Swimming Lessons

As with every summer for the last couple of years, I enrolled the kids in swimming lessons. Actually, I had enrolled Riley in for the last several years, and this was Jeremy's first year. Riley is such a fish--he takes to water much like her daddy. (Phil was a lifeguard for 15+ years and didn't like that we're having to pay for lessons, but he works and we don't have a pool. But he does get in the water with her every chance he gets!)

Riley was already in the third level, where she can swim on her own, float on her back, and most exciting of all is that she can dive off the diving board by herself and swim to the side. See for yourself!

Riley's hand as she shows me her swimming.

Riley along the side of the pool.

Now Jeremy reminds me a lot of me. Remember seeing him at the water park? How he loved the lazy river and didn't really care to get wet? Yeah, that would be him. He spent the first few lessons attached to the lifeguard and not wanting to participate. I had a long talk with him and told him it was important to learn how to swim. Luckily the weather was nice and hot, so he did what he was asked and even seemed to enjoy himself.

Jeremy waiting along the side of the pool. Notice that the kids
learned at a water park and not a traditional pool--
we don't have those around here!

Practicing his kicking.

Listening to the lifeguard.

Both kids were able to jump off the diving board if they wanted to. Originally Jeremy wanted nothing to do with it, which was fine with the lifeguards. He then changed his mind and was the last kid. I still think he wasn't too sure when they "assisted" him into the water! Riley, on the other hand, wanted to go in as many times as she could!