Swim Class

Well, our first swim class was a flop. Bryce and I have been talking about taking a vacation with Charlotte this summer but Charlotte didn't love the pool last year. She wasn't against it by any means but she did cling to my bathing suit and protest in her float so I decided we needed a swim class before we wasted all that money on a trip. Bryce is a pool person and I am a beach person so either way she was going to be confronted with lots of water!
We geared up for swim class all weekend. I am trying really hard to work on preparing Charlotte for things ahead of time in an effort to eliminate the tantrums. When it was time to get ready we put our swim diaper and bathing suit on and already she was looking anxious. We got to the pool a little early and sat on the edge watching big people swim and she seemed content. She kept pointing at everyone in the water with amazement. Some other toddlers from her class came in and she kept pointing to them saying "baby" even though I realize now she was probably the youngest kid in the class. When it came time to get in Charlotte did ok. The water was wonderfully warm and I tried hard not to think about how awfully pale I am! Our first move was putting the babies on their stomach so they would keep their heads up and kick their feet. That is when the tears started. She did not want to be close to the water, and she did not want to kick her feet! We played fetch with some water toys, practiced floating on our back, and kicked our feet on the edge of the pool with her whining almost the whole time. Then came ring around the rosey. The part where they "all fall down" you are supposed to put them under water. Everyone else came back up sputtering and wiping their eyes. Except Charlotte. She came back up with the most piercing shriek I have ever heard! We were pretty much done after that. I tried to do the other parts of the lesson as best I could but Charlotte was so over it. The swim instructor felt bad but kept reassuring me to come back to the next lesson and it would get better. There is no way we are quitting! This just convinced me even more that it will be money well spent to have Charlotte a willing participant in the pool!