Last week, Madelyn had her first swim lesson. At 4.5 and now a lover of the water, it was definitely time to get her used to the pool and learning to swim without any assistance. Underneath the importance of learning to swim, is the fact that going to and completing her first lesson, is a huge deal in our family.
Madelyn is as sweet as they come, and she's very reserved and shy in new situations. She's this beautifully kind and emotional girl, with a strong personality. So she loves big, worries big, gets sad in a big way, and fights big. There were times during the "terrible 2-3-4's" that we were at a total loss as to how to manage/parent her. I don't know what to compare it to, because she is our first one, but her tantrums were exhausting. Little things would set her off, and while they never ruined our days, there were times where it came close. We once went to a birthday party for a friend, that we couldn't participate in for the first 30 minutes, because she got so worked up, and we sat to the side while she was clinging to me and hysterically crying. Because she is shy and sometimes struggled with new experiences, it didn't seem like a good time to sign her up for ballet, or swim, or any organized activity. Certainly not worth paying money for something to have her not participate!
I'm not sure if it was her, or us, or a mix of both, but we worked through those moments together and little by little, the challenging moments lessened. Then we had her Kindergarten orientation. I'm not going to lie, I was nervous. I was sure there would be tears, or clinging... Her new school, with all new people around us, and after only a few minutes inside, she walked away from us so easily, not even flinching. It was the first time I realized just how much we'd all grown, and tears welled my eyes. My sweet, sweet girl was really growing up.
So, we decided it was time for her first activity/lesson... and while it might not have been her first choice, swim safety takes priority. She requested Daddy take her, and I anxiously stared at my phone waiting for the report. It read "it started rough, but we survived" :) She may have kicked and screamed, and had some tears for the first 10 minutes but with the help of a few people, she got in the pool alone and LOVED it. Victory dance all around. She was beaming when they got home, so proud to share what she learned and meeting her teacher and new friends.
It seems so simple, but this is a (big) little victory. We are so happy to have her involved in something and meeting new people. Obviously, learning to swim is important too ;) There will certainly be challenges to come, but this has given me some mommy-confidence that I didn't know I needed. One of the first things that Madelyn talked about this morning was when her next swim lesson was - she's counting down until Saturday already. Me too sweet girl, me too!
Happy Monday! XO
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