Clay, I love it.

Yesterday I took the baby and my five-year-old son to the pool. It was our first trip this year. Last year my son was too afraid to even float without an assistive device. This year he started out afraid and it was getting worse, with him folding up and spluttering, until I looked him in the eye and told him that he could swim if he stayed calm, since everyone could, but that otherwise he might wind up an adult who couldn't swim and was afraid of the water.

After that he was able to float. He then traveled around the whole pool holding on to the edge (it has a deep end that he was previously afraid to go into). After that he took a small, unstable paddle board and decided to paddle on his own for the first time ever, going the entire short way across the pool, and even went the length of the pool to the far deep end a few times, the last time with me out of the water. He was completely calm the whole time (I was much more afraid). He also held his breath for quite some time underwater.

He's usually very careful to the point of absurdity, and he was pretty careful in the pool too, just calm and free of fear for the first time. I was happy that he was able to simply think past his fear.

http://www.smugmug.com/IMG4515/939344039_bPhdT-XL.jpg
http://www.smugmug.com/IMG4499/939343418_6CPWZ-XL.jpg
http://www.smugmug.com/IMG4506/939047162_oXJ6y-XL.jpg


Striving to increase my rate of flow, and fight forum gloopiness. sick