So we had buddy's first official swim lesson last Saturday. And will have them for the next 3 Saturdays until June. Declan was allllllll smiles that morning and I was that mom taking 489302 pictures of him at this "first". Thank heavens every single other parent was there doing the same.
Paul and I, being the extremely mature couple that we are, rock paper scissored who got to go in with Declan and guess who won? Not me. In any case, I figured Paul would for sure be the only dad in the pool with their kid........................................and I was wrong! Place was filled with dads. And moms. It was great! Pretty sure it was a bunch of other first time parents so we were all there with our video cameras etc and whoever was out on the deck, was armed and very very dangerous with the lens :)
Declan was hilarious and is very good in water so even though I was "that mom" - Declan was not "that kid" screaming because he didn't want to go in the water. He was however "that kid" at the mexican restaurant on Cinco de Mayo - but that's a story for a different day.
Blowing bubbles/swallowing massive amounts of chlorine!
Just chillin' on my back - no big.
They wanted all the kids to jump in - buddy needed some help :)
**on a side note - I can't say how good it was to see other parents with kids around our little man's age. Boys and girls from about 9 mos to around 3 yrs old and it was like every parent that you were able to look in the eye gave you a knowing glance like "oh yea, I feel your pain" - whether it be the mom who's daughter was in the pool with the dad and screamed bloody murder until her mom picked up her up - and they just played on the pool deck the whole lesson because anytime she even glanced at the water she started screaming again. Or the father in the pool with his son who was super wiggly and wouldn't do anthing the instructor was trying to show them - and at one point I heard him say to his son "what the heck are you doing" in a tone I know allllll too well. "Like seriously - what are you doing? I do not get it. I'm trying not to freak out here in front of everyone but seriously can you please just behave and do what I ask for ONE SECOND?!?!" :) Or the mom and her son who was super happy but again, was very distracted and wanted nothing to do with the lesson so they just played with a pool toy off to the side. Hilarious.
I have been around kids my whole life. But I haven't really BEEN AROUND KIDS. Like all day every day for months and months. Or years. So I still catch myself thinking Declan should be better behaved or wondering why on earth he acts the way he acts at times, and I'm trying to fit him in this little box that he is just flat out busting out of. He is a KID. And its good to be around all these other kids. Brings me some much needed perspective.
