To Swim or Not To Swim

This week, I had planned to post a few Tennessee pictures each day and tell funny/interesting/crazy stories about our vacation. Today, I divert from that plan for cathartic reasons. Tomorrow I will continue the vacation recap...but for now, indulge me.

Sydney began swimming lessons yesterday. She LOVES the water. Bath time makes her squeal with glee. She has been enjoying a hot tub since the early age of 3 months and has ALWAYS been a water bug. I could not think of anything more fun to do this summer than to participate in a water babies style swimming class for little tots. I have been counting down the days in anticipation.

Our lesson yesterday did not go smoothly. The moment we hit the water she wanted out of my arms. She splashed for a couple minutes, laughed when we jumped up and down, and then it was all down hill from there. She screeched in my ear off and on till the end of the lesson when we all piled in the hot tub. She calmed down and played with water toys then, and I was relieved. When hot tub time was over, she resumed wailing.

I told myself, "She'll do better tomorrow."

Well, tomorrow (today) was no better. In fact, the screeching started the second we hit the water. I sang. I hummed. I soothed. I comforted. I bragged. I smiled huge smiles. I called her name with my sweetest mommy voice. I did everything I could humanly do. I could not even hear the instructor because my ears were ringing from the sheer volume. The high-pitched screeching continued through out the lesson (stopped for a few moments in the hot tub) and resumed while getting dressed, all the way home, and then progressively got more obnoxious and annoying once we got home. The kid cried from 6:00 till 7:18...almost nonstop.

She had a nap today. Oh, yes she did.
She ate well. She played well. She is not sick or in pain. She has had sufficient rest at night.

I have beating myself up about this. What in tarnation am I doing wrong?

My husband found the whole thing comical as he watched from the pool side. I wanted to blow in his face and dunk his head under the water, but I restrained myself.

The synopsis from everyone is, "She is normal. She is just upset about not getting her way. She is used to doing what she wants to do in the water."

Uh, okay. I can buy that. There's got to be more than the fact that she is a water brat, though.

I'm afraid the Lord is using this experience to teach me something. Oh, goody...this is gonna be a hard life lesson. Pray I have the wisdom to learn what He wants me to learn, patience with my child, stick-to-it-ness that keeps me going to the lessons, and strength in the process.

My, oh my.