Swimming with Others

I am an American Red Cross Certified Water Safety Instructor.  I taught swim lessons for several years during the summer before Landon was born. 

I can't teach my son how to swim.

He won't listen to me.  So, today we headed out to swim lessons - take du.  Last year we gave it a shot, but the timing wasn't great and the situation wasn't the best.  It all took place while I was away at Structure House last summer.  A friend of mine took Landon to his lessons each day.  The instructor made him do things he didn't want to do.  That's great - that's how you learn.  I just think it was a bit much for a sensitive boy in a fragile state last year.  He's been dreading lessons ever since.  This year we are with a different instructor so I was hoping that would help ease his fears.  I also used a little bit of bribery - yes, I did!!  I took Landon to Target before his lesson and let him pick out a toy.  If he did everything Ms. Tabby asked him to do without fussing or getting upset, he could keep the toy. Well, he was a champ.  Things I've tried to get this boy to do for months he just did like he's been doing them all summer.  I was so happy.  I don't care who teaches him, as long as he learns.  I have a huge fear of him being around water.  I've heard of enough child drownings during my stint with the Frisco Fire Department.  I know he's not totally safe around the water, but at least if he fell in he is going to have a fighting chance to get to the edge. 

Here is a picture that makes my heart so happy.

Anyways....here are some video clips of his first lesson today.

This first one is of him going completely under water to grab a toy.  This child would not put his face in the water for me.... at all.

This is a little exercise called "Humpty Dumpty."  This is the one thing he kept asking me about.  He wanted to know if his new teacher was going to make him do the Humpty Dumpty.  He is supposed to go all the way under the water when he "falls" off the side.  I think this is the thing that totally freaked him out last year.  But here he is doing it the very first time.  Right before he did it, he told Ms. Tabby he didn't want to because it was scary.  She just encouraged him and made him do it.  I was so proud...almost in tears.

Here he is close to the end of his lesson.  He is "taking breaths" as he "swims" with Ms. Tabby.  Again, I was so happy.

It's moments like these that make my heart sing.  He was scared to death to go into this lesson today.  He questioned and processed the event to death these past few days.  I was so proud to see him push past his fears and give it a shot.  I know he can do it, and now he does too.  You should have seen him when he finished.  The first thing he wanted to do was text his daddy and tell him that he put his whole face in the water.