5 Mom Types You Will Find at Roaring Springs This Summer

If you see a mom wearing a Dora The Explorer towel around her waist at the water park this summer, there's going to be a perfectly good explanation for it.  

I'm always amazed at the precision with which moms attack the day and manage the process of being at Roaring Springs.  Miraculously, mom is the ultimate tour guide even though she's part of the tour, and she makes complex things look so simple.  By the time we reach the water park, we have most likely done these things:

-- had three cups of coffee and a banana nut muffin for coping

-- reminded every family member three times to grab a towel and then idled in the driveway while at least two of them ran back into the house to get one

--  packed the unpopular snacks from the pantry that we've been hoping to get rid of, knowing If the kids are famished from swimming they will eat them

-- located one lost flip flop under the couch and another that had been dragged outside by the dog, and put them on the proper feet

-- packed so much stuff in the beach bag that it weighs 55 pounds and carrying it burns more calories than swimming does

And then we get there!  I love, love, love the water park and would live there if they would let me.  I love swimming, splashing, soaking, and the whole works, and I've discovered some things about myself as I've taken the kids year after year, and I've noticed other similar mom types too.  A trip to the water park is an adventure in people-watching for sure.

5 Mom Types You Will Find at Roaring Springs This Summer

1.  Adventurous Mom. She is right up there on the slides with the kids, not at all afraid of the huge slides with the trap doors that drop her like a backward rocket and suck her to the ground in two seconds.  She has grit and she's gonna have a blast no matter what.

2.  Hand-me-down Mom.  She's the one with the Dora The Explorer beach towel around her waist because the kids have outgrown their love for Dora and moved on to Justin Bieber.  But dang it, she's not going to let that perfectly good, soft, and luxurious towel go unused and she has the self-confidence to rock the look all over the park.

3.  Poolside Mom.  She wants to lounge.  She'll shift her sun/water/umbrella strategy throughout the day so she gets just enough sun, just enough shade, and just enough time sitting in 3 to 6 inches of water to get her legs wet.  You might see this mom in the lazy river at some point, but don't wait for her at the bottom of a huge slide expecting her to shoot out.  She's not coming.

4.  Hiding Mom.  She wants no part of the slides or the staircase up to the top that makes her quads burn, and she will be hiding under trees and sunglasses all day so she can read a book, scroll her phone, sip fun drinks, and be one with her thoughts.  Part of the motivation for going to the water park was knowing she could have a moment to herself and she's going to take full advantage.  Don't bother this mom.

5.  Pit Crew Mom.  Every kid knows which towel-draped chair is the family's home base for the day, and they'll seek it out when they have a need.  If it's time for some Pringles, a juice pouch, a bandaid, or more sunscreen, they'll be here.  Mom is the pit crew leader and she will have the kids fixed up and back out in the race in one minute or less.

We might all have a little bit of each of these moms in us, coupled with "post-pandemic mom" who is just thrilled to have things to do this summer outside of the house. That 2020 blow-up pool in the backyard served a purpose, but we have been turned loose this summer and we're going to make the most of it at Roaring Springs.

Why don't they ever remember to grab a towel?!