Lifeguard! He's So Silly

I've tried two more times to take the boy to a pool, but once he sees a lifeguard, it's all over. Today he started to lose it in the locker room, but I managed to calm him down and get him changed. We've talked several times about lifeguards. I call them friends. I call them nice. I say they help people. I say I like lifeguards.

"I like lifeguards, too!" he says. Or sometimes he says, "Lifeguard! He's so silly!" So I thought maybe we could do it today. But as soon as he saw one, he was done again, crying hysterically and saying, "Put on shirt? Go home?"

So I dressed him, picked him up, and headed toward the exit. On the way, though, I stopped by one of the female lifeguards. I told her lifeguards make him nervous and asked if he could touch her tube. She took her sunglasses off and talked to him. Of course, she had to poke him a couple of times, too. I don't know what it is with the poking. Anyway, he stayed calm, but he didn't want to look at her or talk to her. He did touch the tube once, though. So maybe that's progress. I guess we'll keep trying.