A Leap of Faith
I think I brought my kids up well. I taught them about love and friendship, about caring for other people. I armed them with values for family, life and money. I hoped I instilled in them a sense of purpose and integrity and above all else to know what they want in life and go out there and make it happen.
When a child is born, he knows none of these things, they must be learnt.
Example: If you tell your young child
"Don't touch that saucepan darling, it's hot, ssss, *shaking hand*, it'll burn" and then you turn your back on them, chances are at some stage they will reach out and touch it, to see what you meant, to better understand. Next time you tell them something will burn, they will believe you and leave it alone.
How then, when I spent all those years raising my children, moulding them into good people, into adults, did I forget to teach my son:
"If you jump off a tall building you WILL die"
So answer me this....
What an earth possesses someone of sound body and mind to jump off of a big arse crane attached to nothing more than a piece of elastic that someone else has tied you to? Even worse than that, why would you actually pay someone to let you??
Hell, anyone would think he spent his baby days in one of those bouncy seat things that hangs from the doorway... but he didn't. Ahhh, hold on, maybe thats where I went wrong, he never got to do it as a baby/toddler so he's making up for lost time!!
Don't get me wrong, I like a bit of excitement in my life as much as the next person, I just prefer to get my excitement from.... well from other means ;o)
He went on a weekend trip to Le Mans a couple of years ago with G, on his motorbike with a group of G's mates. While they were there he decided he was going to do a bungee jump, as it was something he wanted to have a go at and had never gotten around to. Damn, we're back to the burning saucepan thing aren't we?
Anyway, he started climbing up to the top of this massive crane, and apparently, according to reports that I got back from the other guys on the trip, G was stood at the bottom, ashen faced saying
"That's my little boy. What the f**k am I gonna tell Ali if it goes wrong"
When our son got to the top, and only then, he realised it wasn't a bungee jump at all
It was a free fall -into a net. Did he back down? Did he heck.
He loved it, but he still hadn't completed the bungee jump he wanted to do.
My youngest daughter brought him a bungee jump for christmas last year. He is a bit of an adrenalin freak my boy, but I guess you've got the idea. There are no rides big enough at the theme parks to make him think twice about riding them, hell I don't believe he thinks once, he can't do, he get's on them.
The big day was last weekend. G and I, my two daughters, my son and his girlfriend, and a few of the guys from the footy team made our way to Lakeside, a large shopping complex at Dartford where the jump was. We had a wander round some of the shops, then some bright spark said
"I'm hungry. Can we grab a McDonalds".
The jump wasn't til 15:30, and it was lunch time! My motherly instinct kicked in, and I voiced my opinion that it probably wasn't a good idea for him to eat shortly before the jump!!!! I had this vision of his lunch propelling itself, full force, out the way it went in!!! Would he be told. Of course not! So lunch it was.
The time arrived, he had waited patiently in line for half an hour. Nervous as hell. He must have some brain cells in there somewhere, I remember thinking, he at least has the sense to be nervous. I guess that's the kick though, what gets the adrenalin flowing.
They tied him up like a kipper when he got to the front of the queue, and he waited for the crane to come down for him. He climbed in. Well, that's not strictly true, it was more of a double footed hop in, with his feet already strapped together, he looked more like he was taking part in the sack race!!
Up the crane went.
I could do nothing.
I stood.
With my heart in my mouth.
On the edge of the lake.
Watching.
Higher.
Higher.
Nervous.
Excited.
Afraid.
Suddenly.
From nowhere.
I felt myself lurch forwards.
Losing balance.
Heading for the water.
Then I stopped.
Heard the laughing.
One of the footy lads thought THAT was the time to pretend to push me in!!! Bastard!!!
Heart restored, and clinging to G for safety, I looked up. Hell he looked small. Then the gate opened. The guy on the platform with my boy signalled with his arm.. 1.. 2... 3...
Son leant forward. With his body in a right angle, there was a brief hesitation, a very brief moment, where his brain asked him what he was doing. I thought he was going to back out, but his rotation was too far advanced and down he came.
"OH ***KING HELL" he yelled, as he plummeted. He rebounded and started to head downwards again. Composure regained, the little sod was grinning from ear to ear and was giving us all the thumbs up!!!
The day ended with us all back at ours, striking up the BBQ and playing 4-a-side footy in the garden.
A great day, but it's a tough job being a mother sometimes!
20 comments:
Good for your son
I have wanted to do the bungee but my head has always won the fight, maybe in a few years (well at least 10 till my son is a teenager) I will have to watch my son do it.
No bungeeeeeeeeeeee jumping for me thank you very much. I've got a 17 year old who only does the dangerous feat of skate boarding, and he blows the "Big Bamboo" now and again with the lads. That's enough. You know the odd bungee jump wight make him see a different god that he sees when he's under; perhaps you've given me an idea. Nice to meet you.
Y;-) Paddy.
PS: I'll link you up if you have no objection. You can e-mail me direct: paddunn@gmail.com
Tough being a mother is it? My son has done these things too. But I didn't have to watch. I had to do it too. Every single time he has wanted to do something stupid he wants pop (or Homer as he affecionately calls me) along for the ride.
He's got a silver tongue. Despite my refusals he's taked me into every time. Usually with the same two words.
"Wuss, huh?"
Come back and talk about tough when you've actually had to do it yourself <8-0
IT ~ he loves anything like that and is always looking for the next thrill seeker, fool
Paddy ~ thanks for stopping by. Maybe after blowing the Big Bamboo it wouldn't seem so, so, so damn scary!!!
Michael ~ I'm soooooooooooo glad I'm a mother!!!!!! Couldn't you just paint his tongue another colour?? huh??
I don't think I could have left my eyes open Ali.
Is this a silly question.....did you get any photos?
I would paint it another colour but he beat me to it...before him I was blonde...now I'm grey...maybe the blonde has something to do with it.
Miss ~ Surprisingly, NO, I didn't take any photographs!!! I know it's hard to believe, but I didn't realise that we would be quite so close to the crane and thought the chances of getting a good photograph, let alone one where I could actually recognise him were pretty slim. Add to that the fact that you actually see very little when you have a camera at your eye and that his girlfriend took a video camera... thought I'd just watch!
Michael ~ LOL, what colour would you have painted it?
The battle between curiosity and self-preservation makes for great drama, except when your offspring is involved.
Somehow I've never had the urge to participate in death-defying stunts--except in my sex life!
Cherrie ~ My point exactly, there are times and places for creating that kinda excitement aren't there... and it's not at the top of a damn crane!!!
Hmmm...that didn't make much sense did it? In my defence I will say that I was very very drunk when I typd it.
Michael ~ thank heavens for that, I thought I was losing the plot!!!!
Typd? My ' ' ky isn't working!
I'll stick to my 185mph motorcycle thank you very much Ali.
Mike ~ Now that's what I call excitement!!! Give me a motorbike anyday.. well, the pillion seat anyway!! lol
Ali, what a beautifully written post. I was there the entire time.
Bungee jumping! You know, in the past I would have poo-pooed all of this. But I'm coming to realize that sometimes one has to toy with death to really appreciate life. Often we begin taking life for granted. Sometimes things like this smack us in the face and make us really appreciate what we have.
Or maybe we're just stupid! Hugs!
Dan ~ I agree, it is all too easy to take life for granted, and I guess, as much as I worry, that is one of the reasons I would never try to talk him out of it.. at least he knows he's alive, and is living his life to the full.
Work hard - Play hard. A recipe for a happy life.
Yikes! Well I've got all this to look forward to. I can only wonder what uber-techonological freakshow passtimes they'll be into when mine are into their teens.
Must be a hard thing to watch. I get jumpy when the cat goes outside, so I'll probably be reduced to a quivering wreck by children.
JD - Oh God, can we even begin to imagine? They will probably be bungee jumping from a moving airplane *oopss, mind that propeller on the return boing!*
I love that he's adventurous, I would hate him to get to the wrong side of 40 or 50 and wonder 'if only' or 'what if'..
... I just don't need to know about it until afterwards!!!!!!!
Thx for stopping by, am heading over to your place now.
Last time I was in England my nieces got me to go on the traumatizer in southport with them.
It was bloody awful. I nearly wet myself that day and I wasn't laughing!
Cathy ~ My God, I'd have been a nervous wreck for the rest of the day!! He knows better than to ask me to DO these things!!!
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