Swim Lessons

So we have finished Swim Lessons for the Summer. This was the first time either girl has had lessons. We've had many fun days at Grandma and Grandpa Graber's pool - but nothing like lessons. No tough love, no making them put their faces in if they didn't want to, and no swimming by themselves! They were always holding on to one or both of us at all times.

We took lessons at a friend's pool from a girl my sister played water polo with. Miss Jocelyn has two little ones of her own, so she was very good with the kids. I wish I had more footage of the fiasco it was when we began however. Then you could truly apprecialte the heaps of progress these two little girls made in just one month!! Let's just say the first two lessons were all tears and choking up water. Matt and I had to physically put them in the pool, kicking and crying, for their second lesson. I told Molly "You can either do swim lessons crying, and it will be no fun and take a long time....or you can do swim lessons happy and it will be lots of fun and go fast. Either way - you have to stay in the pool, you have to learn." After each 5 minute cycle - when it would be Megan's turn with the teacher and Molly would sit back at the steps with me - she kept looking up at me with a sad, but stoic face and saying meekly "Haf ta learn, Mom. I haf ta learn." It both broke my heart and made it swell at the same time.

I am happy to report that by the third lesson, the tears were over and both girls started looking forward to swim lessons. By the end of the 2nd week, Molly would ask me "We go do Jocelyn today?" and when I would say "No - not today" she would cry and say "Yes Mommy! Want to!" By the third week they were running to the pool and getting into the water by themselves.

Megan and Molly both now love to go all the way under, put their faces in and blow bubbles like crazy, float on their backs, standing DIVE into the pool from the side, and swim with big arms and kicks. Megan has also learned how to streamline kick before beginning her big arms, do the back stroke, and has begun to side breathe when swimming free style. They also both love diving to the bottom for rings and are SO PROUD when they bring them back to the top.

I am truly amazed at how fast, and how well they took to the water. As well as to Miss Jocelyn and swimming. So much so - that we are considering continuing the lessons year round. I don't want them to lose all this progress! Great Thanks goes out to Miss Jocelyn for making this such a positive, fun experience for our girls.

In the videos - Molly looks a little but like she's fighting with the water - but I was so proud of her for keeping her kicks up and keeping her big arms going the whole time. Usually she would just do arms and not kicks, or kick and not arms, or just jump out and float vertical in the water until Jocelyn grabbed her. And I had hoped to get the video of Megan swimming the whole length of the pool with side breathing!! But for some reason, it's not uploading. I'll keep trying tomorrow.