Lessons about swimming… and parenting
We signed up Ella for swimming lessons, but it turned out the lessons were really for us. You see Ella thinks swimming is a contact sport – she has to be clinging to me in order to get into the water. Her teacher was very patient the first day. No you can’t put a strangle hold on my neck, she would tell Ella. You’ll have to walk into the water yourself. It turned out there was pay-off. Walk into the water by yourself and you get to play with toys. By the end of class, Ella was at least walking around in the water by herself and showed me some of the exercises her teacher had taught her.
Then it was my turn with the teacher. No more holding Ella in my arms in the water. Under more questioning I had to admit that we give Ella a cloth to wipe her eyes every few moments in the bathtub. That explains why she won’t get her face wet in the pool, says the teacher. Another lesson learned. Once the parents are trained, the child will be swimming in no time, it seems. Ella’s teacher has been marvellous – we went the private lessons route through Nanaimo Parks and Rec because Ella’s too shy around groups right now. There may be another lesson in there somewhere for us.
