Daddy takes you to swimming lessons on Monday mornings. I'm usually at work so I've only managed to come to your swimming lessons on two occasions. Your 4th birthday coincided with the last lesson for the year and I took the day off work to come and watch you in the pool with your teacher Anne.
"Big arms Sofia", Anne bellows at you while your head is still underwater.
"Kicking Sofia, come on kiiicckk". I'm still not sure if you can hear her with your cap on and head concentrating on bobbing back up to the surface to catch that next breath.
You are making progress, slowly but steadily. Without regular access to a backyard pool we feel these lessons are important. In addition to the more traditional process of learning how to swim, stroke, kick and float Anne has been teaching you how to get yourself out of the pool, how to monkey along the edge, working with your confidence and water safety awareness.
Just as I did at your age, you love the water. I still love it and enjoy the repetition of swimming laps up and down the length of a pool when time and opportunity presents itself. I hope you too get to spend countless hours swimming up and down the black stripe as a child and later as a teenager. There is something calming and meditative about the practice.
You started swimming lessons again this morning, following the extended Christmas school holiday break. On the phone from my office I asked you about the lesson.
"I did big arms and kicking mummy".
I sure wish I'd been there to see it for myself.
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