My 5 year old daughter “Keri” has swimming lessons once a week. This is her second 10 week session of lessons and I swear I thought she would never learn how to swim. She tries her hardest and that makes me happy, but she is always holding on to her swim instructor for dear life and telling him “Don’t let go of me, don’t let go of me.” I knew a lot of this fear of swimming was just in her head and that she would eventually overcome this fear when she was ready. I just had to learn to be patient. Well, we had a major breakthrough the other day. At her last swimming lesson she acutally swam a few strokes on her own using all four limbs!! Woo-hoo! I know we still have a long way to go, and that it might take her awhile to repeat this feat, but I am so proud of her!
4 Comments
November 9, 2006 at 12:40 PM
Ah, I can’t wait until my son is old enough for swimming lessons. He wasn’t even two years old this past summer when we took him to the pool for the first time. Quite naturally, he was terrified at the prospect of so much as putting his head underwater. Oh well, I guess confidence isn’t an easy thing to give a child.
P.S. Thanks for the link.
November 9, 2006 at 1:04 PM
Confidence is definitely not an easy thing to give to a child, but we can try and patiently instill as much as we can in them.
At least your little one got in the water. My little girl refused to touch a swimming pool with a ten foot pole when she was two. We really are making progess!
And thanks for letting me use the link – I hope you don’t mind … let me know if you do : ) !! Maybe I should have asked permission first. I can’t keep up with all the correct protocol in this technology savy world.
November 9, 2006 at 6:55 PM
JuJu still has a ways to go as well. She has never had that fear of water. This is worse in a lot of ways because she is willing to jump in and then figure out if there is anyone there to pull her out. She got quite a bit better in San Deigo when we had a pool out back, but only to the point that she was able to keep her nose out of the water. Congrats to Keri for branching out.
April 27, 2009 at 7:14 PM
All good memories you’re making, despite any struggles. She’ll learn to let go, especially with you cheering her on. Lovely post.