Swimmming

Rachel has been in swim lessons for a while now and is slowly gaining skills -- she was much less frightened in Grandma and Grandpa's pool during spring break than before, and she kept asking to swim to me -- but this week she made real progress. On Tuesday night, she and Drew called me at work.

Drew could hardly keep the excitement out of his voice when he told me about Rachel's latest weekly swim lesson. Then he put her on the phone and she said, "Um, Mom? Um, I had my swim lesson today and...let Daddy tell you." Drew got back on and announced that Rachel had swum THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE POOL AND BACK WITHOUT FLIPPERS and without holding onto Taylor, her instructor.

"I am SO PROUD OF YOU!" I exclaimed softly, since I was at my desk. I could tell she was proud of herself, and Drew later told me that when Taylor offered to stand halfway between the shallow and deep ends, Rachel said, "I think I can do it," and proceeded to it all by herself! Yay! Maybe this kid will learn to swim after all!

One of the things I didn't tell her put plan to is that not only am I proud she can swim, but that she kept at it and kept at it and pushed herself to succeed and didn't give up. That is the most valuable character trait any kid can have.