Swimming in Hawaii

My lovely Zoe,

You finally beat your fear of swimming unaided. Another one to your chain of achievements this Spring. You missed out on snorkeling and ocean fun on a boat during the first days of our Hawaii vacation. We tried to help you, convince you and even force you a little. We had a number of fears to beat: drowning, putting your face in the water, and lastly, the fear of fish. At some point, papa and I gave up, so we can all have a pleasant time, and let you hang in the pool with floaties while we took turns, doing other things while one of us kept you company. Echo enjoyed everything we did in the water, be it in the ocean or the pool, so she tagged along. You and I also made a deal, that in our last day, you will swim unaided. At some point you started to show interest in learning how to swim, and we started counting seconds, to see how long you could float. You beat your first fear - drowning - and we were so proud. You didn't leave it at that. You started playing with your friends going under the water. I never thought I'd see this anytime soon.

"Mom, can I try something in the water?"
"Yes, you can try anything in the water."
"She'll try to swim through the loop of the railing under the water," said one of your friends.
I realized that I spoke too soon. "Oh, that's not what I was expecting. Let me get in the position to save you," I said, and I took off my glasses and flipflops, and sat on the edge of the pool.
The other mom, who did not let her daughter try, now felt obligated to change her mind, and told her daughter to take off her hat if she was going to try that. You dove in, passed your whole body through the loop, and came out proud. And so was I. Nothing like self determination and example of peers who try things we shy away from.

By the time our vacation ended, you were still afraid of the fish, so you didn't get to enjoy the ocean much, but at least you started playing with the waves. I'm sure next time we are in Hawaii, you'll have the time of your life snorkeling and swimming with the fishies. In the meantime, you can swim!!!

Love,

Mommy.