My Mom Made Me Do It
By Charlie Ware
Guarded 1968-78
When my folks decided to move to Laguna Beach in early June of 1965 with 5 children( 4 boys and an older sister), my mother knew we would sprint to the water as soon as we pulled into our new rental on lower Bluebird. No sooner than she dug out our swim suits we were running down the hill to hit the sand and surf. No towel, no sunscreen (Sunscreen? Wasn't even invented yet) no hat, sunglasses, fins, snack money. Not a thing. Just bare white skins and a bucket of energy and no clue. For the first few days of that first Summer it was all beach and water from early morning until hunger drove us home before sunset. If we didn't get home before the sun went down then dinner was given to the dogs my Mom would warn. " I'm no short order cook" she would demand. We would eagerly tell her what we did that day at the beach while we woofed down piles of family size meals. And with each tail, she got more and more alarmed. Needless to say, four young adventurous boys and a few friends could come up with stunts both in and out of the water that would make any mother shriek with horror. My mom was a American Red Cross swim instructor when we lived in Tustin and gave free swim and lifesaving lessons to the neighborhood kids. All she asked was a towel as a registration fee. Seemed we lost a lot of towels as we hopped from one neighborhood pool to the next. So, she quickly recognized the need for some real ocean training if we were going to survive our new playground. Back yard pool savvy wasn't going to cut it.
Then one morning she loaded us in the car and gave us each a towel and one check made out to LBLG Jr. Guard Program and dropped us off at Main Tower and said, "This is what you four boys will be doing until you come back with better respect for the ocean." "I'm not going to worry any more". We had no idea what this twice a week summer camp meant, but took to it instantly. Dale Ghere, Jim Heardman, John Cunningham and others drilled into us all the subjects necessary to enjoy the ocean environment and learn basic lifeguarding skills as well. Fantastic fun and adventure too!!
The long and the short of it is, My Mom Made Me Do It. She introduced us to the world of lifeguarding without really knowing it and set in motion an envious lifestyle and indelible memories, that both enriched our lives as well as keep us safe and happy.
Thanks Mom,
Charlie
