In the Pool!

Ellie enjoys swimming with me, and does really well in organized classes, so I thought that swim class this summer would be no big deal. (Why do I always think I know things?) So I signed her up for Waders (in the water with no parent) almost every day for 2 weeks, knowing that since she tends to be a little slow to warm up, going consistently and frequently would be good for her.

We got into a great class - two kids, and two teachers.

First day: Grandpa's funeral - we missed class
Second day: Lots of tears and sobbing, usually while sitting at least four feet from the water. The teacher was great getting her into conversation, and was doing really well until he asked where she was the day before, which caused her to run to me crying again. (Crying came up frequently.) She's really not sure about having two male teachers.
Third day: Still lots of tears, but sitting close to the edge of the water. One toe went in briefly, causing more sobbing.
Today: I handed her over to the teacher's arms (in the water) sobbing after lots of talking gently and trying to encourage. (Note: I wasn't sobbing - that was Ellie.) She had simply made up her mind she wasn't going in, and wasn't even trying. After horrendous screaming for about 5 minutes while he gently floated her up and down the pool, she calmed down. We even had a few smiles. I rewarded these with phone calls to Daddy and Grandpa and ice cream at McDonalds.

Let's see how next week goes. I'll hand her over crying again if I have to, but I'd really prefer her to go in by herself. Why do I think we're going to need another round of these same swimming lessons this summer?