You’re probably wondering what happened in the third session. Well, I didn’t write about it because all I would have done was copy and paste everything from the second session post. Just more crying and whining. And then more crying and whining. And crying… and whining. Mostly from Ellie, but I did my fair share too. Just not during class. At least not out loud. Ellie hated class, and SO DID I! I just wanted to finish my commitment without being a quitter. Four more weeks, I could do this.
With the previous three classes being so thrilling, I felt spent and had no emotions left for the fourth one. I wasn’t anxious or nervous, I was just feeling blank. Let’s just get it over with and then we’ll stop for donuts on the way home. I even had a play date set up at the park directly after class so she could play off the pool trauma. I figured the fresh air would do me good as well.
When we went into the locker room it was the same drill. She started crying as soon as I started changing her. The typical cracker bribe didn’t work either. She knew what was coming, and so did I. It didn’t matter, it was just thirty minutes, I could handle it. I just didn’t want her to ruin the class for everyone else again. That’s why for the fourth session, we got there early on purpose. Maybe I could ease her into the water before class started. I wasn’t expecting much, but it was worth a shot.
We were all swimweared up and ready to hit the pool. By ready I mean screaming and crying. But when I opened the door and Ellie saw the water, she stopped crying and pointed.  “Eh.” Yeah, that’s the water. “Uh uh.”  I wasn’t sure if that was good sign or not, but it seemed like a step in the right direction. I had her stand on the floor and we started to walk into the water up to her ankles. She had a death grip on my finger but she wasn’t crying. What!? Could it be? She bent down and splashed with her hand and smiled. She smiled! In the water! She didn’t want to go any farther yet, but she was splashing and smiling. This was improvement.
When the rest of the class showed up Ellie stayed in a good mood and was her old storytime self. She was smiling with the other kids and parents. She was tilting her head back and making faces. Putting on a show. This was the kid I knew. I liked this kid and I was glad she showed up to swim class. Everybody noticed the improvement and I think they were all happy that she wasn’t crying through another class.
For the rest of the class, we were able to participate in all the activities. The jumping, playing with the toys, splashing, kicking, attempting to blow bubbles, and the songs. They weren’t the songs we practiced all week long, but she still enjoyed them.
So, she did it! I did it! This is the mushy ending part about how proud I am (of Ellie and myself) and how important patience is, blah blah blah. But whatever, she did it. She didn’t cry! I guess I’m running out of things to complain about. For now. Hopefully she’ll keep the trend going for the remaining classes.
