wild swimmers

 

 

 

We try to impress upon our offspring just how lucky they are to have a pool.  They don't get it.  They can't get it.  They're three and five years old - how could they?  But nonetheless they are lucky.  And boy are we getting the most of it now that the summer weather has more or less permanently installed itself.  Last summer, Schuyler was stuck in arm-bands.  She wouldn't go in without them.  She would occasionally just wear one arm band but that was rare.  Now she can swim laps (width wise) of the pool, do a half dive, swim underwater, and jump in on her own and swim back to the stairs.  Sure, she still clearly needs someone on safety patrol but it's been so good to see her improve.  And this is one area where she actually seems to listen to our instruction.  And she just loves it.  She trembles with uncontainable joy when we tell her we're going for "dips in the pool" after dinner most nights.  And she doesn't stop smiling the whole time.  That kind of joy is a precious resources.  And Charlie thinks he can swim.  Last summer, he would just be mad at us the whole time for doing annoying things like preventing his drowning - he just wanted to swim on his own despite lacking any skills yet in that departments.  Now, he adores leaping from the side of the pool into someone's arms and he's like a wind up toy once he's in the water:  You put him in the water and his legs just start kicking like crazy.  He doesn't fear the water.  He doesn't fear the cold.  He doesn't fear drowning.  The only thing he (pretends to) fear is... The Mummy Shark!  When Liz is swimming laps, her return lap is greeted with shrieks of glee from Charlie (and then his sister will join in):  "Can't catch me, Mummy! Daddy, it's a Mummy Shark!  She come get me!"   And he couldn't be happier.