Lifeguard

CC has wanted to be a lifeguard for the last few years, and she's finally old enough! She completed the training and certification course last weekend, and worked her first shift the very next day.

It didn't come easy, though. She's a strong swimmer and wasn't really worried about the course. They started with the swimming tests -- including swimming while holding a brick in both hands, and treading water with no hands. CC passed, but over half the kids failed and were sent home. For the rest of the weekend, the instruction alternated between classroom lessons and practical demonstrations and practice. But CC was really demoralized when she struggled hard to do the "passive deep water rescue" (rescuing an unconscious adult from the bottom of a 10-foot pool, bringing them to the surface, and getting a backboard underneath them). After many unsuccessful attempts, while battling a bad cold and being outside for 11 hours when it was cloudy and drizzling, she was ready to throw in the towel. She begged us to come pick her up, declared she no longer wanted to be a lifeguard, and insisted it just wasn't worth it.

We were sympathetic, but didn't want to enable her to quit. I told her I couldn't force her to finish the class, but I wouldn't go pick her up early, either. I stopped responding to her texts and spent the rest of the day with a knot in my stomach, wondering how she was doing. Fortunately she got through that day, and was willing to go back the next day. 

The final activity was the exam, which required her to demonstrate everything she learned. She was so proud to tell us that she completed the passive rescue on her first try! Everything else was a breeze compared to that, so she is now officially certified and ready to start making some money.

(First expense: reimbursing Mom for the lifeguarding class!)