We are in week 4 of daily swim lessons for Paprika. I think that means we are halfway done. Last week she didn't want to put her head under water, and now she can dive down to the bottom of the pool. Last week she could not swim at all, now she can keep herself afloat with her head under water and kinda move (not quite strokes, but getting there).
There's this little boy who also takes swim lessons at the same time as Paprika. Last week, she was in his group (they were both in Level 1, the lowest level - there are four kids per group). This week she moved up to Level 2, so she doesn't have to be right next to him in the pool. Thank goodness!
Basically, he screams for the entire lesson. The entire lesson. 40 minutes. This is his second week of swim lessons, and he is in a group of 4 kids, and he really makes life miserable for every single person around him. He just turned 3 (probably a week ago)- and it is just so heartbreaking (and mind-numbing) to listen to him scream every day for the whole freaking lesson.
His mom just sits there smiling, watching him crying and screaming his little head off in the water. I am not a judgemental person, but I really want to give her a piece of my mind and tell her that while I understand that her son needs to learn to swim, she needs to figure something else out...like private lessons, or survival swimming at a different pool...because he sure as heck is not enjoying himself and he is making it really rough on the rest of us.
Last week Paprika had a horrible week of lessons because of him, and every day at the end would say, "Mom, that boy is giving me such a headache!" I have tried talking to the lady who runs the lessons, but she just kind of shrugs about it.
Am I crazy? I am the person who when their child starts crying in a restaurant, I take the child outside. I don't make everyone suffer! Okay...I just had to get that off my chest. LOL.
Ginger has gotten much better about being patient while Paprika has her lesson. Some days she still wants to run the entire park, but now I have given in and am letting her nurse (under a towel) at the pool...so she is just happy as a clam to do that for the whole 40 minutes of the lesson. It's a little tricky because towards the end of the lesson, like a gazillion summer camp kids crowd the pool and I am not so comfortable with 14 year old boys watching me nurse. Ya know?
Paprika nursed for 23 months (I weaned her when I was in the hospital for four days following the birth of V&A)...with Ginger, I keep meaning to wean her, but she is just sooo not ready to let that go, and I have to admit, sometimes it is very convenient. So, we just keep going. I never thought I'd be nursing a 25 month old in public- but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to stay sane.
After today's lesson, we stayed for open swim. Mercifully, it was a little less crowded than yesterday. But I used a new sunscreen on my face, and when it mixed with the chlorinated water, it caused some sort of diabolical chemical reaction on my skin. It got in my eyes, and felt like hot acid, and I thought I might be blinded for life. So, we only swam an hour and then I somehow made it home with one eye cracked about half a centimeter.
I am so glad these girls are enjoying their pool time and I am glad I am mostly surviving it. Haha!
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3 comments:
You are someone paying for the priviledge of your child being in the swim class. So yeah, you are the one to judge. I'm surprised the instructor didn't recommend she come early and stay after class with her child in the pool to acclimate him to the water and others being around. After the 2nd day I'd have talked with the instructor. Either the kid can master his fear of whatever it is or they owe you a refund or change of class. I sympathize with the little boy. He doesn't have as knowledgable a Mom. You could offer her the advise and see if it will help everyone involved. Kids are tricky. Her little boy may just be going through a phase and she is in over her head. I'm sure she's embarassed and feels a loss of control herself. Oh, or worse... she could be one of those parents that ignores the kid and let's everyone else loose their mind while he gets on their last nerve and all compassion you might feel for the kid vanishes with every Inspector Clousseau twitch of your eye!
Oh my goodness! You must have the patience of a saint because I would have gone off on someone by now! I think it is up to the instructors to deal with this and they should since it is disruptive to the other paying clients. Obviously that mom is off her rocker. Who would make their child do something over and over that is freaking them out? weird. I too have left a restaurant before because my child was not behaving.
I have I mentioned that your supermom? Really, your girls look so happy!
This is a hard one - because as you know, you never know what's going on under the surface. But, nevertheless, you and the girls are learning how to deal with disruptive behavior, no matter the cause, that's a valuable lesson in itself! I'm glad the swimming lessons are going well. We ended up with semi-private lessons because my two were too shy to get anything out of it for a short time only. It's going great now!
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