A Little Bug's Life: We've Completed Swimming Lessons!

The past two weeks have been an emotional week here and what caused it all? Swimming lessons! Alex just completed 2 weeks of swimming lessons at West Chester University and I am so happy that I signed her up for them! I had heard from my friends that they were really good and that by the end of two weeks the kids will be jumping off of a diving board. This made me a little nervous (for Alex) because it has taken her a good while to get used to getting in the pool each summer. She always wanted me to hold her and would just hang out on the steps. Last year she used these great floaties from Target and we loved them but those days are over now!

I spent the week before the lessons prepping Alex telling her she was going to learn to swim. She told me she could swim (she thought that having floaties on her arms meant that she could swim). I told her she was going to learn to swim WITHOUT floaties.

I had heard the lessons were a little intense. I wanted to feel comfortable sending her there so I found a video on You Tube about the lessons. Watching that put me at east but I still wondered how Alexandra would do when I sent her off to the pool as I watched. It also helped that her friends were taking them at the same time too. In her group of 5 girls she even had a friend that she already knew in her group.

So the first two days were good. Alex went with her teacher just fine. During those two days they would warm up with the teacher and then practice floating on their backs with assistance. By Wednesday the teachers let go a little more which meant that the kids faces went under a little more...which meant...water in the mouth AND Alex jumped in for the first time. So Thursday Alex kept saying she didn't want to go to lessons. She still got her suit on but was getting teary eyed at home and in the car when we got there she didn't want to go. Ok she was a little anxious now. This is pretty common I guess. Thursday there were ALOT of kids crying when it was time for their instructors to get them. Alex didn't cry inside the the building but she was definitely anti-swim lessons that day. But when the lesson was over...she was all proud and fine. Of course every day I made a HUGE deal about how proud I was, etc and, yes, bribed her with Frosty's, splitting a milkshake, and a doughnut. (On separate days of course!)

Then came Friday. Oh Friday. Alex was upset at home, in the car, and then when we went into the building she was all out crying "Mommy, please don't make me go..I don't want to go to swim lessons" "Please mommy, please....." It broke my heart! I tried reasoning with her, telling her she would be great, yada yada yada. No difference...she didn't want to go. She wasn't alone. Other kids were holding onto their moms, clutching their hair, etc and cried when they went down to the pool. I felt bad for all of the kids and the moms. That was so hard to have her crying and giving me that look with her eyes saying "Why are you doing this mommy??" Well Friday again after the lessons....and during the lessons....she was great. Smiles and all proud afterwards. Nona let her pick out a game because she was such a brave girl. Oh and Nona kept Camden at home which was such a big help to me! It was like 100 degrees in that pool and Camden would have been hot, sweaty, and all over the place!!

We had the weekend off which was good for her but then when it was time to go Monday here we go again. The begging and pleading began, we went, she did great, and she was proud afterwards. By Tuesday of the second week there were no more tears but there was a little reluctance to go but not as bad as the previous days. By this point she was jumping in a few times a class, surfacing, and floating on her back to reach the edge without assistance. I was amazed.

By Thursday there were no tears and no fussing and she said she wanted to to go. They started doing some swimming on their tummies. She said she was blowing bubbles in the water which was great and by Friday she was asking me when we were leaving for swim lessons because she wanted to get there fast!! On Friday they warmed up a bit and then the teachers were just having fun with the kids in the water having races and playing with them. And at the end of the class every kid went off of the diving board. I was so proud of Alex...and she was so proud too. In fact, she keeps asking to go back to swim lessons now so she can jump off the diving board again.

Already she is asking about more swim lessons. She "passed" and so next year we are going to do advanced beginner lessons where she will focus more on swimming on her tummy. I'm still amazed when I watch that video of her jumping off the diving board and just so proud of her!