And it starts with swimming.  Our state is mercifully lax on homeschool laws.  No registration, no number of days, no testing… just that you teach in the English language and at some point during the year, cover 7 subjects (with no dictate about how much time you spend on any of them).  Welcome to “Physical Development and Health”.

I love watching BigGuy swim.  He’s actually really good at it.  I have no idea if he likes it.  He doesn’t get much choice in the matter, but he also never so much as whimpers at the thought.  Actually, that’s a lie: the last place he took lessons, the water was SO. COLD. that he would come out of the pool with his lips LITERALLY purple.  So when he complained about that, I couldn’t deny it.  In the end, I was the one that pulled the plug on that.  Awesome instruction but really just colder than cold.  BigGuy is very temperature sensitive; but there was another kid that actually wore a wet suit to help with it.  Enough is enough.

Neither child has been in swim lessons for about a year.  I’m not sure if BigGuy has ever gone that long without being in swim lessons and for him, it’s kind of a big deal.  Girly is SERIOUSLY our athlete.  She’s also HELLACIOUSLY “late” to swim lessons on my personal timeline.  My personal timeline is structured on “Mama’s comfort and ability to take my kids anywhere near water without worrying they’ll drown”.  Mama grew up comfortably within reach of a beach.  ‘Nuff said.

BigGuy pretty much has ZERO other physical activity.  Think sloth.  He’s frail and pale and all things bookish.  But I worry about his physical health and creating habits of physical health.  So… swimming.  Well, and this:

Girly wants nothing to do with being under water.  As a result, this might be go-round #4 with the VERY. FIRST. LEVEL. of swim lessons.  As in: splash water on the face to acclimate them to the idea of getting their face wet.  She claims that she fully went under the water during the first class but I, having eyes on two kids in one session, apparently missed it.  We shall see.

We have enough Christmas gift money to join the local pool this year, so I’m completely excited.  Especially if they could manage to move Girly up to treading water.  That would be crazy awesome.  And if they could dial back on BigGuy such that he won’t be able to pass the deep water swim test, that would be great, too.  🙂