Patience and Perseverance

Our T has always loved the water.  But, true to his cautious nature, he has not been overly daring in what he was willing to do while in the water.  He and I took swimming lessons together (the parent/child type) a couple of summers in a row when he was little (the summers when he was 2 and 3).  Last summer we took a break from formal lessons because he really did not want to take lessons on his own and we decided not to push it but rather allow him to just enjoy exploring.  That being said, last summer's major accomplishment was getting him to put his head completely under water.  The use of goggles was instrumental in this task.  He also started to enjoy jumping off the side of the pool, as long as the water was not very deep.  Throughout the fall/winter/spring, we swam off and on at the indoor pool and with his goggles in tow, T became very comfortable going underwater and "swimming" around but he was never too keen on venturing into an area where he was not able to touch.  When the pool opened this summer, and when Pake and Beppe's lake was warm enough to venture into, T continued to show increasing confidence in the water - though he still was not overly daring.  He wouldn't jump off the dock or off the side of the pool if he thought he might totally go under.  He really didn't like swimming (by this I mean taking his feet off the bottom of the lake or pool) or attempting to do so, even if he had a life jacket on.  But, about a month into summer, a switch seemed to turn in him and one day he just decided he was going to jump off the side of the pool into deeper water and the next thing we knew, he was jumping off the dock, off the side of the boat, and attempting to truly swim (taking his hands and feet off of the bottom surface).  When I approached him in late July to see if he would like to take swimming lessons, he very enthusiastically said YES!  So, we got him enrolled at our health club and he is LOVING it.  He is actually learning to swim, unassisted and without any glimmer of fear or hesitation.  It might seem like a small feat, but I am so very thankful for his change of heart and see it as a direct answer to prayer :)  It is so fun to watch him enjoy something that used to be a little unnerving and to see the sense of pride and accomplishment he exhibits after each lesson is just awesome! 


Patience and perseverance are definitely paying off!