Swimming Lessons: Week One


Lilly started taking swimming last Monday. We have them Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for 2 and a half weeks. The above picture was taken before the first lesson. I had talked it up for a week (because I mistakenly told her they started the Monday before they actually did start- that's all she could talk about for a week. How do kids remember that kind of stuff and not the "no coloring on the walls" kind of stuff?!)  She was very excited! Here is how the first week progressed:

Monday:
Lilly was very happy before, during and after class. We learned how to safely get in and out of the pool, how to monkey crawl and started working on kicks and putting our face in the water. Lilly did an outstanding job.

Wednesday:
I was not optismistic about this class. If you follow me on twitter or instagram then you already know about NapGate2012. If not you can catch up here. The pictures are out of order but I'm confident you can figure it out. NapGate took place on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. It did not set us up for success during swimming.The perfect toddler storm was made complete by the fact that I had to wake her from her nap to get to class on time and that it was our first day of going under water. Lilly was not happy before class, was a crying/shaking mess during class and was very discouraged after class. We learned to go underwater, started to learn about floating on our backs and continued working on kicks. It was not our best day ever. 

Friday:
Before class Lilly was not excited. "I don't wanna go under da water!" was on repeat until class started. During class Lilly only cried/shook a little bit but did the exercises without complaint and even gave high fives after coming up out of the water. We continued working on all the skills we had learned during the week. After class Lilly went was very quiet. She snuggled Lion, had a lollipop reward and watched the big girls start their lessons. That was a game changer. Watching the big girls swim under water made Lilly feel very excited and special. She kept saying "They go under water like me, mama!" as she scooted closer and closer towards the pool. I eventually had to bring her back to where I was sitting and she said "Thank you for putting me under da water, mama." Then my heart melted. 


So I am feeling optimistic about the rest of our lessons. My plan is to continue talking about how cool it is to swim under water like big girls do. My little girl is in such a hurry to grow up already. I can imagine a day in my not to distant future where my independent big girl teaches my little girl about swimming and it makes me smile. Having kids is the best.

4 comments:

  1. I love those pictures. Lilly is so pretty! It's amazing how much seeing big kids do something can really push a little one on. It's tough learning new things, especially scary things like putting your head under the water. This reminds me that I have got to get my kids into swim lessons. We wanted to do them last year, but with a newborn it just didn't happen. Going to go look them up now! Thanks!

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    1. We meant to do them last year too... and then didn't. No newborn excuse for me. I wanted to get some out of the way this year before Rosie came into the picture though!

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  2. aw! Too cute! Were thinking about enrolling the little ones in swimming lessons too. (although I cant imagine what swimming lessons for 18 months old would look like...maybe a bath?!) That last picture is too perfect! Her mood is written all over her face!

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    1. A friend of mine did water safety classes for her son at that age. She said they were painful to watch (lots of crying) but by the end he could flip on his back and get to the edge if he fell (or was pushed by an instructor) in. Crazy but so great.

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