Garrett's Swim Lessons

This week Garrett took his first swim lessons. One of my neighbors signed up with Julie (the instructor) and invited other families to participate. Since the weather this week was pretty cold, the lessons ended up getting moved to the Super 8 Motel in Hudsonville. Garrett was pretty excited at first, but Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, he cried the entire time he was in the water with Julie. Of course she's used to it, but I still felt bad for both of them. Even though Garrett was crying a lot, he did surprisingly well!

Julie first gained his acceptance by playing peek-a-boo with him

Next, she had him learn to blow bubbles in the water

Once he got the bubbles down, she dunked him underwater to help him learn to close his mouth and hold his breath.

Eventually he got to the point where she had him doing "reach and pull" with his arms and kicking with his feet while she held his chest up and his head down in the water. All on the first day!

Day 3 (Wednesday) she took him to the deep end and had him swim to the ladder and learn how to get up.

Once he could climb up the ladder, she reminded him of how to "reach and pull" while kicking and keeping his head down...

And in he goes!!! I was so nervous!

But he made it! There are no pictures of him getting out because she wanted me at the ladder to encourage him to kick harder and reach for it. Julie dropped him in 3 times on Wednesday and 4 or 5 times on Thursday! Garrett did so good! He opens his eyes underwater, too! There were a couple times where it took a little longer to get to the ladder and I started getting really nervous, but Julie had complete confidence in him and he did it. Of course he came up crying every time, but once he calmed down when his turn was done, he kept saying "I did really dood. I sim in the deep en. I simming!"

Julie thinks it would really benefit him to take another week's worth of lessons next week, but unfortunately I start back to work next week and can't take him. So, more lessons will have to wait. But at least I know how to encourage him and help him when swimming the rest of the summer. I'm so proud of him and glad that he did well. I'm hoping that we can get Julie to come again next year. I would really like for him to take lessons every summer so that he gets the information and experience to swim really well. I never had swim lessons; I had to figure everything out on my own. And I want him to be able to enjoy himself in the water without the fear and self-consciousness that I felt.