Summer Fun

So part of summer fun includes swimming. We decided to get Ashley swimming lessons this year. We thought she would enjoy it, and that it would also be fun mommy/daughter time. Yesterday she had her first lesson, and she did GREAT. I'm not surprised though. Ashley clung to me at first. I just let her hold me, and I comforted her and reassured her. Then we laughed and played, and she was fine after that.

There were 3 other babies in her class. We practiced kicking, which she has been doing in other pools. We also practiced floating on their backs, flipping from their backs to their bellies, and even dunking them underwater. At first we started with dunking just their mouths underwater. Ashley kept opening her mouth and even trying to lick the water. Haha. When it was time to do the full dunk, we sang "itsy bitsy spider" which she loves, then you blow in their face so they hold their breath, and dunk them. She did great with that.

She did so well that the instructor kept using her to demonstrate what we were going to do next. Ashley just makes me so proud. One baby cried the whole time, others were a little nervous at times, and then there is my kid--she doesn't just "dive right in carelessly", but she warms up to things quickly and is very resilient. Just makes me feel like we're doing something right :) I think kids also feed off their parents responses--if you laugh, are lighthearted, they tend to follow suit.

I hope she continues to have this approach in life. Again, not careless or reckless, just diving into situations, but not overly-cautious and afraid to try new things either. She's got a great balance which will suit her well in life.