ups and downs

Oh, the drama! It's summertime and that means..... swim lessons! Now for those of you who know me well (mom, dad, Jeff), you know how much I hated and dreaded swim lessons. I can list a handful of places where I took lessons over the years (Gonzales, Atascadero, Templeton, Cal Poly....) and I don't honestly know why I had to endure so many painful experiences. I'm sure there is some value in "water safety" and "knowing how to swim" but really, why must classes require a kid to jump off a diving board in order to pass, or for that matter, DIVE off a diving board?! So for some reason, now that I'm a grown-up (a 30 year old grown up!) I took it upon myself to enroll Jason in swim lessons. I had really good reasons: I felt bad for him last summer when all his buddies felt so comfortable in the pool and he hung out on the steps, I also think it is ridiculous for a 5 year old to wear floaties! I also enrolled Cameron and myself in a parent and me class at the same time. I made sure that Jason would have buddies in his class with him (4 friends-- we filled a whole class!). Monday started off just great (although I have to admit that I was so nervous, it felt like old times...). We met the teachers and found out our pool assignments. Jason's friend Marcus took his hand and led him over to their class. Jason had a great time. Cameron and I also had fun and we got to wave to Jason while we played. Day one was a success. Day 2 was a disaster. I think he over-analyzed the situation and had enough time to remind himself of all his fears. Also, his buddies showed up late, the wind was cold and the sky was overcast. He refused to budge from the side of the pool. He and Cameron both clung to me in fear (whatever Jason does, Cameron does). I was ticked! All I could think about was the dollar amount.... I paid for this missed lesson! After our poolside melt-down we went home instead of the beach (which we had planned to do before the drama). I spent the afternoon planning. We arrived this morning a half hour early to watch the lesson before ours. Marcus's mom brought Jason a pair of goggles to use during the lesson (all the kids have them, you know....). Jason, Cameron and I entered the pool together. I made sure his teacher saw him and talked to him while I snuck away. It was a success! He participated with his class and earned his after-lesson snack of sea-creature crackers. Cameron and I had a great time with our class (she really likes to kick and splash and try to get me wet...what a nice girl!). Jason came home a nd proudly told his dad all about the lesson. Now, tomorrow is another day.....