Swim Lessons...NOT!

One of our goals this summer was to have Emma learn to swim. She is not afraid of the water, cruises the pool with a kick board or floaties & likes to go under occasionally. I had hopes that she would take a couple weeks of private lessons and be swimming. Not so much, her goals were not the same as ours this summer.

We arrived at the pool this morning to meet Coach John, which just happens to be one of the best swim coaches in our area and also Coaches the swim team at my school. She was real brave when we got there, talked to him immediately, allowed him to get her all goggled up and then something changed.

At this point, I really thought we were good to go and she was happy as could be. She followed Coach John to the edge of the pool, got in on the first step, then the second and then started crying. I knew at that point that my strong willed child had made her mind up, swimming lessons were not for her no matter how much candy we had hidden in our bags.

Enough was enough and she was DONE and ready to get out and go home. At that point Coach John said, "you got 2 choices, you can either tell me she is not ready or I can be the bad guy and take her to the other side of the pool and make her swim." This Mommy decided that we would wait. The last thing I wanted to do was have her become afraid of the water by forcing her to participate. Whether that be the right or wrong decision, I am not sure but it was what I felt was best at the moment.

We thanked Coach John, told him we would be in touch and headed out the gate to the car. Emma decided it would be way more fun to try to catch the ducks then to swim today, so we stood there for about 15 minutes and watched the baby ducks. She may not be a swimmer but one thing is for sure, she is a lover of all animals BIG and small.