Small Victories

BoyBoy has not always been a fan of the beach and water.  He never stepped on sand willingly until he was four and declared that his four year-old feet liked the sand.  He was also one of those kids who was afraid of water.  This was hard for me because I want to live at the beach, hang out at the beach, ride waves at the beach, have my ashes scattered at the beach when I die...you get the picture.  

Bubba and I have put him in swim lessons every chance we have gotten and he does well but we have never felt that he was a strong enough swimmer to be allowed to swim with out us there, in the water with him.  Finally, when we moved here, my sister told us about the "stroke" team that operates within my niece's swim club.  It is a non-competitive team that focuses on stroke technique and building endurance.  We signed him up and WOW!  All of a sudden we have a fish on our hands.  

I can't tell you how this makes me feel.  Of course, I am so proud of him.  He is conquering his fears every time he jumps in the water.  He perseveres even when they are working on the dreaded butterfly.  He smiles at the end of every length of the pool.  And he is improving in leaps and bounds.  I also am a little sad.  He won't need to hold my hand any more when we jump the waves.  He doesn't hold his nose anymore when he goes under - a habit that I find adorable.  He is becoming such an independent little man.  

Boy, life goes by pretty fast...