Splish Splash
I’ve mentioned the heat – it has been in the mid 90’s here for the past 2 weeks. I feel bad about the girls not getting to play outside much so early on in the summer so I’ve been trying to get them out in the late afternoon when our back yard is shaded. I picked up a little plastic pool for them to cool off in. I didn’t realize how tiny it was until they both got in it. I might need to rethink it and get a little sprinkler instead. But the girls had fun and stayed cool – that is what matters. (I, on the other hand, was dying from the heat.)
Sabrina loves the water but is timid. She doesn’t like to get her head wet even in the bathtub. She is taking swimming lessons soon and I’m looking forward to seeing if they can convince her to go underwater. She is firmly in the no-effing-way camp but I’ve heard a lot of success stories from this place she is taking her lessons. Tessa is fearless which is almost worse because she makes me nervous. She would likely jump right into a pool despite having no swimming skills. I’ll feel a little better when she is old enough for lessons.
Not old enough for lessons? Huh? In my city, the parks and rec departments has “swim parent” (aka “guppy”) lessons for kids starting at 6 months. Yes, a parent (or other adult the kid is comfortable with, like a nanny or grandparent) has to accompany them in the pool, but you’re taught how to work with your child, getting them to “blow bubbles,” and other skills. I did it with all 3 of my kids (who are now young adults); these classes have been around for a long time, with “advanced” classes for those who graduate from “guppy.” I made sure to have my kids in lessons after that, so that I was comfortable with their sklls. Added bonus was that once I had them in lessons where I was not needed, I could swim laps during their lessons (since the city has a large pool, with separate sections for diving, lap-swimming, and wading/lessons for little ones.
Perhaps since you’re moving, you’ve been hesitant to get involved in this kind of thing? Or is there a miles-long waiting list? Or maybe it’s Tessa’s personality? I’m just very surprised to hear you say she isn’t “old enough” for lessons, when –at least here — she definitely would be.
Looks like that little pool is adequate for cooling off and having fun. Good call!
My kid loves the sprinkler placed BESIDE the little blue pool. It used to entertain her for hours, until she learned to swim. Now she only uses the little pool when Mom can’t be convinced to head to the subdivision pool. But she still loves the sprinkler.
I enrolled her in swimming lessons when she was 3, and I’m so glad I did. She has no fear of the water now and routinely, at age 5, jumps in 6 feet of water by herself (although always supervised) and swims effortlessly. I am putting her in lessons again this year just to increase her skills. Lessons, especially from someone other than Mom, made a huge difference to my daughter, I think, and once Sabrina gets started she will probably turn into a little fish before you know it.