D's swimming lesson

D started swimming lessons this month and the first lesson was going pretty good until the instructor accidentaly let his face go under the water twice. He was not a happy camper. The next day I had to take him crying and screaming. He wouldn't even get in the water until another instructor came over and took him into the pool for me. She placed D on his teacher's back and that's how he spent his second lessons, death grip around the teacher's neck. So she told me to bring D to her class that was right before D's and she would help him. Wednesday we show up to the earlier class and I wore my swimming suit, just in case, and a good thing that I did. I sat with him and made him stay in the pool. He started warming up to the new teacher but still wasn't very happy. Thursday I ware my swimming suit again and half way through the lessons the teacher told him he didn't need me anymore and she sent me to go and get dressed. I left and he stayed in the pool but was crying when I got back. I know I'm a mean mom but this was really hard. Monday he got in the pool on his own but still cried. He was fine when he was working with the teacher but would cry while he was waiting his turn watching the other kids do things he wasn't quite doing yet. Tuesday morning Rich stayed home because we were getting a new garage door (I took a pic I'll have to post it) and got D ready for his lesson and told him to have a good lesson. We went and he was fine put his face in the water without a problem, jumped out to his teacher, tried swimming on his stomach. The power of a father's influence. His teacher asked me what I did to him and I told her nothing.I had been taking him out to reward the little steps he had made so far, but this was a night and day difference. At the end of the lesson she told us she would have to have a substitute for the last two lessons. I started to panic, but we showed up Thursday and he was fine. This is the last day of class, when you are allowed to bring cameras.

Trying out the life jackets.

Practicing a survival circle to stay warm

Taking off the life vest.
Getting to play for the last fifteen minutes of class.

What a difference eight lessons make and Dad telling him to have a good lesson.

Here's D jumping into the pool. He even did it without a vest the day before

And this is D swimming with his substitute teacher.