Xanthe has loved the water for as long as I've known her. She has an uncanny fearlessness in the water. She is also a big tease. Last summer, she had a routine she loved to pull on the lifeguards. She's so tiny, you wouldn't think she could swim, so she would wade around in the baby pool waiting for an opportune moment. Then she'd take a breath and float on her tummy with her face in the water. She stayed like that until somebody jumped in to save her, then she popped up laughing just before being rescued. Every lifeguard and many of the other adults at the pool fell for it. You have to admit, it's unnerving to see a 20-pound baby floating face-down in the pool. I even jumped in a couple of times.
This summer, I enrolled her in private swimming lessons, just to give me peace of mind. Solidify her skills. She was a bit nervous going into the new situation at an unfamiliar pool. At the lesson, she walked right up to the pool and announced in a very loud voice, "I CAN'T SWIM!! WAAAAAAA!!! BOO!!! HOO!!!" She actually started sobbing like that. Very dramatic. I kept my distance, not wanting her to get clingy. From a few yards away, I watched the teacher carry Xanthe gently around the pool as if introducing her to the water. She managed to convince Xanthe to kick a little bit and put her face tentatively in the water. Xanthe ate up the personal attention, allowing the teacher to coax her to try things, loving all the praise she was getting.
Here she is at the pool three hours later. Goggles, kickboard, motoring around the pool like she owns the place. Jumping off the side, taking other kids' toys, swimming the length of the baby pool underwater. Seems like the swimming teacher was hoodwinked by a 4-year-old. Xanthe told me that she doesn't want to jump to her teacher tomorrow. I reminded her that she jumps off the side of the pool 50 times a day, and that if she can't jump to her teacher, she can't go back to swimming lessons ever again. She nodded and said, "OK. I will." I tried to tell the teacher Xanthe can swim. I'm sure she just thought I was a proud parent, blind to my child's shortcomings. Xanthe has been pretty smug about the whole thing. She knows when she's scored a victory.
5 comments:
What a cute little character. They cetainly come with their own personalities! Looks like a fun summer.
Oh my gosh! X cracks me up! What a character. I can vouch for her ability to move around the pool. Two years ago she was a fish. Now, I can only imagine her confidence. You are right. What a character!
You gotta love a really smart preschooler! I can't imagine how unnerving her little trick would be, I would freak! Let us know if she lets her teacher in on her real skills.
Amazing how smart kids are when they are still so young! Way to go Xanthe! By the way, I liked the Red Leisure Suit for Scott but was very impressed that Freestone still wants to be a dad to 10 kids.
That Xanthe! She cracks me up!
Post a Comment