My Kid Drank from a Fire Hose!

I'm pretty confident that the title of this post and the picture tell it all.

 

However, the incident does come with a cute story. Last summer, when Marshall was still only three, we were all attending a picnic and carnival for Mark's company. Trixie and I were in line for the face painting lady, while Mark took the three boys to check out the fire truck that had been parked on the property. The firefighters had hooked up their gigantic hose to a hydrant. From every vantage point throughout the carnival, guests could see high pressure water shooting across the lawn.

 

The face painting line was very long, so during our wait, Trixie and I heard many boys asking their parents if they could take a drink from the hose. Every mom said no, of course! That's what moms say. "No way! That water will knock your head backwards. It's too dangerous." Sensible moms.

 

Eventually, Trixie's face was painted like a puppy with a drooling tongue, so we met up with all the guys by the fire truck. That was when I learned that their dad had not only allowed, but encouraged, all of his sons to drink from the fire hose! Leave it up to four males to try something so crazy. Apparently, Marshall was the only one willing to do it, although I was surprised that the firefighters let it happen-twice. Marshall actually took one drink and then went back for more, which is when Mark took this photo.

 

For weeks, Mark was showing it to everyone we know, bragging about his brave baby drinking from the fire hose. I made sure to preface the sharing of the picture with the fact that I, his careful mother, was nowhere near the fire truck at the time. After seeing this shot dozens of times, I decided to look at it more closely, and I realized that it was actually a really cool photo.  Little Marshall was not hurt in any way, and he does like to tell people about it, too.

Let this be a lesson to sensible moms that dads (and grandpas and uncles) are capable of entertaining and playing with our children without our control. They can make their own fun, their own adventures and their own memories.

 

Can you think of a time when a man in your child's life (or your own) did something that a mother would probably never do, but it turned out to be just fine and even fun?