Swim lessons: highs and lows

Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

Basically, swim lessons for Shea this year have been great. The teachers and patient and supportive and know that he needs a little bit extra; communication, focus and time.

All and all it has been good but today...not so much.

You know, a lot of this has to do with personality styles. And, trust me, I know what can work with Shea.

Do you push hard and nag and force? No. My kid is the most stubborn little critter I have ever encountered. I am sure the instructor thought that she was just being persistent but it got out of hand.

So what do you do? Do you get wily and creative and use reverse psychology? Yes, and every other trick in the book. This shouldn't be rocket science, right? I mean they only have to deal with him for half and hour. I get the rest of the time!

The swim instructor this morning was berating him for not putting his face in the water and would not let it go.

I had to say, from the side of the pool, "He has never put his face in the water and is, in fact, pretty scared of it." Somehow I doubt if he was inclined to try with that sort of technique.

Actually pretty annoying to have to explain that to an instructor who is teaching level 1 swimming. Hello?

I could tell he just was checking out and just wanted to swim by himself but, you know, I paid for these blasted lessons and you sort of want your kid to be able to soldier on.

Well, he did. But, I don't think I could take it again.

Sometimes it just doesn't work.

Sometimes he is better of on his own.

Splash!

This is our pool week. Shea has 2 - back to back 1/2 hour lessons from 10 - 11 all week. I finally realized that only 1 lesson is never enough.

The swim teachers are great and work to coax him to blow bubbles in the water with little success. Shea doesn't want his mouth or face in the water. We tried goggles today, we'll see if he gets used to them.

But, gosh, he is getting around pretty well out there. He wears a floaty jacket and uses a kick board and motors cruises around real good.

The challenge now is to just keep him in the shallow end.

Last week of school: Hurray? or Help!

Well, I can hardly believe it but here we are. Wasn't it just a couple of weeks ago we were all snowed in? Wow, time does really fly as you get older.

Shea is almost done already. Just has 2 more days in the morning pre-school, one which is a party. I am actually glad about that because school is interfering with the bold and herculean strides he is making in the potty training department.

Even though, the thought of his princeliness with nothing to do but hassle me about playing on the computer all day is a scary prospect. Quickly and with plenty of forethought, I signed him up for the first session of swim lessons at the pool. I usually don't in June because our normal weather is rainy and bleak but not this year. We are in the full swing of summer and swim lessons are just what he needs.

I sign him up for 2 times, back to back; 10 & 10:30, so he has a solid hour in the pool with the instructor. Who are all terrific Vashon High School kids. The nicest teenagers in the world. He thrashes around for an hour without his floaty vest during the lesson. Then, afterwards I strap him into his vest and armed with a kickboard he is happy and pretty self-suffient.

He doesn't like to get his face wet so he is still in the basic class. Maybe this year he will feel comfortable enough to blow bubbles.

Miss Molly? What is she doing this summer? Staying up late and sleeping until noon? Probably, unless I do something about it.

Tennis camps mostly and a rocking Art Camp where they will do basketweaving, glass blowing, copper work and other stuff. Cool!

Right after school is out Jake and Molly head to upstate New York to see his parents for a week. They always have a great time despite the quite rigorous airplane ride and are treated like the prodigal son and his darling offspring. Molly comes back with stories of catching fireflys in a jar, skating in a real hockey rink, daisy chains and knitting with her Nanny. Jake comes back, fully caught up on the family dramas, and about as happy to be back home as anyone in the world could be.

I convince myself that I will take the kids to the beach, right down the hill, as many times as I can this summer.

Yet, come fall, I will wonder why I didn't do it more. Time sure does fly, doesn't it?