Today was amazing...
If you haven't read last year's post on swimming lessons, I'll catch you up by just saying that Scott and Charlotte were NOT 'A' students in their swimming lessons last year. Most days, the lessons involved tears and drama from Scott and Charlotte and bribes from us. We all survived, but no swimming skills were actually learned.
Bravely, we decided to try again. The "motivation" (aka bribes) involved a chart with stickers, trips to Target for special prizes AND Jelly Bellies. I think the Jelly Bellies were the trigger for Scott to realize it was worth it for him to be a good boy. So here is the report of how things went so far:
Day 1: He got in the water without complaint, did NOT want to go under the water and only sort of listened to his teachers.
Day 2: We bought goggles, but didn't fit them on his head right for this lesson. But he was happy to get in the water, listened to his teachers and did some kicking. Still not interested in going under.
Day 3: We figured out the goggles, so they stayed on! What a difference... He was laughing, smiling, paying attention to the teacher, and VOLUNTARILY putting his face in the water and blowing bubbles! I just sat there with my mouth wide open watching this amazing event.
Day 4: Much like day 3, except the teachers couldn't keep him from trying to go under water. I asked him is favorite part about swimming lessons: "Going underwater!"
Jelly Beans are miracle pills.
And as if all this wasn't exciting enough, we had dinner at In-and-Out after day 3, and Scott tried a new food! This NEVER happens... He ate half of a grilled cheese sandwich (just the hamburger bun and cheese)!
So how did Charlotte do through all of this? She has been a huge wimp and just whines and cries the entire time in the water. Check out the nasty glare...
Next Tuesday is going to be a traumatic day in our house when Scott realizes he doesn't have preschool. He has LOVED his first year of preschool with Miss Cathy and is not willing to "take a break" until August. She was the perfect teacher for him... He needed someone who was fun, creative, and would help him break out of his shell a bit and realize playing with friends is sometimes more fun than counting. The social growth he experienced was exactly what I had hoped for.
