He was nervous but he went into the pool. He was nervous but he swam without clutching the instructor. He was nervous but he trusted in the floaties and felt the water bouy him up. He was nervous but he did it!
And after the official 20 minute lesson, I donned my bathing suit and Damian and I went into the practice pool. He clung to me but, like the teacher had, I was able to gradually get him to relax in the water, to float alongside me, to hold onto a kickboard and kick his legs. He'd never been in an actual pool before. He was always terrified. Not yesterday. In fact, he told me repeatedly last night that his favorite part of the day was when we were in the practice pool together.
I think this is exactly what he needs. And he even likes it.
Posted by Tamar at June 16, 2004 10:25 PMGreat photos! Damian looks like he's having a wonderful time - I'm glad swimming is working out for you.
My son got his level fours in swimming the other day. It's so neat to see him in a sport where he doesn't feel inadequate and his frustrations don't kick in (or at least, rarely). I've noticed that whenever he decides he doesn't like what he's doing, he'll flip over on his back and just float, staring at the ceiling and propelling himself slowly after the rest of the class. I guess it's hard to stay tense when you're in the water...
Actually, my mother's standard way of dealing with my tantrums when I was small was to stick me in the shower. Something about water running over your head really does makes it impossible to keep screaming.
:-)
Posted by: darby at June 17, 2004 04:28 AMOh, I just love that last picture! He looks so happy and...angelic! I'm so glad it went well...
Posted by: Tiny Coconut at June 18, 2004 09:21 AM