Is that really MY child?

Last weekend the kids, my niece and I went to one of my highschool friends (Stacey) daughters birthday party. Her daughter, Micah, turned 4 and they had a pool party for her. My first thought is great, my 15 year old niece Rachel is in town, I can take her and not have to get in the pool and in a bathing suit in front of all these strangers! Well we get to the party and I get all of the kids in their bathing suits along with Maya and Braeden in their life jackets. Camden is my most cautious child and I can tell him to stay in the shallow part of the pool and he will listen, so I don't put a life jacket on him. Maya and Braeden, who have no fear, immediately jump in the pool while Camden carefully walks down the steps in the shallow end. My niece Rachel has yet to put her bathing suit on, but I figure the kids are OK until she gets ready, they've been in pools and water enough. Well I was wrong!! I'm standing by the pool and I look over to see Camden bouncing in and out of the water. Keep in mind, the water is about forehead level for him, so he's tip-toeing in out and of the water, semi asking for help. I'm standing right there telling him to push off the bottom and he'll be able to reach the side, which is only about three feet away. Not much time passes and I see he's starting to panic, so I walk onto the second step in the pool, about knee high to me, fully clothed of course, and reach my hand out to help him. He's now pretty much in full panic mode and has no real bearings about him and he is starting to flounder in the water. The entire time, I'm thinking, is this really my child, the cautious one? It dawns on me that is, so of course, I do what I have to do to help him... which is walk in to the water FULLY CLOTHED, up to my chest to get his little butt out! Fortunately I had brought my bathing suit just in case so I changed into that while I put my clothes in my friends dryer! One of these days my kids will be the older kids helping the younger ones! :)