Water is our friend - and our enemy
Just got back from a baking hot holiday in Bintan - and my skin will begin peeling again tomorrow, I can feel it starting already.
We spent a lot of time in the pool, much to the children's delight. Especially Nigel, who has mastered the art of pseudo-swimming - the ability to tread-water, keep his head high enough to breath and kick his legs underwater to move. Trust me, I know this is the most dangerous - having a boy jump into the water thinking he knows how to swim when he actually doesn't. Our official swimming lessons have to begin very shortly.
Shannon, on the other hand, knows her limitations and insists on having both the arm-floaties and a swimming board at the same time. However, Celest packed the board and in our last swim this afternoon, and she ended up hesitantly using just the arm-floaties. For some reason, one of them broke while she was swimming. She was a few steps behind me as I was keeping my eye on Nigel. I heard her shouting for me as she tried to maintain her balance on her right float, in obvious panic. After I rushed over to save her, she mumbled something like "I realised something was happening and I suddenly went underwater ...". She was right all along about needing the board as well.
I shudder to think about what could have happened - for example, both floaties could have given way and I wouldn't have been able to hear her at all. Needless to say, this is a real reminder for me to ensure my eyes are always fixed on all the kids, regardless of their swimming abilities.
We spent a lot of time in the pool, much to the children's delight. Especially Nigel, who has mastered the art of pseudo-swimming - the ability to tread-water, keep his head high enough to breath and kick his legs underwater to move. Trust me, I know this is the most dangerous - having a boy jump into the water thinking he knows how to swim when he actually doesn't. Our official swimming lessons have to begin very shortly.
Shannon, on the other hand, knows her limitations and insists on having both the arm-floaties and a swimming board at the same time. However, Celest packed the board and in our last swim this afternoon, and she ended up hesitantly using just the arm-floaties. For some reason, one of them broke while she was swimming. She was a few steps behind me as I was keeping my eye on Nigel. I heard her shouting for me as she tried to maintain her balance on her right float, in obvious panic. After I rushed over to save her, she mumbled something like "I realised something was happening and I suddenly went underwater ...". She was right all along about needing the board as well.
I shudder to think about what could have happened - for example, both floaties could have given way and I wouldn't have been able to hear her at all. Needless to say, this is a real reminder for me to ensure my eyes are always fixed on all the kids, regardless of their swimming abilities.