
While on holiday in Majorca (retrospective post to follow, no doubt), we spent a lot of time in the swimming pool and also a few forays into the sea. As a result, Oliver, who arrived on holiday using one polystyrene swim-band on each arm, had abandoned them completely by the end of the holiday, although rarely swimming much further than required to get back to the edge after jumping in as spectacularly as possible. He also spent some time “surface diving”, well within his own depth, to retrieve objects from the bottom of the pool. After a few hours of this he moved on to swimming underwater, oddly moving much more smoothly and quickly than on the surface. All of this gave us some confidence that he would be a slightly stronger and certainly much more confident swimmer when he returned to his swimming lessons yesterday.
In the event, as soon as he took to the water yesterady I could see how very much he had improved. And at the and of his lesson his instructor got him to start swimming up the pool to see how far he could go and award him a badge for 5 meters, 10 meters or whatever. He hasn’t done this before but the holiday made me think he should manage 10 meters. In fact he passed 10 metres and his instructor kept going. He got well past 15 metres and still he swam on. Hayley and I watched and to our amazement and absolute delight he made it all the way to the far end of the pool, completing 25 metres!
I don’t remember exactly when I accomplished the same feat, but I am certain it was a few years later than age 4. So just as he learned to ride his bike years before me he has done ths same with swimming and I couldn’t be prouder. I guess it’s also an indication of the opportunities available to kids today, providing you can afford them, to do more at a younger age.
Learning to swim is obviously an important and potentially life-saving skill, so I am delighted that Oliver has crossed this rubicon. We have made a big fuss of him afterwards yesterday. I think he thoroughly deserves it.
Lucy also went swimming yesterday, having her first lesson in the same pool in a group next to Oliver, more than month ahead of her third birthday. She absolutely loved it and followed the instructions of her teacher, merrily swimming after toy frogs or kicking her legs with a huge smile on her face. I was thrilled and proud to see her joining in, no longer a toddler but every bit a little girl. In fact she would tell me “a big girl”! I hope she maintains this involvment, as I can imagine her swimming by the time we go on holiday again next year given her enthusiasm and current ability to move through the water. She too greatly seems to have benefitted from her time in the water on holiday.
And so another significant milestone is passed for our son and a new phase starts for our daughter. As ever, my feelings are a mix of pride and poignancy. But mostly pride.