Swimming Lessons for Riley {Plus Video!}

All last week, Riley took swimming lessons in Nola and Nopsi’s pool. Mrs. Blaire came out to teach him every morning at 9:15 for a half hour. I got her name from my friend Karen, whose kids both took lessons from Blaire in previous summers. I liked that Blaire was willing to come out to my parents’ pool; I figured Riley would be more comfortable in familiar surroundings.

I’m not quite sure that was the best decision, considering he was sometimes more concerned with fishing leaves out of the pool and wanting to “just go and put them in the garage, really really quick!” But we got through the week.

His first day was a bit of a disaster. The pool was pretty chilly on account of all of the rain we got the weekend before, so that didn’t help. Plus, he doesn’t really like people telling him what to do. He wants to do things on his own terms.

I stayed out there with him and Blaire for the first half of his first lesson, which was a mistake. I thought I could get him to do what she asked. Finally I decided to go watch from the porch and told her to just make him do it. He cried harder those last 10 minutes than I have heard him cry since he was a baby. I felt SO bad.

It took toweling off, tight hugs, dry clothes, and juice and a snack to bring out his smile again. My sweet boy.

Tuesday went MUCH better. I let Blaire run the entire lesson, staying out of sight on the porch while she worked with him. He listened to her for the most part, which got him a cookie reward afterwards. And the pool continued to warm up bit by bit as the week went on, which helped.

  

He didn’t do super great on Wednesday, but it was still better than Monday. Bargaining would become the theme of the week, though. Blaire would ask him to do 4 more swims before ending the lesson, and he would counter with 1. I had to hold back laughter from my secret spot on the porch. So typical of the wonk potatoes. I have to give Blaire credit, though: she stuck to her guns and got him to do what he needed to do.

 

Thursday was by far Riley’s best day in the pool. He did everything Blaire asked of him and hardly goofed off at all. He jumped in and swam to her over and over again, putting his face in the water, kicking his feet, and even moving his arms a bit. I was so proud of him.

 

 

So was Kenny, who happened to be off that day and came by to watch.

I thought the last lesson on Friday would go much like Thursday’s did. In fact, as Riley and Kenny were sitting on the drying off swing, he announced that he wanted to do an even better job at swimming on his last day. But that’s not what happened. He basically wasted half of the lesson sitting on the steps because he just decided he didn’t want to swim. He did show me a couple of good runs right at the very end, but I was so disappointed in him.

  

Ultimately, though, he did well. I’m not ready to just throw him into the pool all by himself just yet, and he has used his floaties a couple of times since. But I think he grasped the basic mechanics of what it takes to swim. Now he just has to decide to do what I know he can do.

Stubborn kid. I don’t know where he gets that from.