Such Great Heights, part 2.

After his spectacular fall off the high dive a month ago, Dylan finally slayed the high dive dragon. I'm proud of him. Here's how it went:

He had decided to do it on the drive over to the pool. I told him that they had created a new rule at the pool (this is true, by the way, not my attempt at manipulating him) that you can't climb back down the ladder once you've climbed up. You go up, you have to jump. We arrive, and Dylan heads over to the high dive with his 2 friends and his sister. He is the last one in the line.

His sister, knowing what is about to happen, decides that this will be HER first time off the high dive as well. She goes first, flinging herself off the high dive with reckless abandon.

Friend 1 jumps off. Friend 2 jumps off. Dylan begins his slow climb to the top of the ladder. He hesitates around the area he fell from before, but continues to climb the rest of the way.

Once on the board, he moves to the end of the railing. I'm thinking, "Wow, he really is going to do this!"

SCRRREECCH! He comes to a halt at the end of the railing and begins to cry. CRAP! So I started out empathizing with him, using all my best therapy techniques. Didn't work. 15 minutes have passed and there is a line of kids waiting for their turn. I tried making him feel guilty... didn't work.

At this point, all the kids are cheering for him and telling him he could do it. The lifeguards were cheering for him. He still wouldn't jump. I tried getting mad at him and telling him he couldn't play Rock Band if he didn't jump. Didn't work. He said, "I DON'T CARE!!!"

So I bribed him. I bribed him with $30 and 3 hours of Wii time.

He jumped.