Swimming Story
Joan Labbe & Salvatore Genovese
I've been wanting to relay this story for a bit and finally I have a few
minutes! I should preface by saying that my daughter led me by the nose
into unschooling. She has always been allergic to following anybody elses's
schedule or doing scheduled activities or being given even the mildest
suggestions about something she is trying to do unless she asks for them.
She really has shown me how important it is to her to get that joy from
figuring things out herself, no matter what form that takes, and I've gotten
great joy from learning to respect that and watch her go.
Given the above, it never made sense to me to even bother to suggest
swimming lessons for her. I'm not against them by any stretch, but when I
reflect on my daughter's reactions to being suggested to try something, to
doing anything like lessons on a schedule, and to being "shown how to do
something"...well, it didn't take too long to do the math on that one. So
Aline's swimming history has gone like this. When she was around the age of
4 she watched a Caillou episode on trying new things where Calliou's Daddy
"teaches him how to swim". She was in the midst of a real "trying new
things phase" herself, and immediately begged me to "teach me how to swim,
Mom" which I interpreted as wanting to do what Caillou was doing. We headed
to the nearest pool. She asked me to "show her how". I explained what the
swimming aids were for and she strapped one on. I pointed out what other
people were doing. She went in the water in my arms and we just had fun,
blowing bubbles, swirling around, dipping in. Within two weeks, without any
real instruction on my part, she was swimming no her own with the aid on.
The following summer (this would be last summer) when she was 4 and a half
she figured out how to snorkel. This summer at 5 and a half her big thing
has been swimming all by herself without the aid. My sister keeps trying to
"teach" her strokes (we are usually at their pool). I just get in the pool
with her, ask her where she wants me to stand, and let her try her best to
swim to me without any floating aid. If she asks questions I answer them.
Otherwise I don't say anything other than offer encouragement and smile a
lot.
One day recently, she saw another little girl swim under water at my
sister's pool. "Mom, I want to try that!" she shouted. I got in the pool
and in minutes she was doing it. Her body naturally became horizontal
underwater, the thing she'd been struggling with in swimming too far without
the swimming vest on. She came up and cried "Mom, I LOVE being
underwater!!" She continued staying pretty close to the stairs to the pool,
figured out how to turn underwater, started to do sommersaults under there.
I said, "You know, I've noticed when you swim underwater, your body gets
flat like you've been trying to do above water. I bet you could swim across
the pool now (the short way)." She decided to try it with me beside her,
and by gum, she did it. Five times in a row. Needed no help. But she
wasn't so interested in pursuing that further, because what was more
interesting to her was diving down. She figured out how to turn herself
upside down and go down to the bottom (my sister has a porch pool that is
only 3 feet deep for the whole pool). We got diving toys for her to
retrieve. Next visit my sister said "I can't believe there's a five year
old diving in my pool."
Best thing was at my sister's birthday pool party for her daughter who
turned five last week. We were there with a bunch of 4 through 6 year olds.
Mothers all talking about swimming lessons. This lady watched my daughter
and turned to me to say "Gosh, how early did you have her in lessons?"
implying that from how she was doing, must have been practically prenatal.
I said "She's never had any lessons. She got interested from watching
Caillou swim and figured it all out herself. Isn't it amazing what kids can
do?" I wish I had a polaroid of the look on her face. I think I completely
burst her "kids are empty vessels that need to be filled up with knowledge
and lessons" bubble. It was so great. (Of course what would be greater
would be for people not to have that mentality but since she did, it sure
was fun bursting her bubble).
Anybody else got any "burst the bubble" stories?
Joan
minutes! I should preface by saying that my daughter led me by the nose
into unschooling. She has always been allergic to following anybody elses's
schedule or doing scheduled activities or being given even the mildest
suggestions about something she is trying to do unless she asks for them.
She really has shown me how important it is to her to get that joy from
figuring things out herself, no matter what form that takes, and I've gotten
great joy from learning to respect that and watch her go.
Given the above, it never made sense to me to even bother to suggest
swimming lessons for her. I'm not against them by any stretch, but when I
reflect on my daughter's reactions to being suggested to try something, to
doing anything like lessons on a schedule, and to being "shown how to do
something"...well, it didn't take too long to do the math on that one. So
Aline's swimming history has gone like this. When she was around the age of
4 she watched a Caillou episode on trying new things where Calliou's Daddy
"teaches him how to swim". She was in the midst of a real "trying new
things phase" herself, and immediately begged me to "teach me how to swim,
Mom" which I interpreted as wanting to do what Caillou was doing. We headed
to the nearest pool. She asked me to "show her how". I explained what the
swimming aids were for and she strapped one on. I pointed out what other
people were doing. She went in the water in my arms and we just had fun,
blowing bubbles, swirling around, dipping in. Within two weeks, without any
real instruction on my part, she was swimming no her own with the aid on.
The following summer (this would be last summer) when she was 4 and a half
she figured out how to snorkel. This summer at 5 and a half her big thing
has been swimming all by herself without the aid. My sister keeps trying to
"teach" her strokes (we are usually at their pool). I just get in the pool
with her, ask her where she wants me to stand, and let her try her best to
swim to me without any floating aid. If she asks questions I answer them.
Otherwise I don't say anything other than offer encouragement and smile a
lot.
One day recently, she saw another little girl swim under water at my
sister's pool. "Mom, I want to try that!" she shouted. I got in the pool
and in minutes she was doing it. Her body naturally became horizontal
underwater, the thing she'd been struggling with in swimming too far without
the swimming vest on. She came up and cried "Mom, I LOVE being
underwater!!" She continued staying pretty close to the stairs to the pool,
figured out how to turn underwater, started to do sommersaults under there.
I said, "You know, I've noticed when you swim underwater, your body gets
flat like you've been trying to do above water. I bet you could swim across
the pool now (the short way)." She decided to try it with me beside her,
and by gum, she did it. Five times in a row. Needed no help. But she
wasn't so interested in pursuing that further, because what was more
interesting to her was diving down. She figured out how to turn herself
upside down and go down to the bottom (my sister has a porch pool that is
only 3 feet deep for the whole pool). We got diving toys for her to
retrieve. Next visit my sister said "I can't believe there's a five year
old diving in my pool."
Best thing was at my sister's birthday pool party for her daughter who
turned five last week. We were there with a bunch of 4 through 6 year olds.
Mothers all talking about swimming lessons. This lady watched my daughter
and turned to me to say "Gosh, how early did you have her in lessons?"
implying that from how she was doing, must have been practically prenatal.
I said "She's never had any lessons. She got interested from watching
Caillou swim and figured it all out herself. Isn't it amazing what kids can
do?" I wish I had a polaroid of the look on her face. I think I completely
burst her "kids are empty vessels that need to be filled up with knowledge
and lessons" bubble. It was so great. (Of course what would be greater
would be for people not to have that mentality but since she did, it sure
was fun bursting her bubble).
Anybody else got any "burst the bubble" stories?
Joan