The Big Flush
"Are you sure its safe to remove their life vests?" Didi asked nervously.
"During lessons when you are right next to your baby they shouldn't wear the vests," Mindy, the instructor, said with a smile. "You will all be right with your babies, making sure they are safe. Vests put them in a vertical position, which isn't good for swimming. Now, first thing we want to do is get them used to the water. Parents, slowly lower your baby into the pool until they are up to their arm pits."
The parents did as they were told, Tommy and his friends twisting their heads and looking about. Tommy had thought that this was a big toilet but now he was realizing it wasn't a toilet… it was a big bath tub! But it was the deepest bay tub he'd ever been in… he could kick his feet and not feel a thing! It was strange… but also nice. He liked it a lot!
"Now parents," Mindy said, "if your baby gets upset at all take them out of the water. We want them to enjoy this, okay?" But even Chuckie was doing well, feeling safe in his father's hands. "Everyone good? Then I want you to begin to guide the babies through the water, so they feel like they are swimming…"
Later Tommy and his friends looked through the windows of the nursery, watching as the people swam in the giant bath tub. "I wonder why there are no toys for them to play with," he said.
"Probably because they aren't all clean yet," Lil reasoned. "Daddy doesn't let us play with toys until our hair is done."
"I get to play with toys right away," Tommy said.
"That's cuss ya got no hair to wash," Phil said.
Rubbing his bald head Tommy considered that. "Oh… I guess. But I bet with a tub that big there must be really BIG toys! Let's go find'em!"
"But Tommy, we can't," chuckie said. "Our mommies and daddies told us to wait here!"
"Chuckie, we can't spend our lives just staying where our mommies and daddies tell us to stay!" He got down off the window ledge and walked towards the door. "We're babies! We go where we want to have fun-OOMPF!" Tommy fell back onto his bottom, looking up at the nursery worker who had stopped him.
"Sorry but you need to stay in here. It's not safe to wander on your own."
Tommy frowned and tried several more times to escape but every time was thwarted. His friends tried to get him to just play with them but Tommy was convinced there were fun toys just waiting for him to find them! Big ones!
But before he knew it his mommy and daddy returned.
"They were all good except the little one. He kept trying to sneak off."
Tommy cringed… he had a bad feeling he had another time out coming…