Little Barretts: Swimming Lessons

Jimmy has been taking swimming lessons for the last two weeks. I put him in the pre-school beginner class and he was with a bunch of 3 year olds, but he had to start somewhere and he was afraid of the water and getting his face wet. Whenever Eric and I would try to get him to float on his back or have him let go of us he would clutch us and scream. So he needed to be in the way beginners. He did okay for the first 6 days. His teachers Shantel and Shirelle could get him not to clutch them and blow bubbles in the water, but he wouldn't stretch out and try to swim. He would keep his feet planted on the ground and crouch down and waddle like duck and say he was swimming. Then all of a sudden on Wednesday he started dunking his head under the water and stretched his legs out and started kicking his feet and moving his arms like he should. I wasn't expecting him to start swimming immediatly and perfectly when he started his class, but I at least wanted him to stick his face in the water and flail around like a normal kid. So he finally does that on the last two days of his lessons. Go figure. Thats just Jimmy though. He has never done things the way other children do, he has to do it his own way. He is the boy without a shirt with blue swimming shorts with a white stripe down the side. He has had that swimming suit for 2 years and he still hasn't grown into it.