Swimming Lessons

I know, I know. I have been lapse in updating my blog. Summer has started, what can I say?

I did have to write a little bit about the swim class adventure. The first Saturday of June was swim class sign ups. Sign ups started at 9am, we arrived at 8:45am to find a monstrous line. As dutiful parents, we stood in line for nearly 3 hours before arriving to the counters to sign up for the swim classes. Thankfully the classes we wanted were not full. I then left with the kids, leaving my hubby to stand in another monstrous line to pay for the classes--poor hubby.

The first day of swim class went less than swimmingly. We had signed up both children for the Saturday "Parent & Child" swim classes. The pool was cold! I didn't even want to get in, so I can understand the dissatisfaction my son and daughter voiced in getting wet. Then the instructor said that everyone was going underwater today. My poor little girl wailed for the next 40 minutes, getting dunked several times along the way.

I did appreciate what lessons the instructor was trying to teach the older children. She would have my son get out of the water and throw him in with either my husband or I catching him after he was submerged in the water and turning him back to grab onto the side of the pool. In this way, he could learn what to do should he fall into a pool. She also wanted the younger children to learn to hold their breath when submerged. The parent would hold the child and count to three. On three both parent and child would submerge. After enough submerging, the child gets the idea--even if they don't like it much.

However, I didn't really feel that my daughter learned much from her lessons except to start crying as soon as her legs touched water. It amazes me because she loves bath time and the time spent at my in-laws in ground pool. Then again, we aren't dunking her underwater on a regular basis in either situation.

I don't think I will do another formal swim class with my daughter until she is older, but my son had fun and learned a few things as well.