07/08/2021
A note from Ms. Alison:
"I wanted to write this post as a way to provide some encouragement/reassurance for families that may be going through the same thing.
You see, when my daughter went through ISR 3 years ago she looooved it. Giggling in her float, picked up the swim pretty quick, and always ready for some pool time. So naturally when I enrolled my son I thought it would be the exact same right? Nope.
Turns out Charlie is a totally different child than his sister. He's always been a bit more reserved and he HATED his lessons. He could float but 99% of the time was not happy about it.
So that also means, he has not been a huge fan of pool time. This kind of bummed me out because the rest of the family loves being in the water. Then, at a pool party for 4th of July, I had an epiphany! It's not about me and my feelings, it's about him and his.
So I decided to meet him where he was. I didn't just pick him up and carry him into the water because he was telling me he didn't want to. I didn't force him into a float just to see it, I know he can do it and I need to trust his skill. Instead, I played with him on the steps. We threw a toy back and forth, he did a bunch of splashing with his feet, and threw diving toys for his sister.
Then you know what happened? He got happy and brave! He walked himself down a step or two and was still happy. He overestimated his reach a time or two and fell forward but instead of snatching him up, I let him get to his float and picked him up once he had air on his face. He was no longer angry about the float because he was starting to get the value of it! By the end of the day he was actually jumping off the side of the pool into my arms and even willingly going under once or twice.
So the moral of the story is this: meet your child where they are, not where you think they should be. Have patience and trust and they will enjoy the water when they're ready to!"
