The Turtle Moves Up

Cruz began swimming lessons last summer, and in true Cruz fashion, was a very cautious swimmer. While people think kids in general are fearless daredevils, who leap before they look, my firstborn is quite the opposite. Even as a toddler, Cruz was more of the pensive observer, who seemed to take stock of situations and places before engaging with them. He didn't climb on furniture, run away from us in public, or jump haphazardly off of things at the playground. So when he began swimming lessons, we were not surprised to see that he was very cautious and a little afraid of the water. He took lessons for about 2 months and took baby steps in doing even basic things such as dunking his head under water. He struggled to master the skills and had a hard time getting comfortable in the water; any time the instructor let go of him, he would tense up and immediately reach for someone or a nearby wall. Despite his slow progress, he kept at it and returned to class diligently every afternoon. At the end of the summer, he was still in the Level 1, "Turtles" class.

This summer rolled around and we enrolled him into Level 1 again. The first session (2 weeks long) showed definite improvement and we could see that he was more confident and comfortable in the water. He was taking more risks and holding his front and back floats for a second longer than he used to, but still not long enough to pass his test to move to the next level. His teacher told him that he was so close and just needed to hold his floats for a little longer and he'd be ready to advance. So we enrolled him into Level 1 for another 2-week session.

Somehow, something inside of him clicked. The weather heated up and we began going to the pool 30 minutes before his class began,  for some extra free swim time. Without any prompting from us, Cruz would use that time instead to practice the drills he learned in class, all by himself. Randy and I would sit on the bleachers and watch as he practiced holding his breath under water, the arm strokes and kicks. Then he'd move to the baby wading pool, and practice his front and back floats, asking us to time him. In just a couple of days, he was going through his class exercises effortlessly. His instructor began teaching him more advanced techniques and he caught onto them quickly. After the first week, Cruz was able to push himself off of the wall and swim unassisted to his teacher who stood several feet away. He held his floats for twice as long as he was required. It was amazing to see him blossom before our very eyes. He passed his test with flying colors and was promoted to Level 2.

Just after finishing his test - thumbs up indeed!

No longer a Level 1 Turtle!

We were reminded how Cruz has always done things in his own time. It was he who decided at 3 1/2 years old that he was ready to sleep alone in his own room and never returned to our bed. It was he who decided that he was ready to stop using diapers, and once we took them off, he skipped the Pull-Up transition phase and just began using the toilet. We were reminded that if we just give him time and are patient, he will always flourish beautifully. We are so proud of his perseverance and hard work.