Maxine Headd(306) Headd Wholesale Log in to become a member of Maxine Headd's Fan Club!
We had gotten our first new swimming pool this past year. The size of it was 4 ft. by 24 ft. around. It felt really big to us. We dearly loved our brand new swimming toy that we had to play with. We planned to allow our Grandchildren play in it. But first, since they were too little; they would have to learn to swim before we could allow them to swim in the new pool. But our grandchild, Joanna was only about seven years old, and the other young lady, Sarah was a few years younger than Joanna. Sarah was four years old, and there were two other children younger than she was. Our two smallest boys were only about one and a half years old. Although Nathan and David were six months apart, they were the same age. We would not allow them to swim by themselves. We intended to watch them closely, and not allow them to get hurt in any way in the swimming pool. So, our immediate solution was life jackets for the older children; they were all ready swimming in the water, but they truly loved the life jackets, since it allowed them to be out in the water with us. We did not have Nathan and Sarah with us, as much as I had David. So I naturally started David out first in the swimming pool. Nathan and Sarah's dad would bring him over sometimes to play with all the little grandchildren at our house. Swimming in our family was a natural part of life, and one that we certainly enjoyed with all of the older children. Many times before we ever had the first swimming pool, I had loaded all of them up and taken them to play in the Lake water at the Shawnee forest. I had also taken them to Rend Lake, just to go the beach, and allow them to play there all day long.
I placed David first in the water. I allowed him to get used to the water around him. Then as he became more comfortable with the water in the pool, I moved to change him between me and my daughter Billie Imogene. As we changed him between us, Imogene and I switched him back and forth trading the little one and a half year old baby in our arms between us. We also made it playful for him to be with us. We told him nursery rhymes and little stories from our personal collection of old stories and new ones. David loved playing with us like this. The more times we encouraged him to go between us; we also changed the distance between him, my daughter, and me. We started out standing with the baby about a foot apart, and then gradually we increased the distance between us to a foot and one quarter. We worked with David every day like this. We eventually had as much as three feet between us when we would encourage him to swim between us.
David was really doing well with his daily swimming lessons, but we had not yet applied the same principles with Nathan. But Nathan's dad brought him over one day to play with David. And as Nathan stood on the deck and watched David, he suddenly said to us, "I can do that too." Suddenly, Nathan jumped out into the water. You can imagine our surprise when he jumped. He was only a year and three months old. The water was four feet high and I now had a little baby in it by himself. Then as Nathan went down to the bottom of the pool and he sank there. I don't think I'll ever forget the trusting look in his little beautiful blue eyes. He was standing on the bottom of the pool looking up at me. His eyes were so bluish and beautiful. He didn't seem to be scared at all. He reached out his hand to me, and I reached down and I pulled him up to me. It was almost more than I could do not to smother him with kisses, but I didn't. He came up and started swimming just as well as David was doing. We were very excited and pleased with Nathan's swimming adventure.
David was still doing very well, but we had been working with him for the past two weeks, and he was swimming a little distance between Imogene and Me. It was time for David to be put in the water on his own. I was close enough to him to get him when I needed Imogene's help. Imogene was there willing to help whenever I needed her. He was easily swimming three feet between Imogene and me. We were very thrilled and excited that he was swimming so well for us. We encouraged him along, and pretty soon our little two years old was swimming between me and Imogene with no problems at all.
You know I was very thrilled with my two boys swimming as young as they were. They didn't need life Jackets or anything to swim with. They really didn't need me, or their Aunt Imogene to keep them between us. We were very happy with their new independence with swimming. All of us enjoyed taking a swim with them. They were just exceptional little boys who enjoyed the opportunity to swim. When other people learned how young they were and how they were swimming, they offered to pay their way into a swimming club in town, but we didn't do that. We just raised our little boys to have fun in the water.
Now we have an addition to add. Today there is Elijah. Grandma taught him to swim in his first year. Today, Elijah turned five years old and what a little swimmer he is. But Grandma started him right in the pool with her. Sometimes people come over and they watch Elijah swim in awe. They ask us "how did we do that?" And we just laugh and say that Elijah is grandma's baby, and she taught him how to swim at an early age. Teaching little babies to swim is fun and rewarding for the entire family. But be sure that you have enough people to help you and just give the child his own confidence back to him. You will all love teaching the babies to swim.
Maxine Headd is a writer who lives in Marion, Illinois. She loves to write about her family history and other titles. She has written 42 stories so far. There are more stories on Helium.com.
Maxine has four children and has supplied them with many Ghost stories for many years. She loves to watch animals and tell of their adventures. Also, some of the stories are made up, but many of them tell her family history.
I hope that you enjoy them as well as I have.
Maxine attended John A. Logan Collge and Southern Illinois University in the beautiful Southern Illinois Hills.
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
tweet this!