Project of the day: swim

Today's project (which started yesterday and will continue through the end of the week) has brought out all sorts of philosophical mothering questions for me. Do my children trust me to take care of them? Can they obey right away, all the way, with a happy heart? Will they ever be able to follow simple instructions?

The project: We are teaching the kids to swim (If Sarah C. is reading this, don't laugh...they need refreshers! and yes, I probably started too early with my firstborn...) Lots of weeping and gnashing of teeth, and that's before we even get in the pool. And the kids are even worse!

As implied, I did teach Coop when he was 2 1/2, because my siblings learned when they were under 2 years old, and it IS possible, and if you live in Florida all your life one may even suggest it is a vital, life-saving skill. However, if you don't live in Florida and go to a pool only a few times each summer and even then the water isn't all that warm, it's not as easy to get comfortable in the water, let alone have lessons. (Sure, there are indoor lessons.) And if you only go to a pool a handful of times each year you don't exactly want to make it a day of terror. You need a week (or two) of daily lessons, or in our case, twice daily lessons.

Yesterday was horrible. We were trying to be sweet (I took Sweet A, my husband took Coop) but they were screaming like a limb had been severed and tearing at our bathing suits and clawing us. (What happened to the right away, happy heart obedience???) Sweet A was screaming, "You are going to let me drown!" and I was sure the neighbors were gong to turn us in. We stuck it out, but knew it was just to make a point. The kids weren't learning much. And they cried off and on throughout the night, reminding us that they did NOT want to learn to swim.

We took a new approach today. Get them warmed up a little, keep the mood playful and light, and then when we start the lesson, just keep plowing forward. The swim teachers aren't emotionally attached to their pupils, they just make them keep going. When it's time to swim to the edge of the pool, they just say "go" and push those kids forward, screaming mouth full of water and all. I think we were giving in just enough yesterday that the kids really thought they could reason their way out of it all. Today, it was not personal, it was business. And by the middle of the 10 minute lesson, they were not even crying, and for Coop (who has technically been swimming for two years, although that equals about 5 trips to the pool since he really took off with his fish-like abilities) he was loving it.

Boy am I glad that stage of the project is over. I have taught several siblings to swim, and sat through hours of swim lessons. It's never fun, but like most valuable things, it's rewarding in the end.

Here we are during happier times.

More pictures coming tomorrow!