Today was a first for The Princess. For a few weeks now, I have been trying to get E to take off her water wings and try to swim just a short distance to me to see if she could do it. Each time I asked her, she gave me a resounding "NO!" I kept telling her "trust me. I won't let anything happen to you." That was not enough to calm her fears. My being her mother was not enough to sway her. She was steadfast in her determination NOT to take those water wings off. They were a lifeline for her. They gave her (falsely, I might add) a sense of safety. We have been adament in telling here that just because she has her water wings on, that doesn't mean she is free to swim in the pool w/o either her dad or I in the water FIRST and she has been great about following that rule. Still, she was not able to overcome her fears. I don't push it. I ask. She says no. We move on.
It was another 90° day today. We normally go into the pool at least once a day, usually twice. This morning, like most mornings, we got on our suits and got into the pool. After playing for a while, I asked E if she felt like taking her water wings off. She initially said "No." I said, "trust me, I won't let anything happen to you." She said "No." Then she changed her mind. Off came the water wings. Tentatively, she got herself in the water. I had her start at the shallow end of the pool, where she can stand with her head out of the water. She took a breath, leaned forward and off she went....swimming right into my arms. She was ecstatic. We were static. She said "I never thought I would do that!" Then, with new found confidence, she swam over to her dad. Then back to me. Then over to show her "friends" Flounder and Ariel. I knew she could do it. She was afraid. But in the end, she decided that she would trust me.
9 years ago