Swim Lessons

Just after we returned from our Spring Break trip to Madrid, I started to panic about the upcoming summer trip. I had said since the previous summer that I was going to get Elisa started with swim lessons and here it was almost 9 months later and nothing. I felt bad. I knew that it was a goal of hers too to learn and I wanted to see her get there. My calls to get her in a class were met with no vacancies and the instructor that everyone liked was booked solid. But he was a chatter and so am I. We talked for a good half hour and then abruptly he offered to let Elisa come to the pool that same afternoon to see how she does in the water. I think he wanted to get a sense of her as a swimmer and so we hopped over just a few hours later to meet up and get our feet wet, so to speak. It helped that our friends were also there and Elisa had some boys to compete with. The girl likes to show off. So one pseudo-lesson in and she was hooked. Coach Mike promised to call if he had any cancellations and within just a few weeks, we managed to have about 5 lessons--the last one even Carolina joined in. And I have to say, it wasn't cheap, but it was well worth it. Elisa completely overcame her fear of putting her head in the water and now she's a real swimmer. I know she still only wants to use her scuba mask, but in time that will give way to goggles and then perhaps eyes open in the water. What I'm most pleased about is that she's doing it and she's loving the water even more now. Our recent trip to visit Spain and dive into the pool was the best evidence. She's not shy about jumping in any more and she can barely be pulled out even when her lips are turning purple. That's my girl.