Koi Pond

By Charissa Kolar

There is nothing like a family vacation to make memories for a new young family. Shortly after our son turned two years old we took a trip to Hawaii. Our tropical surroundings were so beautiful and colorful. We had great fun introducing our little boy to so many “firsts.”

We took him to the beach and waded with him into the ocean water. Our hotel had 2 swimming pools, and a shallow kiddie pool with a pirate themed water slide. We did it all, and he was entertained. He loved getting wet and was a natural water baby.

Poolside one day my husband suggested we go for lunch. We walked a short distance to the open-air hotel restaurant. Many families were seated at the tables with umbrellas overhead. Because our little guy couldn’t sit very long, we decided to order our lunch for take-out. My husband walked in to the cashier to order and I stayed out front with our busy son Jack so he could walk all around while we waited.

In keeping with the lush beauty of Hawaii there was a meandering koi pond that ran right past the restaurant entrance and continued all through the hotel lobby. It caught our attention, and we began to follow it. The long stream of water was filled with Koi fish, some turtles and even a few frogs. Beautiful green plants and flowers were growing all along the banks of the water. Best of all it had one of those quaint little bridges with bamboo accents.

Little Jack walked over to the bridge with all his 2-year-old boy curiosity. I stood right beside him as we pointed to all the giant colorful koi fish swimming to and fro under the bridge. To be honest koi fish have always made me uncomfortable. The way they move in groups is kind of slow and elegant. But they are quite large fish, maybe too large. And they also have these enormous mouths and what look to be long whiskers that don’t look like they belong on a fish. They are kind of creepy.

But, I was enjoying watching Jack as he was so clearly fascinated by these fish. Then, without warning, the toddler by my side leapt into the koi pond! I think I may have screamed but I don’t remember. Without having any time at all to think I was forced to do something really icky. I had no choice but to get in the koi pond long enough to hoist out my 2-year-old catch of the day.

Gross!? I remember putting my right foot in first and thinking, “don’t look down- just grab Jack.” As I peered up from the pond two hotel workers dressed in white uniforms dashed passed me. They said, “We will get you a towel!” And by the time I had us both back up on the bridge the guys were wrapping towels around Jack. My son was clearly fine, if but a bit confused as to why I removed him from the pond. I thanked the hotel workers and then they smiled, like they were barely holding in their laughter. One guy composed himself long enough to ask if my son was okay. They must have assumed he fell in accidentally. Not true.

It was about then I caught a glimpse of the open-air restaurant directly behind us. Every table was looking our way. Some people were laughing. I began to realize that we had inadvertently made a scene. I am pretty sure now I screamed when he jumped in. I started to feel a little embarrassed and uncomfortable. I should have just smiled back and said, “thank you folks, come again, we will be here all week.”

I scooped up my boy in his giant hotel towel and headed off the bridge. My husband appeared with our take out food. “Are you guys ready to eat?” he said. I looked at him. It was clear he had no idea anything had happened. Apparently he had his back turned to us the whole time tending to lunch.

In the end, I think I confused my son by taking him in all the other pools of water around this hotel, but then pulled him directly out of the koi pond. I doubt he knew the difference. That was a memorable rookie parent moment not to see that coming.

It never occurred to me that he would see the fancy hotel stream as just more water for play.

It is experiences like these that get moms and dads to start predicting the unpredictable. We don’t always hit the mark, but we get closer. We eventually get that sixth sense and grow out of being rookie parents. But, along the way, you’re destined to make some of your own fish stories.

Charissa Kolar is co-author of Your Newborn Promise Project: A Pre-Parenting Primer for Husband and Wife, co-producer the Newborn Promise Podcast, and a Graham Blanchard Inc. project director.