Of course his version is, "T.J. what happened when you saw the shark?"
He replies, "AAAAAHHHH!"
"then what happened?" We cue.
"Whaaaaaa!" He responds.
Yes. That is the story of the day we were at Universal and went on the Jaws ride. What were we thinking taking a 2 year old on that ride before his nap time? As if he was not already overstimulated enough. But regardless, the family boarded the boat and set off for an enjoyable tour of Amity Island. We hear the music. The adults are at the edge of their seats knowing that the great white lurks. TJ hasn't a clue. And then, wouldn't you know it, Jaws pops out of the water right on our side of the boat, right next to TJ! There are teeth. There is blood. There are loud noises. Fire. Theatrics. Enough to get a 2 year old's heart racing in terror. And so he screams and clings to mommy. And then, yes, once the panic is over he starts to cry.
We tried to tell him how brave he was afterward. We tried to make light out of it by going up to a stuffed animal shark and saying, "Bad shark" as we bopped it on the head. But, I think we scarred our boy a little bit that day. And I know that because every time we drive over a body of water, he is sure to say, "Shark!"
Oh, swimming in the ocean for the first time this summer will not go well.
