The Swimming Chronicles

Lesson 1: Get Wet

I've spent the last two days trying to teach my niece how to swim, or at least how to get used to the idea of floating in a body of water. Doesn't sound too bad theoretically but it is just a teensy weensy little tiny bit trying
when your little niece refuses to get her face wet.

on the first day, it took about 20 minutes to coax her down the steps of the pool. Even after she had gotten to a level which was at least chest deep for her, she still refused to leave the steps, for fear of falling, being unable to breath, and getting her face wet.

oh well. you just have to take another 20 minutes (well less than that actually) to convince her to let you carry her around the swimming area before she finally agrees to letting you hold her waist and kicking round to the other end of the pool.

it gets tremendously better though. because the next day she's bugging me to go down with her to the pool; she bangs into my room the next morning at about 9am, leaving my door wide open such that all the air conditioned air escapes into the humid outside, and flings her new orange floats near my face and goes

"ah kor! see what my mummy buy for me! we go swimming ok?"

and it only takes us 5 minutes this time to get her down the steps of the pool.