Tonight, over dinner, I mentioned that we were starting up swimming lessons again tomorrow. The difference this time is that instead of a parent-child swim class, they’re going to be in a class with an instructor and two or three other kids. I told the kids, “We’re going to swim tomorrow, but mommy and daddy aren’t going into the pool with you.”
They thought about it a while, then started getting concerned.
“I don’t want to swim by myself!”
“I can’t put on my swimming suit by myself!”
“I don’t want to go swimming!”
My intention was to not surprise them with the fact that we weren’t going into the pool, but instead I think they got the impression they would be in the pool without an instructor–and that they would need to figure out how to get changed and everything. Agnes and I both tried to explain what I meant, but they both still seemed stressed when they went to bed tonight.
On a side note, we bought new wetsuits for the kids. In their last lessons, they were shivering by the end of their half-hour lesson. I’m hoping these swimsuits will keep them a little warmer. They’re not skin-tight, but they are thicker at least.
