Swim Lessons

Today Ben and Kyrie started swimming lessons. Kyrie took lessons last summer and was so excited to do it again. Ben was not excited but we made a deal: Take swim lessons with a good attitude and I'll pay for Lego Camp.

But apparently life is not simple.

1) Ben looks exactly like my dad and brother in the water. He has a happy smile on his face until the water gets near his face. He is quite certain that the water will damage his eyes and ears. So day one included putting your head under water. My brother pulled off his swim teachers swimsuit top when he had this particular lesson 30 years ago. And I have to admit, I was a little afraid for Teacher Courtney today. Instead, she had to spend MINUTES convincing him he could open his eyes without wiping them with a towel. But Ben did well; better than I expected. He is going back tomorrow with the instructions to LISTEN to his teacher and LOOK at her the whole time instead of goofing off.
2) Kyri expected to take last year's class again this year. She pretty much cried the whole time. To her credit, she repeatedly asked me if she could get out and quit and she stayed in the pool. She cooperated with her teacher while weeping. She was frustrated swim lessons were not on the steps like last time and she was in a deeper part of the water (where she could still touch the bottom). So tomorrow, she will be focusing on having courage and adjusting to a new plan.
They will be rewarded with hot chocolate (since it was 61 degrees today) if they meet their goals.

Meanwhile, the class consists of an older special needs boy and two children who love the water so much the teacher has to keep an eye on them to keep them from attempting to swim into the deep end. You could not pay me enough to teach swimming to children.

And on the sidelines was one 20-month old who had to be strapped into a stroller to keep her from jumping in the water with her siblings. I'm still hoping to have ONE who loves the water as much as I do. There's still hope.