Swimming lessons

I've started giving Zane swimming lessons. We gave him the choice of taking lessons at the Y or letting DH or I work with him a few times per week.

Zane is 7, and he really does not like the water. He's managed to talk his way out of lessons for a couple years, but this year he finally seems to have a bit of interest (because all his friends can swim already). Swimming is big here because of the climate, and he's figured out that he's going to be left out of a lot of stuff if he doesn't learn how. If that's what gives him the push he needs to finally get in the pool, that's fine with me. I just want him to learn. Neither of my parents know how to swim, and it has been a real disadvantage to them.

Zane originally picked Dad as the teacher, but it took about 3 minutes for us to figure out that I needed to be the one working him. Dad does not have the patience to deal with Zane's reluctance to get his head wet.

Anyhow, I managed to peel him off the side and get him walking in the shallow end. We practiced his back "float" with him laying on the top step. I had him use his own hands to wet his own face. It was progress, though it's obviously going to take some time before he has any real skills.

Wyatt, who was 2 in February, loves the water. He's fearless to the point of being almost reckless. It's quite a contrast. Hopefully we can keep him interested as he gets older. In the mean time, we have to drag him out of the water shivering and with his teeth chattering because he does NOT want to be done once he gets started.

We have a community pool here, which is convenient. Actually, there's both an indoor pool and an outdoor pool, so we just swim inside to avoid the sun exposure.

I don't really get to do real swimming, because I'm in the shallow end with the kids, but at least it's some physical activity for me.