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Nic in the swim of things
by Elizabeth Lipp
Apologies for the severe compression of life for the last couple of months-it's been a little crazy here at the ponderosa.
Swim lessons kicked in at Variety a couple weeks ago. I requested and secured the best teachers for my two, since I want to make sure I have a pair of deep water swimmers this year.
Gabe is getting there-he is down to two layers of floatie (from 4), and Miss Katherine has him swimming to the second flag in the deep end. He is not happy about it, which is ironic-at 44 ½ inches tall, the four-foot ‘shallow end' is deep water to him, so technically it's ALL deep water to him. But he's there, gamely paddling away. I truly don't think he even needs the floatie, but he thinks he does, so it's mind over matter-and we have to get his mind over the matter.
Nic on the other hand has it in his head that he will NEVER be a deep water swimmer.
That is, until we met Nathan.
Nathan is a dead-ringer for Nic's friend B. Actually, Nathan could be B's brother. He was there with his mom while his mom subbed for another swim teacher. He is an excellent swimmer. And he and Nic hit it off.
So not only were they taking turns dumping water on each other's heads, Nathan impressed Nic with his ability to swim under water. In the hour they played together, something happened.
Because this week, Nic told his teacher, Mr. Vince, "I am ready to work."
Nic went straight to the four feet section of the pool with one noodle (instead of his customary two) and began to paddle laps. Mr. Vince was dumbfounded. This was the kids who dug his heels in the previous week and said he didn't want to work. Nic gamely stuck his mouth in the water and blew bubbles-something he has never done before.
"I don't know what you said to him today, but thank you, and do it again next week," Mr. Vince told me.
I said I didn't say anything, but it was some one else's doing that may have inspired the sudden interest in successful swimming.
Peer pressure? Use it when it works in your favor.
