Swimming Lessons

Like every place, UT has its pros and cons. Lately, I've been reminded of a couple of them. One thing I LOVE about living here is how kid-friendly it is. Swimming lessons are walking distance from our house and cost a whopping $35! Something that is a con for me is the culture. The mindset that everyone here has the same views just because many people are members of the church bothers me. 

I was hesitant to sign James up for swimming lessons with Covid-19 going on. After lots of thought, Andrew and I decided to move forward with it, especially since it's outdoors. I'm so glad we did! We haven't had much to do these days and we avoid most public places. James did lessons with 2 of his friends, Harrison Hendricks and Philip Alling. Sometimes I wonder if that was a good idea. James can get hyper and this was the case in swimming as well. The teachers had to give James lots of reminders, but he wasn't out of control. As his teacher put it: "He has a lot of great energy." I was pleased by how comfortable James was in the water. The first day, he was scared, but after that he had no problems.

Swim lessons can be kind of exhausting and are definitely a commitment. They're every weekday, 30 minutes a day, for 9 days. It was quite hot already when lessons started at 10:55am. Add a mask, and I was a hot mess. James liked swimming and I decided to sign him up for another session because what else is there to do? The second time, I signed James up without friends. I wanted to see what his behavior was like. I don't think it made much of a difference. I did overhear the teacher telling another kid, "hold James' hand, so he doesn't run away." Yes, that's my child. Energetic and full of life. For round 2, I  signed him up for the earliest time to avoid the heat. I liked 9:45am much better! 

James ended up having the same teacher, Rachel, both sessions. He wasn't as into the other teachers. (There were 2 teachers per class.) The last day of each session is dubbed, "slide day" and includes a dum-dum lollipop and certificate of achievement. After session 1, James was brave and went down the slide without fear. More recently on slide day, he continued to say he didn't want to go when one of his teachers asked. I couldn't figure it out. As soon as Rachel offered to take James down the slide, he went, no problem. I was impressed by all the teachers at the PG Pool. I actually want to leave a review or call because we had a fantastic experience. 

The infamous, Rachel

Slide day

Some highlights:

• We enjoyed walking to swimming lessons several of the days. James would tell me which route he wanted to take each day. 
• Running into Diane Wangeman. She was the primary pianist in our old ward while I was the chorister. I adore her! She's in her mid sixties and brought her grandkids to the pool for lessons. Catching up with her made me happy.
• A few times, I was able to distract/bribe Isabelle with treats. In turn, I was able to read my book in peace while she was stuffing her face with fruit snacks. In case you're wondering, she was buckled securely in her stroller.

Some lowlights:

• James had to go potty twice during swimming lessons. I should be proud of him for letting the teacher know that he needed to us the bathroom, and I am. But man, what a hassle to bring Isabelle into a disgusting public bathroom, all while wrangling James' soaking wet swim trunks off.

We are going camping near a lake soon and I think James' water experience will be helpful. I'm already looking forward to more swimming lessons next summer. Oh, and sorry Isabelle, I guess what they say about 2nd children is true... I didn't do the mom and baby class with you. Maybe next year!