Ahhh!

Be careful how you motivate! It may just leave you dangling from a rope...

Heath has been teaching a rope rescue course for firefighters all this week. And any of you who have talked to Hudson about anything know that he is a rappelling, rock climbing, anything rope-related freak. It is almost all he thinks about... So he has really looked forward to this week, knowing that we would be able to visit the class, observe some "real rope rescue" and he would be able to rappel from the parking garage that they use for their hands-on training. (In fact, he first rappelled when he was only 2 1/2, from the very same parking garage during one of Heath's training classes...)

So we visited the class and watched...Hudson waiting patiently for the class to end so he could have his turn in the harness. He was so excited, but "a little bit nervous." The first time down, he went tandem with Heath from the 5th floor of the garage. He was on top of the world! Then he rappelled down alone from the 3rd floor...to prepare for the decent from the 5th alone. But when we got up to the 5th floor he got up on the ledge, looked down and said "no way."

I knew he really wanted to do it and would be excited to have completed such a daunting task so I started in with negotiations.

"If you do it, we can print out some pictures of you rappelling to show to your class tomorrow."

"Imagine how cool it will feel to get down to the bottom and know that you finished something even though it scared you."

"Nothing is impossible with God."

"If you do it, I will do it too."

"This is all you talked about for two weeks. Refuse to give up on something you really want...refuse to lose."

None of my words were effective encouragement. While I am still talking, reasoning, rationalizing, Heath is telling his buddy who is up on the 5th floor with Hudson and I, "Just put him over. Go ahead, do it." So Wayne put a protesting Hudson over the edge (no need to call CPS...it was all safe, he was in the harness, and Heath was at the bottom with a safety rope, etc.). Hudson was a little angry at first (and his heart was beating out of his chest), but then he started rappelling...still nervously, at first, but as he lowered himself, he started having fun. And as he reached the ground, the biggest smile overcame his face . He immediately yelled up to me, "I did it! I was scared, but I did it!"


He and Heath appeared on the 5th floor minutes later and Hudson was saying, "It's your turn Mom. You said you would do it if I did and I did it, so now it is your turn." Lucky me, I thought. (Why does he always listen and remember only what I want him to forget?) So I started in with excuses. "It is really late, and we need to get home for dinner. Maybe I'll do it next year," I said. Heath is putting a harness on me as I talk.

I am crazy afraid of heights. Just looking over the edge of the 5th floor garage almost makes me puke. My stomach turns inside out instantly. I hate tall overpasses. I hyperventilated once trying to put up our Christmas lights because I had to get up on our single story roof. But suddenly I find myself geared up, a two minute rappelling lesson taken in, and I am sitting precariously on the ledge of the garage (barefoot, I might add so that my flips aren't lost). Then I'm over the ledge and rappelling down and I am actually having fun!


As I touched the ground, I'm sure the same smile overtook my face as Hudson said, "Wow, Mom, I didn't know you could do that. Wasn't it cool?!"