Swim Lessons

We were pretty worried about swim lessons this year. Dax is usually fairly brave (but not VERY brave) and Mark has major fears of the water. Mark refuses to get his face wet. Even washing his hair in the bathtub is a screaming, crying adventure. We had Mark in a private swim lesson last year, and the teacher was awesome, but Mark was pretty bad at doing just about anything. He loved it as long as she was holding on to him, but he refused to go solo or even put his face in the water.

This year, we scheduled classes at the AF Pool. We scheduled Dax first, hoping Mark would see some bravery and be a little tougher. On the first day, Dax did great, although he wouldn't float on his back. Mark didn't watch Dax, but went to splash in the pool. When the time for Mark's lesson came, he did really well. He put his face in the water, played all the games, and made a poor attempt at floating-- but an attempt.

We're not sure the reasons for his bravery. Maybe it's because he has a male teacher, maybe it's because he has a cousin in the class, maybe he's just more mature, but Mark's doing great.

We should have been more worried about Dax. After Day 1, he completely shut down. He loves to splash around and play in the pool, but he's not participating with the class at all. He says "No" to the teachers and sometimes tries to kick them away. It's a delicate balance to be forceful, but not TOO forceful with him. Maybe someday . . .

Here are a few pictures of the boys at the pool:

Dax NOT getting in the water. 

Dax will get in for this game because it is in the shallow end where he can stand. 

Mark doing superman arms.

Love the water!

Mark's good at his ice cream scoops.