“Is there any part of the year that puts more pressure on us women to be ‘snatched’ than summer? After giving birth, swimsuits fit weird and my belly is CLEARLY visible. My rapidly changing size made me doubt what was appropriate for a ‘bigger woman’ at the pool.”
‘I’ve given birth. The world is gonna get whatever’s in THIS swimsuit. I have a swimsuit and a body. So YES, I already have a swimsuit body!’ Mom has ‘99 problems and a summer body ain’t one’
‘I was swimsuit shamed by my 5-year-old. At the pool, my daughter asked me when I was going to take my ‘dress’ off.’: Mom embarrassed by daughter for covering ‘thighs, fat, flab’
“I didn’t have it in me to tell her this was my swimsuit.”
‘I asked her when vacation starts. ‘In a week. I’m DREADING it. I already lied to my church and said Nicholas was 5 so he could go to Vacation Bible School.’ This warmed my soul.’
“One of my girlfriends called. We’ve been friends for almost 20 years. We sugarcoat nothing. Summer is NOT amazing. And if you ask your kids, it’s BORING. These vacation snapshots are the best 5 minutes of the day. The other 23 hours and 55 minutes are a complete cesspool.”
‘Mama, can you come in the water with me, please?’ She was ignored. ‘Mama, come play with me?’ She asked 4 more times. Mama glanced over at her, but never got off the phone.’
“While at the pool, I watched a young Mama and her little daughter enter, dressed in very nice coordinating swimming suits. The mom talked loudly on her phone while her daughter stood waiting. I imagined the photos she took being perfectly posted with a caption like, ‘Pool time with my girly!'”
‘Our life came to a halt. Our son was gravely ill. Looks can be deceiving. I tell him how guilty I am. His eyes become glassy. ‘I’m OK. I have a son,’ he says with a smile. I begin to sob.’
“As we pack up our belongings and head to the car, my husband can tell something is off. The moment we get into the car, I break down. We had been faced with the unimaginable. Two of our children passed away.”
‘Are you mom?’ I nodded, ‘Yes.’ He ran along the canal for a mile. He saw the farmer pulling her out of the water. Our sweet girl had bumped into this farmer’s leg.’
“With 10 adults and 5 kids present, anyone would assume our daughter would have been safe. But after unexpected guests rang the doorbell, a bag of popcorn started on fire, and multiple kids ran outside, it only took seconds for Preslee to slip past everyone into the canal.”
‘My friend had an extra one-piece which was NOT made for someone 34 weeks pregnant. It turned her gorgeous suit into a wrestling thong slinglet on my preggo bod.’
“To top it off, there was a catered Chipotle buffet… I literally ate 12 tacos minimum. No bull. I went back for fourths. I had contractions kicking up all day while in my thongkini – and I wound up in labor and delivery.”
‘Lathered in sunscreen, poolside, I suddenly realized my son wasn’t with me. My eyes hit the shallow end. I spotted a toddler completely submerged in water. The world stopped. I plunged in.’
“I was not the mother to make this kind of error. The mother who looked away. ‘If he’s alive, he’d be kicking, fighting.’ Why wasn’t he fighting? I pulled him onto the cement and thrusted my hand against his back. Fingernails pink, skin pale, lips discolored. His white knuckles gripped my neck. ‘ANDREW. Andrew, please come back to me.'”
‘He didn’t like being at the hospital overnight, and that we didn’t bring mom to see him.’
“Mom was sitting next to dad rubbing his head. He was dozing off. Every time he was almost asleep she would say, ‘Are you tired Carl?’ and he would wake up and say, ‘Yep.’ He didn’t seem frustrated by her interruptions – for him, it was just another day.”
‘Why we are doing NOTHING this summer.’
“I had big plans to be a ‘good mom’ this summer. There were going to be chore charts, reading goals, daily letter writing practice, and cursive classes.”
