The Swimmer

Elijah took swim lessons a few weeks ago. The first day we got a good report, but the second day, he apparently cried for half the class. He was not wanting to go under the water because he kept getting water up his nose. I can sympathize. I hate that feeling myself.

Well, that was on a Tuesday, so that night as Stephanie was at Bible Study, I got Aubrey into bed and then filled up our Garden Bath Tub for a practice round with my son. I kept trying to get him to hold his breath and stick his face in the water, but he was hesitant every step of the way until I figured out his problem.

"Okay, Buddy. Just look at me and hold your breath." I took a deep breath and held my mouth shut for an example. He imitated me with sealed lips and puffed out checks, while at the same time huffing and puffing out of his nose. I think we found the problem.

"You're not a fish," I said, "You can't breath out your nose when your under water." I then explained how to hold his nose and hold his breath and then put his face in the water. He followed my directions, and sat with his face in the water for about ten seconds. He came up smiling, thrilled with his new found skills.

From that point on, we were told he was one of the best in his class. The fear was gone, and he didn't hesitate to even jump off the diving board. Now he's excited to go to the pool at my parent's house, and more often than not, he wants to "practice swimming" in the bathtub. This consists of him putting on his swim goggles, laying prostrate and submerging his whole body under water, and then swimming the remaining six inches left in the tub, water sloshing around in his wake.