If you would have told me last summer that those words be used to describe Nolan and swimming, I would have laughed! Nolan started swimming lessons when he was very young. I think before 1...sadly, I don't remember. But he was young. I thought, if I introduced him at an early age, he would not be afraid of the water. While I was correct in that, I did not foresee Nolan's stubbornness getting the best of him, AND me! He would only do well with one teacher. He COULD swim, but only when he wanted to. Not only was it frustrating for me to sit and watch, but I know it was super frustrating for the parents who had kids in his
class, the kids in his class, and the poor teachers. So on one of his not so good swim days, he started crying relentlessly. And in one of my, not so proud of, parent moments, I yanked him out and we did. not. go. back.
I had, had it! We didn't finish the swim lessons, and I did not enroll him again. I was disappointed because I loved Aqua Kids, but how could I go back now. Not only was I super embarrassed, but Nolan had definitely made a lasting impression, and not in a good way. But as the year went on, and summer started to approach again, I had been learning stuff about Nolan. (As we tend to do as parents, learn as we go.) Nolan doesn't do well with change, and I always catered to that to an extreme point. So in my thinking I was helping him by "preparing" him for the change by going on and on about what was to come. I have learned that, while he still needs to be prepared, I needed to find the happy medium between over preparing to the point where I think I made him nervous, and not telling him at all and he wouldn't perform because it was too new.
So fast forward to this summer. I was nervous about doing Aqua Kids again, because of the negative feelings we BOTH related with the place. But they were one of the only schools that started swim the last week in May. So I signed him up for a two-week camp, everyday. I told him, "you are going back to the place where you took swim lessons, to have fun, and learn how to swim because you need to be safe."
Day one, swam half way across the pool, and took his breath all on his own. I was in shock! Now, I'm sure his getting older has a lot to do with his ability to adapt to situations a lot better, but still! He did awesome! He was immediately bumped up to the next level and his teacher had nothing but great things to say about him. "He's just a little fish," she kept saying.
By the end of the camp he could not only swim across the entire pool, but swim across on his back, and back float. Ms. Caitlin did a fantastic job working with him, and Nolan did a fantastic job at listening and following directions and progressing so quick. I could not be more proud of my "little fish!"
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