Swim Lessons

Caleb started swim lessons again this spring a little over a week ago. He took group lessons for eight weeks last April & May, but when our Hoover Rec Center membership expired, his opportunities to go swimming became few and far between. Now we are gearing up for summer swimming, and I wasn't sure how much he would remember or how it would go this time around.

Last spring, as a brand new 3-year-old, he was very resistent to trying new things in the water. He didn't want to put his face in or jump in or even relax with the swim instructor when floating on his back. Mr. Trey did a good job working with him, and though he made progress in the water, lessons were more unpleasant than pleasant because it was such a battle to get him to stretch himself. This time around, it has been a totally different experience. We've done three lessons now, and Caleb is eager-to-please and cooperative, despite his still-present temperamental reluctance to trying new things. He did so well in the second lesson that the instructor allowed him to move to a more advanced preschool class.

He was the only preschooler in his group of five who was willing to jump in the pool on his own, without a swimbelt or anyone catching him. Bravado is not one of Caleb's character traits, and I was very, very impressed that he did this. I could see that he was very afraid standing on the edge of that pool, but he told me afterwards that he thought about Peter jumping out in the water to Jesus, and he knew that God was with him, so he could do it. Needless to say, that little speech made me tear up. I don't know that I've ever been so proud of him. He is very proud of himself, as well, and he tells everyone who asks about swim lessons: "I jumped in the pool all by myself with no one catching me...I was scared, but God was with me and I did it and I didn't get hurt!"