Protecter Mom Comes Out Swinging

Monday, Andrew and his friend Brantley started their swim lessons. We had a good first day. There are four kids in the swim class. Brantley (9 mo), Andrew (almost 8 mo), this kid named Dane (2.5 y/o), and Miles (2 y/o). Miles is with his dad and they seemed pretty normal. Dane is with is mom who is very talkative. She tells me his Dad is in Afghanistan and this makes me feel for her and I listen to her talk even though I think she is talking to hear herself talk...nonetheless I am very nice to her. Dane has bug bite looking spots on his back and I don't think anything of it, but apparently she was self conscious and tells me they went outside for "just a second" and he got eaten alive by mosquitoes. Again, I don't think anything of it b/c we live in the South and mosquitoes are just a way of life here. All in all first day of class went well.

The second day of class...we had a different experience. Dane's mother was again very talkative. We were walking into the pool and she turns to me and says I think Dane has chicken pox that is why he has spots on his back. She then proceeds to tell me (and only me for some reason) that she did know someone whose kid had them. WHAT??? Is this really a conversation I am about to have with this woman? I slowed my walking pace and she could tell I got uneasy, but she didn't lighten up on her story. She said she wanted him to get the virus so he would have immunity for life. She said boys have a higher chance of getting autism with the vaccine shots so she decided to go for an alternate schedule and Dane hadn't had his vaccines. She is telling me this as if she is informing me so I can be saved by this information. However, the moment she talks about autism in relation to vaccines I knew she didn't know what she was talking about. That physician who wrote that theory has recently been proven wrong and his medical license has been taken away. The swim teacher then tells all four of us get into a circle and I look at Brantley's mom with a look like I want to run away from this kid who may or may not have chicken pox. Then I get my professional voice (trying to be very polite, yet stern with this woman) and I ask her...has Dane been around anyone with chicken pox? She says no, and that she was just kidding and says he has asthma which is causing some eczema. AGAIN...WHAT is with her different stories??? These two thoughts keep me from running away and getting Andrew far away from this lady and her son. Thought 1 - the pool's chemicals will kill the germs and we aren't going to touch this kid. Thought 2 - Dane goes to day care and if his day care thought he was sick they would have sent him home.

When the class is over she again comes up to me and says she was kidding. That no one in his day care had chicken pox. My response to her was they have had their vaccines so they won't be bringing the virus to school (a side note: I say this not knowing 100% if they give the chicken pox vaccine, but Dane's mother had already told me they do, so that is why I made my comment). I can't even remember how I got away from her...I think Brantley's mom saved me.

We will go back to swim lessons today and I am sure Miss Talkative will have another ailment to explain her son's bug bites on his back. I do feel for the woman being a single parent while her husband is away, but I really don't need parenting advice from her.

On a positive note Andrew is doing great in his lessons. Yesterday we went under water and did not cry or get water in his mouth. :)

Love Erin