Aquaphobia

What makes someone officially an Aquaphobe? (did you know that hydrophobia is actually late stage rabies? I didn't until I did some research for this post. According to Wikipedia individuals may suffer from an "instinctive reaction" to the water which arises separate from any observable factors. They have a gut reaction that limits their fundamental comfort level in any sort of casual water activities, such as swimming. Sufferers may even see bath water as an immediate threat. Anxiety commonly extends to getting wet or splashed with water when it is unexpected. So is Katie officially phobic? I don't think so...but close. She still likes to play in the bath. But she hates having her hair washed so badly that she refuses to bathe all together. She loves to wash her hands, and with water toys. Maybe true phobics wouldn't do these things either.

But if she's not phobic she is really close. She has never like bathing. From day one in the hospital she screamed during her bath. The poor nurse came running in to rescue her. (all of my babies have enjoyed baths) She never enjoys playing in the kid pools we by every summer to play in. Ask her Grandmas, she hates baths. She screams bloody murder, struggling like a fish on the line for dear life as I attempt to wash her hair. I don't get water in her eyes but she is terrified.

So, as I expected our trip to the Great Wolf Lodge and Water Park was not her favorite weekend get away. She hated it. From the moment we got in the water she wanted out. At one point we were playing with her friends Kelsey and Sophie and she refused to play. Her friends were playing on the water slide and enjoying squirting each other. But not Kate. She sat in three inches of water near tears.

What do you do? Can you cure a phobic person? What will happen when she is too big for me to bathe? Will her hair every be cleaned? Poor little Kate. Next time we will leave her at a friends house.