Caleb started swim lessons today. Daddy and I had been talking about him learning how to swim for a long time (Daddy was a fish as a kid!), but it never seemed to work out. Caleb and I did take a parent/child swim class when he was about a year and a half old. It was a disaster. The teacher had me put him under water for a second to see how he responded. Well, he hated that! He then screamed every time we got near the pool and would scream through the whole class while we were in the pool. I think that experience scarred me a little, so I had not gone out of my way to start lessons.
When we went for his 4 year old checkup, the doctor asked if he knew how to swim, and I knew it was time to start lessons. Luckily, there is a YMCA near us that has an indoor, heated pool. Yes, I know this is Florida, but outdoor pools are much too cold this time of year. The class is two days a week, which works well with our busy schedule. I was afraid that the classes would be 4 or 5 times a week, which would have been really difficult.
Caleb was excited about the prospect of swimming, especially since he had seen an episode of Little Bill where the main character was learning to swim. The TV show talked about being a guppy, so that is what Caleb is convinced he will be once he knows how to swim. If you say that he will be a fish, he corrects you and says that he will be a guppy. He was also a bit apprehensive about going underwater.
There are two other children in his class. One of them is an old friend of his, so I was hoping that would help put him at ease. The teacher marched them out to the pool where they rinsed off in the shower before sitting down on the side of the pool. They kicked their feet until it was time for each to have a turn practing with the teacher. Caleb happily enjoyed splashing the water with his feet until it was his turn. He then proceeded to scream and cry for the rest of the half hour class.
After class, he said that he was not very brave and that he wasn't sure he wanted to continue swim lessons. I told him that I thought he was very brave because he stayed in the pool and listened to the teacher. He could have easily gotten out of the pool and run to me, but he didn't. We plan to continue the lessons for several months. Even though the first class was tough, I am confident that Caleb will be swimming like a guppy before we know it.
When we went for his 4 year old checkup, the doctor asked if he knew how to swim, and I knew it was time to start lessons. Luckily, there is a YMCA near us that has an indoor, heated pool. Yes, I know this is Florida, but outdoor pools are much too cold this time of year. The class is two days a week, which works well with our busy schedule. I was afraid that the classes would be 4 or 5 times a week, which would have been really difficult.
Caleb was excited about the prospect of swimming, especially since he had seen an episode of Little Bill where the main character was learning to swim. The TV show talked about being a guppy, so that is what Caleb is convinced he will be once he knows how to swim. If you say that he will be a fish, he corrects you and says that he will be a guppy. He was also a bit apprehensive about going underwater.
There are two other children in his class. One of them is an old friend of his, so I was hoping that would help put him at ease. The teacher marched them out to the pool where they rinsed off in the shower before sitting down on the side of the pool. They kicked their feet until it was time for each to have a turn practing with the teacher. Caleb happily enjoyed splashing the water with his feet until it was his turn. He then proceeded to scream and cry for the rest of the half hour class.
After class, he said that he was not very brave and that he wasn't sure he wanted to continue swim lessons. I told him that I thought he was very brave because he stayed in the pool and listened to the teacher. He could have easily gotten out of the pool and run to me, but he didn't. We plan to continue the lessons for several months. Even though the first class was tough, I am confident that Caleb will be swimming like a guppy before we know it.
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