Throw Out Game vs. Waterbed Mattress

When the kids were very small, they played the Throw Out Game with Baird.  It started with Kelsey and Erin, and Drew joined in as soon as he could sit upright.  They would go in our room and climb onto our waterbed.  Baird would join them in our room and try to remove them from the bed and from our room.  If he got all three kids out at once, he won.  If he got tired before all three kids were removed, they won.  I've never been a participant in the game.  Oftentimes this game would be played after dinner, and I would hear squeals of delight and roars of bravado coming from the other room while I cleaned up the kitchen. 

Sometimes there was a thrump sound as one of the kids jumped back onto the bed.  Occasionally I would think, "Gee, I hope this game doesn't split open the waterbed."

As the kids have grown, pleas to play the game have lessened.  In fact, I can't even remember the last time the game was played.  I can tell you, however, that the kids were a lot smaller then.

I was out this evening, and when I came home, I knew something had happened, I just wasn't sure what.  Biggest telltale sign:  almost every old towel we own was out drying on the deck.  "Oh, this can't be good," I thought.

The exact details are a bit sketchy, but apparently, the kids wanted to play the Throw Out Game tonight.  Baird obliged.  Problem is, the kids are now 15, 13, and 9, and much, Much MUCH bigger, stronger, and heavier than the last time they played the Throw Out Game.  The waterbed sustained more thrumps than it could take.  A seam split.  Water gushed.  Panic ensued.  Carpet was soaked.  There was a scramble for towels.  The rest of the water in the bed was drained as quickly as possible.  Various forms of adhesive were applied to the split seam.

This is what the wounded mattress looked like, with the hose in place for draining:

We broke out the air mattress from the camping gear, and threw it down on the living room floor.  This is what my bed looks like until the waterbed is fixed and fully operational:

 

Once the glue dries and we know the mattress will hold water again, we'll refill the bed.  It usually takes more than an hour to pump enough water into the mattress for it to be full.  Then it's another 18-24 hours for the bed to heat up so it doesn't feel like you're sleeping on ice cubes.

I can't possibly be mad at anyone about this, because it's just too funny.  I wish I could have been a fly on the wall when all the chaos hit.  Kudos to Baird and the kids for their quick thinking.  Sure, the carpet got a little wet, but it isn't wrecked.  No water seeped thru the floor to the basement.  There's no permanent damage.  All in all, it's just another brick in the wall day in the life of the 5 Ring Circus!