Tuesday, July 29, 2014

The New Phelps

DISCLAIMER:  This was written September 2013, update provided below.

Conversation between Shari (the saint of a woman who runs the home daycare Teddy goes to) and myself while dropping Teddy off:

Shari:  How was the weekend?
Me:     Pretty good.  We went swimming with the Berre's and had a blast.  Teddy kept trying to squirm out of our arms in the pool so he got one timeout for not listening.
Shari:  (laughing) He's trying to get out of your arms because he can swim.  He doesn't need you to hold him.
Me:     I'm sorry, what?  Wait...what?

Keep in mind at this point it's August.  She has a pool and on the first day she explained that she taught all of the kids to swim, and that during the summer they would swim every day.  I've gotten lots of fun pics of splashing, kicking legs, and jumping in.  She said he was swimming and getting so much better each day.  In my mind - this obviously just meant that he was comfortable in the water and having fun.

Shari:  (Still laughing uncontrollably) I told you he could swim.  He can go about 5 feet by himself. They jump in from the steps and swim to me, and then back.
Me:  Are you telling me that my 1.5 year old can swim?  
Shari: (Tears in her eyes now) Yes, Ellen.  He can swim.  He really loves holding his breath and swimming at the bottom.  That's his favorite.  Next time you are swimming with him, tell him to hold his breath and pull him to the bottom.  You can place your foot on his back so he can stay at the bottom for a few seconds.  He loves it.
Me:  Shari.  Did you just tell me that you step on my child, while he's under water?
Shari: (Doubled over in laughter now)
Me:  I need to sit down.  (I walk into the house and sit down in the front room).  Are you serious right now? 
Shari: Come over tomorrow afternoon and you can swim with us and I can show you.
Me:  No no.  If I see you step on him underwater, I will have a heart attack, scar the kid for life and he will never want to swim again.  He's still alive - so it must work.  I just don't want to see it.

I'll spare you the word for word 30 minute conversation where I grilled her.  I needed step by step instructions of what she does.  All of it makes perfect sense and is VERY safe, but this anxious momma could have NEVER pulled it off.  NEVER.

Well, turns out that she was right.  He can swim.  He absolutely loves the water.  I can GUARANTEE that I had zero part in teaching him how to swim.  Just a happy by-product of having a very experienced day care provider.  Readers:  Obviously - do not step on any children while they're under the water.  Leave that to the professionals.  If it were up to me he would still be wearing floaties and barely getting his hair wet.

Some of our summer fun (praise Jesus that he loves the water as much as we do):

We specifically went to Rough Creek Lodge a few weeks later just to have access to a pool and see this "swimming" for ourselves:




Fast forward a summer and here's a video from June 2014: 


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