A couple weeks ago these two guys had swimming lessons together. This turned out to have some pros and cons. Swimming lessons are taken pretty seriously around here. There’s one lady in particular who does an awesome job and based on how quickly her summer slots fill up, there are quite a few people who feel the same.
She doesn’t take kids until they’ve turned 3. This was Thomas’s fourth year with her, so I knew what to expect. Thomas is now to the age where’s he’s a pretty confident swimmer and this year she worked more on the beginning of stroke techniques with him.
With Arthur we weren’t sure what to expect. Arthur doesn’t have a fear of water completely but he’s not a fan of water even getting in his eyes in the bathtub. She runs a pretty efficient system and is amazing at being able to get the little ones swimming and able to get back to the side by themselves by the end of the week, and that’s what we were hoping to accomplish.
The first day they both were excited to go and both did amazing. Thomas had been telling Arthur how fun it was and also about the prizes they would get. Added bonus, she gives a little prize at the end of each day’s lesson. And on the final day when we get to see what they’ve learned during the week, they take home a bag of goodies that they picked out earlier in the week.
By day two there was some hesitancy on Arthur’s part. Sure enough, as I’m waiting in the driveway trying to keep JL happy, I hear Arthur screaming in the pool in the back yard. So much so that I’m questioning his readiness. It breaks my heart to hear and see him afraid. But for his safety I knew we had to push through. The next day we even went to get some new goggles of his very own before the lesson to see if that would help. For some reason he was scared to look down at her feet but also wouldn’t wear the goggles to help him see.
On the last day Tom and I watched both of them show us what they had learned and they both did amazing. Arthur did everything she asked of him and was so brave. You never would’ve known he was terrified just two days prior. He still doesn’t just love the water. But I feel confident he could save himself if he fell in. And we’ve still got a good bit of summer left to keep practicing!
