“I can swim across the pool without floaties. Can you?” Noah
tauntingly asks Riley.
“No, Mom said I have to use a noodle or floatie when I am in
the big pool.” Riley responds in a very
matter of fact manner.
Fast forward two days and Riley is swimming in the pool
without floaties, noodles or any other device. The essence of competition is
overwhelming in my family. Years ago, Noah refused to trust arm floaties as a
device that could provide some independence while in the water.
Splash!
When his sister jumped in the pool with arm floaties, he
quickly followed. He was unwilling to be shown up by his sister, and hastily
put his faith in arm floaties to help him swim independently.
The competitive edge carries over to other activities as
well. Noah successfully maneuvered across a climbing wall at the Kidspace
Museum in Pasadena, California.
I kept asking, “Are you sure you don’t want to get down?”
He was firm in his response. “I will get to the end.”
While watching Noah, and waiting to save the day if he fell,
I realize Riley is attempting to climb the wall. Initially, she struggled with
the foot holds and hand holds, but eventually was able to hold herself on the
climbing wall successfully. That is where her attempt to climb the wall ended.
She quickly reverted to freak out mode.
"Get me down!" She squealed.
Needless to say, the spirit of competition drives my
children to challenge each other to try new things. Luckily, Dean and I are
always close by to rescue Noah or Riley if the challenge is a bit scary.
