Do you remember swim lessons last year? If you are new to our story, know that it was a miserable experience. David refused to get in; I refused to relent. Misery. To be fair, by the second week, he was regularly getting in, and by the end of the summer he could pretty much swim and was extremely proud of himself. I assumed there would be regression this summer in both skills and attitude. As we got closer and closer to the start date, I got more and more nervous. David, however, seemed fine. He talked constantly about how many stickers he was going to get on his swim chart. On the way to first swim class, he announced he wanted to have a swim party for his birthday (birthday parties are a topic of regular discussion), pass the swim test, and swim in the deep end. I was still nervous.

I believe in miracles. David did not throw a fit when I had the wrong goggles. He did not get completely derailed when he got sunscreen in his eyes, and he did not object to a girl teacher. He got in the water right away and had a great swim class. Just great. I feel like I can stop holding my breath. Now, he's completely focused on learning the skills. I told him that once he got side breathing, he would be able to pass the swim test. He said, "Side breathing is a challenge." Yup, a challenge he can tackle.