Tuesday, April 30, 2013

First Swimming Lessons

Our new neighborhood has a pool for people who live here.  It opens up in a couple of  months for the summer and I wanted the kids to take some swimming lessons before that so they'd be a little more comfortable in the water.   Eliza isn't 3 yet so I knew she'd need a mommy-and-me type of class.  Isaiah said he didn't want to go by himself, and they wouldn't let him in the mommy-and-me class since he's older than 3, but we were lucky to get into one of the few "You and your preschooler" classes.  Their classes are at the same time on Friday evenings.  I go with one kid, Jerel goes with the other.  We knew Zay would be the one who would have a hard time because he often gets nervous about doing new things.  He was nervous, but he's actually done great!  Even when he's really scared he still tries everything they ask him to do--he's even gone all the way under the water a couple of times!  Miss 'Liza, on the other hand, has not been enjoying herself.  She is super cute in a bright pink tutu bathing suit (the one in this picture falls off of her, so I had to return it).  But she cries the whole time.  And by "the whole time" I mean the whole time.  Beginning of lesson to end.  Her class is bigger, probably about 20 kids.  Last week Zay was sick so I took Eliza by myself.  She was crying about going in again, so we started on the edge of the pool and I just splashed the water up on her feet (they didn't come close to reaching the water).  After a while we moved over to the steps and starting easing our way in.  I'd ask her to come down one more step, and she would say no, and I would say "Okay, you don't have to" and then she would do it.  It took 12 minutes (of a 30 minute class) to get her all the way into the water and (sort of) participating with the class.  Oh, and I had to bribe her with a new hot wheels.  But there were no tears the entire time and I consider that a major success!  So proud of my two little ones learning to swim in a freezing cold pool!

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