Narra's Bungee Trampoline Ride & Knowing When We're Ready To Jump

Narra suspended in mid-air and still smiling!

When do you know you're ready to jump? I guess, it's a simple as asking: Do you want to go for it? And  if the answer is YES! then you're ready. It's as simple as that, isn't it? Be it for taking the plunge and deciding to get married; or using up your savings to start your own business; or applying for a job after years of taking a break from the work force; or letting your tiny toddler shoot up into the air on a bungee trampoline ride.  You just go for it, you pray and hope for the best, you deal with the somersaults in the pit of your stomach, and you just JUMP!   

Narra's feeble smile right before her turn. 

The previous weekend, Oliver's mother's side, the Socorros, had lunch in Eastwood for our balikbayans from the US, Tito Joseling, his son Henry, and daughter-in-law, Balbir.  We had lunch at Sambo Kojin, and we did a little walking afterwards, at the weekend bazaar nearby.  That's where we chanced upon the bungee trampoline ride.  My niece Sabel started it all. She was followed by my other niece Julia.  It looked like they were having a lot of fun.  Narra was quietly watching and I casually asked her - you want to ride anak? "Yes", she said quietly. It was not the answer I was expecting so  I asked her again. She said "yes" again.  I asked the attendant on duty if my little girl could go on the ride; "she's 2 years and 10 months old", I said.  The attendant told me there was a height requirement, and age didn't matter. She was tall enough all right.  The ride costs 120 for 3 minutes. It's an amount I can risk. I'll pull her out of the trampoline the second she gets cold feet. 

Narra being strapped on to the harness which was way too big for her.

"Are you sure she's ready for this?" Oliver asked me. "Yes", I said simply.  I knew how much Narra loves to ride on swings, and how she asks me to push her higher. I knew how much she loved to jump on our spring mattress, and on the thick foam cushion in Gymboree. And I was thinking how everyone says she and I are so alike - and if there's any truth to that hypothesis at all - then she'd definitely enjoy a ride like this because I love heights, and tumbling (or at least I used to)! But I wasn't sure of course, only Narra can tell if she's ready for this, and she'll really know only when she's doing the actual ride.  So we were nervous parents in the sidelines. We can't do this with her, or for her, she's on her own.

  

Oliver, the nervous papa, lending moral support by the sidelines.

The attendant completed hooking her up to the harness and stepped of the trampoline. Narra was all alone in the spotlight, in front of onlookers and passersby.  So far, so good.  She wasn't smiling, but she wasn't crying either.  I was on alert for the slightest indication that she needed to be fished out of the situation.  When it was time to take off, I shouted to her a familiar formula: "Ready, Get Set, Go!" ... and off she went!

She started tentatively, just a foot or two from the trampoline's surface at first, then as she got the rhythm, she started to go higher, and soon, she was smiling, then squealing!  She was shooting upwards, flying! I felt so proud of her.  It isn't easy for a parent to see her little baby being thrown up higher than the roof, and towards tree branches.  My stomach lurched. But I was glad she said "yes" when I asked if she wanted to do it. I am glad I took her word for it, and believed she was ready.   

I didn't let her finish the whole 3 minutes of the ride. When I saw she was getting tired, and her grip on the ropes seemed to loosen, I signaled to the attendant to end the ride. We still had a good part of 1 minute to go, but I felt it was time to stop.  Whew!! ok, ok,  it was more like Weee!! but also, Whew! It was a long 2 minutes for me.  She came down excited to join her cousins, Ate Sabel, Ate Julia, and Ate Sophia. It was her cousin Matty's turn next.  It's a good thing she was surrounded by a lot of family.  I'm sure that helped boost her confidence, to see familiar faces everywhere she looked. 

A happy Narra runs to her cousins after her ride.

So Narra's done her part. She wanted to go on a ride, and she did, and had a lot of fun. And it will do us good to take our cue from our daughter and do our own thrill rides.  We're going to try something new, embarking on a new business venture, and we'll bounce up and down, I'm sure. The important thing is to go for it, and enjoy the entire process, and just JUMP!