I'm just reading along with interest and sympathy here...That is really strange, Boomer. Sounds like an exhausting day for both of you.
Boomer--
New Day, New Adventures.
Hold your dominion.
boomerang wrote:I just keep replaying the day in my head.
He got up, ate breakfast, put on his swimsuit, shirt and shoes. He rode his scooter the four blocks to the park. He parked, went inside, disrobed, took a shower and then....
Everything went to hell.
His best friend is in the class right after his. Typically we go get a Slurpee for Mo and Slim and meet them back at the park where the guys play for an hour or so. None of this, not anything, held any motivation for Mo.
The boy who loves routine simply didn't care.
Didn't care.
Huh.
He had a complete meltdown, Boomer.....total, unregulated affect......he couldn't ask for help...it was overwhelming for him. Sounds like it hit like a sledgehammer, and was a surprise to him, too....
He just needed to be with you.
How's it going today, boomer?
Mr. B had a nice chat with Mo this morning about how it was okay to be nervous and that the teacher was there to help him. Things seem to be shaping up to getting back on track.
They seemed that way yesterday too, though. Fingers crossed.
Today's paper chronicles the 24 people who have drowned here over the last seven weeks. Those are just the ones that have died - not the people who have been injured or rescued. Not teaching your child how to swim is considered very irresponsible in Oregon. Some school districts even provide free swimming lessons to ever second grader. Swimmng is not considered a luxury here.
I know all that is beside the point but I offer it as explaination for my insistence that Mo learn to swim.
Wish us luck!
Boomer--
Of course Mo has to learn to swim! He also needs experience in absorbing information from people besides you and Mr. B.
Yesterday was a hideous time for him--but he survived and he survived with a greater readiness for kindergarten.
Practicing survival is a very important part of growing up.
Digression:
Clive is my middle child and he has a boatload of what they like to
call "challenges." But he loved the water and we hoped that paddling
around with a swim bubble would be good therapy. He was very nervous
in the water at first (he was about five, I think). But he felt much better if
Mom was there to hold on to. The rub: his Mom was all but pathologically
afraid of the water. She would absolutely not go into water above her
waist. No way. No how. But she went in with Clive. She would walk
around with him encouraging him to keep using his arms and legs. I was
amazed.
Gradually he got better and better at it. Then one day, he tried it without
the bubble. And swam. Ok, it was a a dog paddle, but he was afloat and
moving forward. Day-um!
Not long after he was invited to a birthday pool party. It turns out some
of the kids (with no special needs) could not swim and mostly played in
the shallow end. And there was Clive, paddling around in the deep end
with a great big shiit-eating grin on his face.
Persistence and perseverance.
Nice story, George.
Here's hoping for a better day today for Mo and Boomer.
Jane Brody has a thing about water safety in the NYT today (I can get a link) and one thing in it that surprised me is that she says something like "don't try to teach a kid to swim before they're developmentally able -- around 5." It's a paraphrase, but I'm sure of the "around 5" part.
Mo's a strong and physically advanced kid so he's probably already hit that stage, but it made me think about how there are just plain physiological limitations to all of this, too.
Glad that things have calmed down today, the "it's OK to be nervous" talk sounds like it was a good thing to follow the "goofing around in the pool and having some time with mom" interval yesterday.
Hope today's a good one!
Oh and one more "btw", last week at sozlet's swim class there was one girl who was freaking out, not sure why (didn't catch it). At this weeks' class, the girl just followed the class around, sitting on the side of the pool near them without doing anything, but seeming interested in what was going on. The teacher included her in terms of looking at her while explaining things, etc., but didn't seem to be bothered in the least that she wasn't going in the water.
Maybe some sort of halfway deal like that? Like, go to swim class, but he doesn't need to participate... this time?
That is a great story George. It certainly provided my first smile of the day. Thanks for that. Good on Clive and good on your wife.
My mom was/is terrified of water and she made sure none of us carried that particular terror beyond kindergaten.
Today's class went off without a hitch so I'm thinking he was just in a particulary strange mood yesterday.
It was insanely weird.
I'm certainly not expecting Mo to be doing any recognizable swim strokes beyond a dog paddle at this point. I can't imagine waiting until a child is five to start getting them swimming. It is not unusual to see two year olds swimming under water with complete confidence. This part of the world is water based.
Yesterday was weird.
Today is fine.
Who knows what tomorrow may bring?
Ah, parenthood!
All's well that ends well.
I have read many, many news stories about young men with more testosterone than common sense drowning in quarries and rivers and motel pools.
They think great expanses of water have escaped from bathtubs and are perfectly safe.
Any kid who is allowed to leave the house without a parent should be able to swim. The world is full of water.
Boomer--
I'm glad today was easier. You earned an "easier" day.
