Swimming Lessons

I have been wanting to take Grant to swimming lessons for 2 and half years!  But have never done it…for many reasons and I guess I just lagged about it.  So the other day (or month), I decided I would teach him myself…”I can do this”, I thought.  He’s a total fish and loves the water, no fear at all…which is scary in itself.  While watching the Olymipcs (which by the by Grant loved as much as I did!!), he loved watching all the sports, but gymnastics and swimming were for sure his top two.  Anyway, while watching swimming, he really started to understand ‘how’ to swim.  You know how the there is the underwater camera…that enabled him to see the swimmers stroke, so after the event he would ‘swim around’ the living room, waving his hands in a ‘freestylish’ way.  So a couple weeks after the Olympics, it hit me...he learns by seeing and love watching TV, so why not have the first lesson be on TV.  So I showed him a few Youtube videos of toddlers in swimming lessons or just swimming…and he was all about it!  We spend breakfast watching babies swim and teachers teaching them…he was inspired and I think challenged, like, “hey if that little baby can swim, so can I!”

We went to exercise school and right after we went to the pool and started our lessons!  He called me ‘mommy teacher’ and I called him ‘Mr. Grant’ (which I know his exercise teachers call him sometimes).  Since he saw all the swimming ‘drills’ on video, he knew what to expect and half the time reminded me of what to do…it was incredible, by the end of the 30min ‘lesson’, he was jumping in the pool and turning around and ‘swimming’ back to the edge or to me on the steps, diving under water to get toys and all in all doing really really well!  I was amazed what he learned in such a short amount of time…I really think watching other little ones swim helped him.  I couldn’t wait to show Daddy!! I mean don't get me wrong it his swimming looks only a step above avoiding drowning, main difference is when his head comes above the water to take a breath, he has a smile on his face!

Here's a video of our first day of swimming lessons...he made up this game, when the 'teacher' took a break ; )

So on Saturday we went to the pool to show-off Grant’s new skills!  Daddy was impressed ; )  Grant as always, is living up to his name…”Fearless”.  Oh and I am pretty sure he can hold his breath longer than I can…it’s nuts how long he swims underwater!!

PS: I am not sure who I am more proud of...Mommy teacher or Mr. Grant!  ; )