Fun in the pool.

You may have heard in previous blogs that my Monday SAHD day starts with a swimming lesson. I use the word lesson, loosely as it involves 20 minutes of Issac clinging on to me for dear life. We finally worked out that he (just like his daddy) hates cold water. For several weeks now we have been wondering whether he is getting anything out of his swimming other than getting used to the water. I could do this in the bathtub instead.

However, for the first time, he seemed to enjoy himself. He threw the toys in the pool and wanted to get in. Initially, he was worried about the cold temperature (as was his daddy) but when he got used to the temperature, he splashed and made a few gestures with his hands which could have been mistaken for some kind kind of swimming stroke. I think the main difference is that he seems more like himself in the water and is able to try things, instead of looking like he is in a cocoon of fear.

The interesting thing though is the other mums talk to their kids in a way so that you hear their good intentions. "Kate, why aren't you doing the front crawl like I've asked you?" Well one reason is despite the obvious intelligence of our little ones, they are still wearing nappies. This suggests to me that we maybe they are still learning. A second reason is that they don't yet fully understand what we want them to do. I'm sure that I appear to not care about pushing my son. However, this is far from the case. As this is my area of expertise and my job, the important thing is to measure progression, not general ability, especially at this age. Well at any age. Each week he makes small improvements. All I need to do is to not project my issues/demands onto him. It was hard at the start to not be embarrassed when he doesn't do what the other kids are doing. However, once you accept that it's his journey and not yours, you soon get over it and let them enjoy the moment. At the end of the day, we are talking about a 19 month old!!