Water Bugs

We started swimming Memorial Day weekend. About two weeks in, I shared a post about how the kids were doing. Now it is just under six weeks later, and we officially have three little water bugs!!

Olivia and Angela have built up their endurance and are swimming all over the place. I’m still vigilant, but I don’t feel like I have to be right with them in the deep end. I just keep an eye on them. Hard to believe that less than two months ago Angela wouldn’t even get her head under water! Now both girls are doing canon balls off the diving board and diving down as deep as they can to see if they can touch the bottom. Of the deep end.

Then there’s Steven. A few weeks ago I finally got him to start jumping off the side of the pool in such a way as to get water splashed in his face. Then, a little over a week ago, I started hanging on to him and taking both of us underwater together. He decided he liked that better than the jumping. In fact, he loved it! Next I started throwing him a little bit. He had always been terrified of that thought, but this time he thoroughly enjoyed it and started asking me to throw him higher and higher.

Somehow, that did the trick. He started jumping off the side of the pool by himself and with friends. Out and right back in. He couldn’t get enough of it! It wasn’t long before he got up the nerve to jump off the diving board! First it was a jump with me standing beside the diving board and holding his hand while we jumped in together. Then it was me holding his hand from inside the pool. Then it was, “I can do this by myself!” Before the end of that day he was doing running jumps off the diving board, and now he thoroughly enjoys canon balls.

That all happened about a week ago. Today, he started showing us how he could swim with his floaties on. And he was doing really well! I asked him if he wanted to take his floaties off, and he said yes. He took them off, put them on the side of the pool, and took off. Real underwater swimming.

To some people it’s no big deal. But to this mama whose kids were all three terrified of the water, this is HUGE! Especially Steven’s progress! I’m so proud of all three of them!