’m not a big fan of “large bodies of water”. Every time we walk a pier or dock I imagine what might happen if one of my kids slipped through the too-wide wooden slat posts. They’d fall into frigid water, I’d scream, they’d be splashing and crying and everyone would turn to ME to do something.
But could I really?
I’m not a great swimmer and then there’s the long way down and creepy marine life to consider. I mean of course I would! If my child needed me I would…if nobody else beat me to it then of course!!
I’d empty my pockets, set my phone on a nearby bench, take my shoes and socks and jacket off, pull my hair into a ponytail…..and if still no one had rushed to my poor babe’s aid then I’d be the clear option for the save.
That being said, the mother really should be reserved for the “warm reception”. The wet babe will be all shaken up and wanting Mom (me) and I’d need to be warm and dry to be of any good.
Needless to say.
We don’t walk on piers or docks or so much as touch any large bodies of water.
And I’m okay with that.
Erin says
I can’t even look down when walking on a pier either, not only does it mess up my head because of my vertigo, but it’s just creepy!!
Dan says
So why haven’t you moved to a nice dry semi-desert somewhere far from any body of water? Like here, for example.
Miss Welcome says
I’m a good swimmer and I always fantasize about what would happen if someone’s kid fell in the water and how I would rush to jump in. So we just need to stand next to each other near all large bodies of water. Did you see the guy at the South Street Seaport? The French guy who jumped in before the dad did?
My phobia is having to go to the bathroom and getting stuck somewhere (like when all the power went out in Manhattan in 2003 and people were stuck on the elevators for HOURS).
But I’m going to right about my favorite book instead.
Mama Kat says
I will not allow my children to fall off a pier unless you are present. Done deal.
And how did they know that guy was French? Yeah totally saw that and I cringed the whole time. Thank goodness for brave men!
cheri says
that is why we are not beach people….
Melissa B. says
Once, when my sister & I were little, we frolicked in a neighbor’s pool during an adult “dinner party.” All the grownups were on the deck, dressed up, having cocktails. My Lil’ Sis’ swam out of her depth, and began to struggle. 4 of the parents jumped in to save her, fancy duds, jewelry and all. We kids spent the next hour diving for watches, wallets, and even the hostess’ wedding ring. I don’t think you’d hesitate for a minute if one of your babies fell in. I really don’t.
Jen says
I secretly want to be a lifeguard on Baywatch like Pamela Anderson (only with a tad smaller boobs) so I would not have any problem with jumping in and saving someone. If your kid falls in, I jump in and then you can be the warm body. Deal?
Brea @ Brea's Befuddled Brain says
I have a similar phobia about bodies of water, except that mine concerns DRIVING over them. I’ll walk over them any day, but I’ll drive for hours out of my way, to avoid driving over a bridge over water. Weird huh?
I’ll save your babies for you when you come to Australia Mama Kat!
Karen, author of "My Funny Dad, Harry" says
I think you are wise to keep your little ones off the pier–who knows what they’ll do. I am not a water person either so can understand your hesitation and hope that someone else would jump in to save them so you wouldn’t have to.
Los says
My wife isn’t too fond of fishing piers and bridges for the same reasons. Personally, I love fishing piers … except during heavy storms.
parenting BY dummies says
Swimming is not my sport of choice (channel surfing is), I don’t like sand or creepy crawlies brushing against my legs, and heights are not really my fave either. It is a combination of these things, plus the fact that we live by a lake that 2 of the 3 dudes in this house have never seen a real beach. They call the lake the beach (I mean it has sand and they swim in it) and I let them believe that is exactly what all of their friends are talking about when they say they went to the beach for the weekend. Their little minds will be blown when we go to the real life beach this summer and I will probably cry.
Mama Kat says
Isn’t your oldest like 10 years old? This cracks me up!
Rebekah @ mom-in-a-million says
I agree about visualizing falling off piers or anyplace high up. Bridges are worse that piers. I’ve actually found myself whimpering aloud when driving across a long bride on a windy day. Ugh. Hate that.
Paige says
I love large bodies of water but I try not to think about death by drowning because that seems like the WORST way to go. Except maybe being mauled to death by a bear. Or maybe falling off of something really tall. Or being smothered.
I’m just going to stop now.
Lindsay @ Just My Blog says
You’re all going to make fun of me for this one…I can’t wait!
Amanda says
My mom has this very same fear, she can’t swim and hates bridges and piers. When we go on vacation and have to go over this one huge bridge over the Chesapeake Bay, she has to breath into a paper bag! Not even kidding…….
Angel says
OhI used to live in VA and that is the worst bridge.. I mean it is safe but it seems to go on foreverrrrrrr.. It is like 23 miles of bridge and tunnels right or are you talking about the Hampton roads bridge leading ya to VA Beach.. that one is’t as long but still drives me batty..
Kathy says
Piers don’t bother me so bad but I have fallen in lakes and gotten tangled up in the stuff growing there. That’s scary!
3 Men and a Lady says
I’m the same about being near water w/my kids. The worst scenarios fly through my head, ridiculous scenarios that will likely never ever happen, but I imagine it anyway.
Jennifer says
My kids + Water = One freaked out Momma.f
I just can’t help it. I’m like you and all the “what if’s” start going through my head and I get seriously freaked out. Last summer we took the ferry for the first time and I was terrified the entire time. I hope one day I can get past it, but I’m pretty sure they will be grown with their own kids and I’ll still be freaked out about them falling into the water.
Pamela @ 2 much testosterone says
Holy Be-Jeez-us!! When we moved to FL, taking a nightly walk was a must and the pier just happened to be within walking distance from our house. You couldn’t pay me to walk on it. It was U-shaped. I stayed on land while the others did their lap! No way Jose!!
Amy says
Mom’s should be reserved as the warm reception for sure. Open Water scares me too- there is just so little about it that I can control. Getting SCUBA certified (once I got past the panic attacks) really helped me a lot.
Suzie Que says
Yes, large bodies of water are particularly ominous. Especially oceans. Have you ever seen a Humboldt squid? Neither have I, except in National Geographic, but it’s enough to keep me sitting on the beach and not swimming in the water.
Deana Birks says
What gets me is seeing people hold their breath underwater. Like Fear Factor used to have challenges where people would be completely underwater and I’d be out of breath just watching.
My parents used to have a pool but they filled it in because it was so hard to relax on the porch when everyone was constantly yelling at all the grandkids to stop running by the pool and please play in the other half acre of yard.
Peg says
Mt mom is afraid of being in water period!
Amethyst Moon says
I’m ok with the water, and the pier. It’s walking over sewer grates that bother me, what if I fell, what if my kid fell? what if my car fell? You get the idea.
e says
So, were you totally freaking out in Baltimore, or what? Being that we were staying on the PIER!
I feel so bad for you! You must have been miserable!
Mama Kat says
Actually I don’t mind walking them or being around them myself…it’s more for my kids. But you BET it crossed my mind that anyone of us could topple right over the side!
Julie@my5monkeys says
well thats your fear and I understand how you feel.
Lolli says
I hear you! I am not a big fan of large bodies of water, either. I will not get into water when I cannot see everything around me, including the bottom. Even dark-bottomed swimming pools freak me out.
I have to laugh, though, considering who you married. Do you just love going back to visit his hometown??
Mama Kat says
I love his hometown…but I’m super relieved that the kids are afraid of the ocean. We mainlanders just spread out a blanket and watch Daddy have his fun.
Krista @ Not Mommy of the Year says
I’m with you. I would much prefer a pool to the ocean and my husband doesn’t get that at all. I don’t like the waves that could knock me down or take my breath away, I don’t like stepping on slimy stuff… give me a raft, a cocktail and a pool and I’m all good.
Mama Kat says
That’s what I say to Pat too! I do not appreciate being manhandled by waves…and salt water is gross. :) Give me a pool anyday!
Brandie says
Joining up for the first time. I am a little nervous not going to lie. Um my son who I wrote about did fall into a pool when he was just over one and I was 9 months pregnant and I RAN to save him and fell down. It was awful. Luckily my best friend was there to save him for me and then I comforted him after. It was better that way you are right!!
Mama Kat says
Oh my gosh…I know that’s not funny and I am SO glad your son is okay. That had to be really scary! But the visual of this big preggo running and toppling over just made me giggle. I would totally do something like that!
Tortuga says
Couldn’t help it, I did all 5.
Angel says
Not a weird fear at all Kat. I think it is something all mothers fear. Taht their child will get into somethign that we are absolutely terrified of, leaving us to rescue them..
Sarah M. says
Damn vacation, I am usually # 5 or 6 on the list, now I am down in the 50s! You are getting very popular.
I had fun this week. Sorry you are afraid of piers. I can totally see it though!
Alex says
I have been seeing people mention your writer’s workshop for a while now so I finally figured that I would give it a shot. Lots of fun. Thnks for doing this!
Alex says
Sorry to post a couple comments in a row here. It just struck me that I didn’t stick the permalink for my post in the linky thing, just the URL for my blog, so here is the permalink: http://icewolf08.com/2010/04/08/favorite-books/
I suppose that it what happens when it’s your first time and you think you have all the instructions down but don’t. oops.
Kelly Deneen says
Yeah, I will avoid the big bodies of water with Delia as well. Or we will stay on the edge where it is only 3 inches deep. :)
Megan@SortaCrunchy says
Hi Mama Kat! This is my first time to write for your workshop. My friend Laura (@hollywoodhwife on twitter) sent me the link. As a former English teacher myself, I have to tell you that I am IN LOVE with this concept!
As far as your fear goes, like other commenters, I am perfectly fine with walking in and around large bodies of water, but going over bridges in a car really freaks me out. The fact that bridges really DO sometimes tragically collapse has only fueled my white-knuckled fear!
Momlissa says
I am also very afraid of large bodies of water and squirmy, scary, marine life. I saw Jaws at age 6 and it honestly traumatized me for life. We used to go fishing at a pier on the ocean (as a child) and I would just sit there, looking down at the water and imagining all the things that were underneath. I have been known to roll my windows down when going over a bridge for fear we’ll end up in the water and not be able to escape! lol. Yeah, I’m a head case when it comes to water.
debi9kids says
ahhhh yes! Jaws tramatized me for life as well (I saw it when I was little too!) I used to be afraid when i was a little kid that a shark would actually get me in our pool!
Shelley says
I do the same thing! Jaws ruined the Ocean for me. RUINED it!
Shannon King says
I used to be afraid to take a bath because of my fear of…..sharks…um, yeah you heard me…never seen a great white in my life except on tv but yeah…also afraid of pools!
Leiah says
I am sitting at my desk, with my feet up off the floor no less, after writing about my fear of mice. Blech! I wish I could get my daughter to write about her fear of car washes. Yes, car washes. She will have a flat-out panic attack if she has to go through one. Seriously.
debi9kids says
I actually have a similar fear of my kids falling into deep waters and I am not a strong swimmer either. Very scary!
Christie@MommyDrinksBecauseYouCry says
Just shove your purse full of arm floaties and make your kids where them when walking on piers. Then if they do fall in, you can “coach” them to swim for the beach. No one would think of you as a paranoid mom, just a really hard assed swim coach.
Melissa says
I’m okay with water, I’m an okay swimmer and know I could save them it’s them falling off piers that terrify me,hitting their heads, breaking necks or bones. Ugh!
Scargosun says
Hi Kat! I am trying to be back and I am glad today was a workshop day. Love the new site and all the tabs. I can’t believe how big that baby boy is! Loved your post on the pier btw. Almost wrote about something similar (open backed stairs, ). I am probably going to think about your fear now though every time I am on a dock.
Tracy P. says
It’s not the water that bothers me, it’s the fish hooks. Oh, the panic I feel when people fling those puppies about!
Could that sand picture really be any cuter?
Mesyer says
When I was younger and feeling very responsible for my little sister and brothers, water was terrifying me too. I always made sure to walk in between the little ones and the water (lake, river, ditch, whatever) and grab their hands. It made my parents laugh, though I was very serious about it.
Thanks for bringing back the memory!
Stef says
Haha. Very entertaining. Once my daughter was at her swimming lesson and the teacher was helping someone else. I was watching while holding my month old baby. She had swam a little ways from the step and no matter how she tried she could get back on…I was getting ready to go in, but I kept looking around at the other parents. Right as I was ready to jump in with my baby, a dad hopped in and grabbed her. I felt bad, but I was dry and she was alive. IT worked out quite nice.
Dianna says
Thank goodness my husband is an excellent swimmer. It made me so nervous in Baltimore, since there was nothing to keep you from falling in the darn water!! Scary!
Bethany says
Having my children near large bodies of water sort of freaks me out too, so I totally understand. I’ve been afraid of pretty much everything at some point in my life, so no fear is too ridiculous for me to understand!
Shelley says
Just to validate your fears: There’s every reason to worry! I heard about this lady in our church who was a single mom and went to the beach with her 2 or 3 year old daughter and best friend. The daughter got caught in a wave and was drowning. They went out to save her and somehow the best friend AND the daughter died. Isn’t that so awful? NEVER turn your back on a wave.
~*Katie*~ says
I’m a first timer and this was really fun!!!
Mama Zen says
You crack me up!
mom, interrupted says
Swimming lessons, people, swimming lessons. And speaking as a former lifeguard in college who actually had to use her training a time or two, a healthy respect for water.
Moving to the mountains is a good plan B though.
Poppy says
I just stumbled across this website yesterday so I missed this weeks assignment and your ominous pointing stick scared me a little. I didn’t see your policy for late papers and/or gum chewing. Is it ok to stick your workshop button on my sidebar because I think everybody should know about this? Ok, both of my readers . Love your style and look forward to participating next week.
In reference to your amusing post:
I admire your stall tactics. You might want to consider playing up the hysterical mother bit which of course wouldn’t be an act at that point and I’m sure you will have loads of people jumping in to save your darlings. Heck, I’d do it for you and I just learned how to really swim last year.
Lucky for the kiddos if they ever do fall in the drink, saving them will be an autonomic response which I learned on a much smaller scale. My fear of water stems from a prank of being pushed into a pool in my early 20’s fully clothed. Unfortunately, my maxi pad surfaced before I did. After that, not a big fan of water. However, when my big headed 2 year old tumbled into a pool at my in laws I just reacted with no regard for my cashmere sweater, sunglasses, or killer boots. It’s really too bad my husband didn’t take that one for the team because I bought another pair of those boots.
Michelle says
I understand that fear… my mom is the same way. Fortunately, that meant she taught us to swim REALLY well. And my weird fear? I HATE going under bridges. It freaks me out.
Lourie says
I know what you mean about those too wide slats. They freak me out. And yeah the mom should totally be the warm reception person.
Jennifer @ The Toy Box Years says
Mine is driving on bridges over water. I’m always afraid I’ll have to swerve and will end up plunging to my demise in the cold waters below. I’ll drive in the center lane to avoid being close to the edge.
Another is driving on mountain roads with no railings – for the same reason as above. Who’s bright idea was it not to put railing on those kind of roads?!
I'm a full-time mummy says
I’ve just added mine (#106). I’m so late in participating this. I love Writer’s Workshop! Looking forward to read the others posts! :D
Pua says
I detest piers and docks. They terrify me.