Clarissa Makes the Jump

Okay, so Clarissa keeps telling me how she wants to take swimming lessons and loves to swim.... yadda, yadda, yadda. I sign her up and watch her get all googling, giggling with Joe the instructor. (She's had this crush on him from last summer's lesson.) When I was signing her up to take the same level class for the third time I decided it was probably time to encourage some improvement in skills on her part. (She really enjoys playing the helpless girl part.) When it came time for her to jump into the pool I was picking her up and throwing her in. And I would tell the instructor to just go under the water with her. (Never showing any signs of stress or trauma.) Feeling guilty that I don't take the time and effort to help her improve as I do with Adam I decided it was time to go to the pool with her and work with her individually. We started jumping off the steps, moving up one at a time. Then jumping into the pool seated, then squatted from the side. Until she was able to jump in without a problem. She was perfect at her most recent lesson. (Even though Joe is not her instructor this time around.) Now I need to go back and work on going under the water by herself. I'm telling you, it is a tremendous amount of hard work to do this parenting thing right. No wonder I'm not very consistent. It's exhausting!