1 Mother 2 Another

We’ve just finished our annual
two-week swim class here at our house, and I have to say that for
the first time ever, Maddie really enjoyed it and is anxious for
more.


Maddie’s had a long love-hate relationship with swimming; she
loves the water and playing around in it, but spent her first few
years being incredibly fearful of putting her head under water. She
was so fearful that we had to do private lessons when she was
three, and by the end of that summer she was barely putting her
face in. Each year she grew a bit, and by the end of last summer
she was swimming underwater regularly – but still a bit
worried about jumping in or going where she couldn’t
touch.

This year, Maddie’s taken off, and
spent her swim class time learning strokes and kicking technique.
She’s started swimming on her back and has finally, truly
fallen in love with being under water. So she’s begging for
another round of classes, and if I can find some time available
I’m more than happy to give them to her.


Cora, on the other hand, has followed in Maddie’s footsteps
with the whole face-in-the-water thing. She spent most of the two
weeks in swim class very obediently doing whatever the instructor
asked, while periodically saying, “How much more time is in
swim class today?” Cora simply had no interest in putting her
face in the water.


Then for whatever reason, a switch flipped in Cora’s head for
the last five minutes of the last lesson, and she found herself
enjoying going underwater and trying to swim to the steps. And ever
since last Friday, Cora’s been a happy little fish in the
water, eschewing her water wings for goggles and swimming to
whoever will watch her.


I don’t need my girls to compete in the Olypmics as swimmers;
I just want them to be able to swim to safety if they fall in a
pool, and to enjoy being in the water. Finally, I can honestly say
that I’ve got two girls who like to swim.


Whew.