It Only Took Three Years

Unlike some families we know, my kids don't take to the water immediately. It was only last summer, when Clare was five, that she really got into the spirit of things and found her confidence in the pool. I remember when we moved here, and she was two, all of her peers were bobbing around in the pool in floaties. Clare would have none of it. The same was true the following year. When she was four she finally decided to wear the vest - of course, at this point most of her contemporaries were learning to swim by themselves. But as we have discovered so very often, eventually they catch up, and she is making up for lost time.

Danny, similarly, was not a big fan of the water at first. The above photo illustrates the look he gave us after his first foray into the pool (he was four months). The following summer he was just over one, and still not walking. Was he content to float around in the pool or crawl on the steps? NO. Instead he would crawl like a maniac all over the HOT pool deck. He wore holes into the knees of all of his swimsuits, and literally scalded his knees - but he didn't care! Evidently anything was preferable to actually being in the water. Last year he was walking, but still vastly preferred the baby pool or the pool steps, despite all the gleeful jumping and splashing by his friends.


Yesterday, however, we made a game-changing play. I bought him a flotation vest just like his "best friend" Parker's, and explained to him that he would be able to swim by himself in it. I figured it would take a few visits to the pool in this vest before he really tested its powers. Oh no. Within minutes he was bobbing around the middle of the pool, treading water like crazy, and could not have been more pleased with himself! He was the last kid in the pool, reveling in his independence and newfound strength. I love witnessing moments like this.


To all of my friends who have recently added to their families: hang on. Before you know it, your kids will all be old enough to fully embrace the joy of the pool, and summer will be the wonder-filled time that you remember from your own childhood. We're the proof!