Well...Alex and his best pal Jonathan just finished a round of swimming lessons on Saturday. They both passed level 3 and will start level 4 in a few weeks. This pictures are NOT from his current lessons, rather from this summer...just thought it was appropriate and SO cute. :) This is the 4th time Alex has taken this level. He's passed 1/2 the time and had to repeat the other 1/2. I wanted him to totally get it before I had them move him up during the summer. This last session was interesting. He and Jon were the only 2 kids in the class. That was SO great. Their teacher was hard core though. She really worked them. My good friend Kristin and I would go on Saturday mornings and watch them together.
Alex started out doing great. He was remembering all he had learned in July. Then she started asking harder things of them. They started learning to dive...off the diving board. Jonathan got it pretty fast. He is a natural athlete. Alex was afraid. Sitting up in the bleachers, I would just cross my fingers that he would feel it. Understand how his body had to enter the water. He never really did. My fear was that Jonathan would pass and Alex would not. I worried through their whole lesson about how I would help him deal with that. His best friend just happens to be a tiny bit better than him...at almost everything. Jonathan is such a nice kid...never rubs it in...never makes him feel bad. I don't even know that Alex does feel bad, I just know that he notices.
Alex started out doing great. He was remembering all he had learned in July. Then she started asking harder things of them. They started learning to dive...off the diving board. Jonathan got it pretty fast. He is a natural athlete. Alex was afraid. Sitting up in the bleachers, I would just cross my fingers that he would feel it. Understand how his body had to enter the water. He never really did. My fear was that Jonathan would pass and Alex would not. I worried through their whole lesson about how I would help him deal with that. His best friend just happens to be a tiny bit better than him...at almost everything. Jonathan is such a nice kid...never rubs it in...never makes him feel bad. I don't even know that Alex does feel bad, I just know that he notices.
Kristin and I talked about how hard being a mom can truly get. Life is full of these teaching moments. Moments where you have to convince them that they are special and unique and wonderful. Noone told me how hard that part would be. Watching your kids fail. Here's what is so great about my Alex though. He keeps trying. He went off that diving board at least half a dozen times. He'd giggle when he would mess up, then he'd try again. I am so proud of him. I think his teacher saw his determination and decided he was ready to move on. A bullet dodged...but for how long? Hopefully his confidence can come from WHO he is, not WHAT he can do. He is amazing.
8 comments:
Way to go Alex!!! Congratulations on moving up!
Amy you are such a great mom! It is so hard to watch them grow up, and have to start dealing with these kinds of things, I am so not ready for the dissappointments that they will face, I just want them to be happy!
good job alex. way to keep trying. that's all that matters.
Proud of you Alex.It is such a scarey thing to dive(or even jump) off that board. It looks so HIGH. I'm so happy that you kept trying.That is so important!!!!!
Oh. Gosh, being a kid is tough. What a great kid, though. He can do it. He will do it.
He is awesome and I am so glad I know him. He makes me laugh. And I think it's more important that he kept on trying than that he got it right away. That says a lot about his character and his strength.
It's been SO fun sharing Saturday mornings with both of you. We like you guys so much.
I think that it is awesome that he is trying something new and still having fun while learning. It is a huge problem that I have~ I need to be good at everything and then it isn't so much fun anymore. Alex is wonderful and you should be one proud Mama!
and you sound like an amazing mom! it brought tears to my eyes. I deal with that daily with blake and all his needs. i want him to believe that he is just as good, just as able, just made by heavenly father a little differently. it is a hard thing to do. keep doing what you are doing because it is working!
This is the most beautiful entry ever. You are an inspirational mom. If you see this, please tell Alex something from me. I was mediocre in school, but I tried and I was passionate and never gave up. I always believed that desire to succeed was enough. I worked very hard and earned a place at Oxford University, which was the beginning of my dream-seeking. There are people to whom it came easier, much easier. I always used to study for longer, struggle harder. But life isn't just about raw talent - it is also about attitude, and Alex has the positivity and life that will allow him to aspire to and ultimately reach every single one of his dreams.
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