Abril 02, 2007
Noah Can Swim
(*Note: this entry is a duplicate of the entry on my multiply blog)
Noah started swimming lessons last week at the South Chatt rec center. He has been our most reluctant swimmer (well, E was very reluctant, then just decided to do it and did. . .but that's another story). Noah has been a die hard fan of his floaties and/or a life jacket, and has refused to even try to swim without them. It's been easier for me just to let him stay in them, because he requires less supervision. But we decided to put him in swim lessons, mostly because he and Syd didn't get to do a sport like the other kids have this year, and partly because I am ready to know that if he accidentally fell in water he wouldn't drown.
So we enrolled him in swim lessons, and last week he was very out of sorts with the whole thing. I didn't bring hie life jacket, which made him mad, and he was at a new pool, with people he didn't know. He cried and refused to get in. Sam finally got in with him, and he was fine after that.
This week, he jumped right in and was having a great time. His teacher suggested that he try taking off his "bubble" (floatation device) and try swimming to her without it. I thought he would freak, but to my surprise, he took off the bubble, jumped in, and swam about 12 feet to his teacher. Then he swam back. And that was that. He swam the rest of the lesson without the bubble, and after class the teacher asked to move him up to the advanced class. I think he was probably capable of swimming last summer, but was afraid to try. He has pointed out repeatedly that he can touch the bottom at this pool, something he's never been able to do before. I think knowing he could touch the bottom if he needed to gave him the confidence to try to swim. That is exactly what happened with Ethan when he was four. Kids are funny.