Diversity and Inclusion Matters

Chapter 15Your Mental Health

A Day at the Pool

Years ago, when Justus was about six, we went on a family outing to the municipal pool. The outing was pretty typical; my wife and I rounded up Justus and Piper and all the necessary gear. We had the goggles, towels, water toys, and so on.

When we got to the pool, I went to the men's locker room with Justus, and my wife took Piper to the women's locker room to put on our swimming suits. As soon as we entered the locker room, in typical fashion Justus started ripping off his clothes because he wanted to get to the pool as fast as possible. I tried to slow Justus down and reminded him we needed to find a locker to use. Too late! By this time Justus was naked and looking at me like, “Why have you not handed me my swim trunks?” Like most six-year-olds, Justus seemed oblivious to the fact that he was completely naked. Justus's only concern was getting to the pool. Apparently, I was the one that did not know how to handle himself at the pool. I quickly got Justus into his swimming trunks and rounded up the clothes that Justus has strewn all over the place. I found a locker to put our clothes in so we could get to the pool.

Justus was a very outgoing little boy and quickly made friends with anyone looking to have fun. Justus always looked out for his four-year-old sister and kept her close. We had a great time at the pool, and my wife had packed snacks and lunch. Therefore, we spent all day there, but it was still hard to get Justus and ...