Swimming Lessons

Yesterday was our last day of our first round of swimming lessons and I'm soooo happy it's over!!!!
A few of you have heard my stories about how Cache turns into a crazy person in the pool. He has NO fear! NONE! This has more than scared me several times. Thank Heavens for his little arm/body floaty things that have saved his life on more than one occasion. Anyway, since he has no fear I've sworn that he will be in swim lessons all summer if that's what it takes for him to learn water safety.

So our first attempt at swim lessons was interesting. Cache was in a beginner class while Season and I took a "Parent/Tot" class at the same time, in the same pool. I believe this was our first problem. Cache wanted to be with Season and I at first. I explained to him what was going on and that he needed to stay with his very sweet teacher Olivia. She was soooo great.

 Then Cache turned into a Holy Terror! He was splashing other kids, sticking his tongue out (I didn't even know he knew how to do that!), not staying on the steps, running around the pool, jumping in at any random place and moment, and just not listening to his teacher. I finally intervened when on day 3 he wandered away from the steps towards another little boy and started drowning. The pool is 3 feet deep and he let go of the edge and was floundering as the teacher was taking one of the other kids towards the middle of the pool to practice their back floats. My friend started yelling at the teacher to get him and I started booking it over to him and then gave him a great big scolding. I told him that it was dangerous to not obey, especially at the pool and that he had scared me and his teacher and that he needed to apologize, to which he said, "NO!". What!!????????!!! I was beside myself. What happened to my angel child? My easy going boy? I mean, I know he doesn't obey me all of the time, but this behavior was NUTS! I asked the teacher what she would like me to do. I could take him home if he wasn't going to listen. He could just sit out  and have to watch the other kids swim, but the problem with that was who was going to make him sit on the side while I was in the middle of my own lesson?

  The days that followed got better. There were two days that we were not in the same pool and I was praying for his safety the whole time. I asked his teacher after each lesson how she felt like he did and she would always say, "Pretty good. He's just so cute!" Which meant his cuteness was getting him out of a lot of trouble. Not necessarily a good thing.  After lots of talking, threatening, Family Home Evenings on obedience, and coming up with a reward if he was good, our last day of swim lessons was finally a pretty good one.

Maybe he would have done better if Season and I hadn't been there.
Maybe he just needs more experience in a structured class like that.
Maybe he really is just Nutso.

Either way, this was definitely not our last swim lesson of the summer, but the next will be private and parents are not allowed. I hope it goes better next time.