Swim Lessons

The kids finished with their first round of swim lessons this week.  They start back up again next month.  Overall, I think the experience was a positive one.  The town that we live in offers free swim lessons through the local YMCA, so we couldn't pass up the opportunity.  

We were lucky enough to sign up for a time that apparently no one else wanted.  At first I felt a little bad that the kids weren't going to be in the class with all of their friends, but ultimately I think we came out on top.  Bell and Logan ended up being in a class with just the two of them, so they got a lot of one on one help from their teacher, Rachel.  Lincoln was actually the only one in his class.  

When we lived in Maryland we had a pool in the apartment complex we lived in.  For several summers we tried really hard to get Logan to enjoy swimming ~ without success.  Logan HATED being in the water.  This was usually the face he would make while swimming, that is if we could even get him in the water.  Most times he would just sit on the stairs and watch.

So imagine my surprise when I saw him enthusiastically and willingly wanting to go to swim lessons every week.  He has come a long way.

Lincoln, on the other hand, was a completely different story.  Like I said he was the only one in his class, so every week it consisted of Lincoln, two teenage boys, and myself trying to get this little guy in the water.  Jeff was home on one of the days the kids had their class, so I made Jeff do the lesson with Lincoln.  Lincoln loves the pool, but he HATES people telling him what to do (he is almost two after all).

I can just see the little wheels turing in his brain...  "How am I going to get all these adults to do exactly what I want them to?"

Ha, ha, ha ~ You think I'm going to put my face in the water and pick up the ring?  How 'bout you try it, buddy!

These next two pictures crack me up.  This is exactly what it was like every week.  Talk about some personal attention.

Lincoln could not figure out why we wouldn't just let him play with the ducks on the side of the pool.

By the end of the class this was pretty much how Lincoln looked.

I always knew it was all show, because as soon as we let him start doing his own thing again he was back to being completely content.

These are the instructor comments for Logan and Isabella:

Logan ~ "Logan gained so much confidence in the water.  Keep up the hard work!"

Bella ~ "Isabella was so fun to teach.  I can tell she really loves the water.  Keep swimming."

And Lincoln, well, I think we will try again next year. : )