Ian says that he gets one less holiday than everyone else now that Daddy is dead. We didn't celebrate Father's Day. I didn't even tell him it was happening today. It's not like he's on Facebook to hear about it. 

We went to Water Country USA. Ian has been a bit anxious the last few weeks, having trouble sleeping and easily spooked. I wondered how he would fare with some of the rides. 

That little stinker wanted to ride everything. Even things that seemed like a horrible idea to ride! And I found myself going along with it as the parent. 

I'm not a water play sort of person. I like to float in the water. I like to putter around in the water. I don't like to be dunked. I don't like to be splashed. I'm not much better than a house cat in that regard. And yet, there we were at a water park all day.

I'm also pale and freckled. After today, I'm about 200% more freckled. I must remain vigilant against the rays of the sun all day. I reapplied sunscreen every hour and a half and I'm still a little pink. 

I left my phone in our locker, deciding to focus on us and the activities. It was nice. It also meant that I didn't get any photos of us doing our thing. They did have a photo kiosk, though, that had a couple of pictures of us exiting one of the rides. It pretty much sums up my feelings about most water rides. 

There is a ride there called Vanishing Point. It is a vertical drop with no raft or mat. Ian really really really wanted to go on it. I agreed to follow him up the stairs and see him off. When we got to the launch platform another girl his age was about to ride. Her mom was with her and was equally unenthusiastic about the ride. We decided to send the kids down together. 

I was all for this plan. But once they reached the bottom, the other mom turned to me and said, "You know what? Let's do this, Mommy. Let's mom the heck out of this. We got this." How could I abandon her when she said that? 

And so I held my shoes, Ian's shoes, my sunglasses, and my watch in my fists like I was Steve Martin in "The Jerk". And I went down this ridiculous ride. Water went up my nose. Water went up my ass. I was dragging my insulin pump alongside me the last 10 feet. I exited the ride like Bill the Cat, grateful my suit was in approximately the same location it was 20 seconds prior. 

And that is what parenting is about. Doing shit you don't really want to do because it makes your kid a better person. Ian was brave and happy all day. We had Dippin' Dots. We got our photos. We made it home with little traffic. We picked up new swimsuits for Ian. We are ready for summer camp to start Monday. 

Happy Father's Day to everyone doing their part to make kids better people, regardless of your gender.