Lex is a funny boy. We are doing swim lessons again, at Dartmouth. The lessons are taught by the swim team, one-on-one. The scene is chaotic, but each child has their own teacher and when we did this last year the kids learned so much! I was amazed! The lessons run every day for one week. This is the week.
Last year Lex was apprehensive but made it into the water and had fun. Yesterday was a different story. He agreed to get in his bathing suit, but would not get in the water, despite my best efforts, those of his instructor and those of the coordinator. He just wouldn’t. The instructor finally gave up and brought Lex back to me before the end of class. We agreed to try again the next day.
On the way home we discussed what was worrying him. He came up with “my scrape hurts” and “the pool is four foot deep and I’m used to swimming in three feet six inches.” Sometimes he’s too smart for his own good. Especially with that second one. If he didn’t know so much he would never notice the markings on the edge of the pools and worry about those extra inches. But I digress. We talked off and on last night and came up with a plan. He agreed to try a water-proof bandaid over the rather large scrape on his knee (from the playground last week, which is healing and didn’t bother him at all in the aquatic center pool over the weekend!). He also agreed to ask his instructor if there was a shallower part of the pool they could start in. With those two ideas in his mind he went to sleep peacefully last night.
After school today he was anxious again. Together we reviewed the plan. I also added that I think he can probably touch the bottom in the 4′ pool. Maybe just on a tip-toe, but I think he can do it. He tentatively agreed to try and then got silent for awhile. After a few minutes of driving in silence (to get Eve from pre-k) he said, “Maybe I could just show Matt (his instructor) some of the skills I already have?” Hmmm…. this makes me wonder if there were other concerns in his head that he wasn’t sharing or hadn’t yet articulated to himself. I told him that that would be a great way to get started and that Matt probably would love to see his skills. Matt needs to know what kind of swimmer Lex is anyway so he can properly teach him. Lex asked me if maybe Matt would want to see his backwards somersaults. Heck yeah! Who doesn’t?!
By the time we got to Eve’s school Lex was excited for his upcoming lesson. Excited! I don’t know if he solved a problem he didn’t know he had, or was just excited to come up with an idea on his own, or really wanted to swim and just need a good reason, or what. The boy confounds me sometimes, but that’s ok! We got to the pool, he happily put on his bathing suit, seemed indifferent to the bandaid covering his scraped knee, and eagerly hopped in the pool! And guess what? He had fun! And Matt taught him how to flip in the water. I forget what he called it, but when you get to the end of a lap and flip under the water to start back the other way. Yep, I have no idea how to do that and Lex learned today! All because he found the courage and inspiration to get in the water! I’m proud and confused and totally in love with that little boy!
Lex and his instructor (in the background). The blur in the foreground is a girl jumping off the diving board. All the kids will get a chance to try it on Friday, if they want to. Eve says she is going to do it. Lex says not no, but hell no! Well, his cleaner version of that statment anyway ;)
Eve, walking over to her instructor (the woman in the water watching her) about to jump into the pool. Eve loves jumping into the pool. :)
Here they are together, swimming under water towards the wall.
I have lots more to say about life and whatnot… and I was surprised to find 48 photos on my camera this evening. I guess a lot has been going on… just not a lot of time to blog about it! Sorry! For now I’m exhausted and eager to watch the second half of Harry Potter #7. A big thanks to Rosy for our newest addiction (and yes I realize I’m about five years behind the times… )
