A Little Glimpse
When we got to Soren's swimming lesson this morning, his usual teacher, Miss Laura, wasn't there. She had a family emergency, so they had a substitute taking over her classes. At first I thought, 'Great. Soren loves Miss Laura. I hope this sub knows what she's doing!' I turned Soren over to the unknown, Miss Polly, and went to watch with the other moms. They were all just as nervous as I was.
However, it soon became clear to all of us that Miss Polly is an excellent instructor. She had all of them doing things they had never done before. Soren jumped in and went under water. He floated on his back with her. He protested when he got water in his eyes and when he swallowed a bunch of it, but she talked him through it and he was fine. There were no tears. There was no whining. She even let go while he was 'swimming' to the side. She got him as soon as he went under, but the look of shock on Soren's face was a little disconcerting. However, Miss Polly showed him that he was fine and made him laugh. At some point during swimming lessons, the teacher does have to let go, just as, at some point during parenting, the Mom has to let go.
The kids were all happy and proud of themselves at the end of the lesson. I made a point to thank Miss Polly and tell her what a great teacher I think she is. Soren couldn't stop talking about all the things he did and wanted to show me in the big pool as soon as we got outside. It was a breakthrough day. Soren has been comfortable in the water for some time, but I hadn't been able to get him to completely lie back to float on his back. Nor had I been able to get him to jump in and go under water. He would only jump in if I caught him before his face when in. I used Miss Polly's techniques and he did all of his new tricks with me.
Sometimes kids will do things for the first time with other people, rather than Mom or Dad. I've seen this happen with new foods, jumping on a trampoline, climbing a ladder and now going under water. I think it's because Soren doesn't want to act like a baby in front of his peers or his teachers. Great! I love so many things about that. I love that he can be vulnerable with me. I also love that he can stretch his wings when I'm not around. I love that he has a competitive streak and wants to be a 'big boy' when he's with other kids. However, I also loved to see him comfort one of the littler kids when she got scared. He reached over to pat her and say, 'It's okay. You can do it.'
All of these things give me a little glimpse of the man he will be. He's a kind person. He's compassionate. He's learning so fast and he's proud of himself. He's comfortable in his own skin. He's not shy or afraid to try new things.
I'm in awe of him. I'm humbled by him. I'm fascinated by him. When we got home later today, Soren's brother, Kieran, came down with a tummy bug. He wasn't feeling well at all and was very fussy and sad. I was discussing his symptoms with my husband and I guess Soren overheard the conversation from the other room.
When I walked into the kitchen, Soren was standing there, practically in tears. He looked at me and said, 'Mommy, I don't want Kieran to have a bug in his tummy! I don't want him to be sick and sad!' I quickly gave him a hug and explained that Kieran doesn't have a real bug in his tummy and that's just something we say when somebody isn't feeling very well. I told him that Kieran will be fine in a day or so and that it's nothing to worry about. The look of relief that washed over Soren's face was instant.
Soren was worried about his brother. Kieran's never been sick before, so this situation was new and I never guessed Soren would react this way. The fact that my three-year-old was so empathetic showed me how quickly he's growing up. The fact that he thought his brother had an actual bug in him tummy reminded me that he's only three.
However, it soon became clear to all of us that Miss Polly is an excellent instructor. She had all of them doing things they had never done before. Soren jumped in and went under water. He floated on his back with her. He protested when he got water in his eyes and when he swallowed a bunch of it, but she talked him through it and he was fine. There were no tears. There was no whining. She even let go while he was 'swimming' to the side. She got him as soon as he went under, but the look of shock on Soren's face was a little disconcerting. However, Miss Polly showed him that he was fine and made him laugh. At some point during swimming lessons, the teacher does have to let go, just as, at some point during parenting, the Mom has to let go.
The kids were all happy and proud of themselves at the end of the lesson. I made a point to thank Miss Polly and tell her what a great teacher I think she is. Soren couldn't stop talking about all the things he did and wanted to show me in the big pool as soon as we got outside. It was a breakthrough day. Soren has been comfortable in the water for some time, but I hadn't been able to get him to completely lie back to float on his back. Nor had I been able to get him to jump in and go under water. He would only jump in if I caught him before his face when in. I used Miss Polly's techniques and he did all of his new tricks with me.
Sometimes kids will do things for the first time with other people, rather than Mom or Dad. I've seen this happen with new foods, jumping on a trampoline, climbing a ladder and now going under water. I think it's because Soren doesn't want to act like a baby in front of his peers or his teachers. Great! I love so many things about that. I love that he can be vulnerable with me. I also love that he can stretch his wings when I'm not around. I love that he has a competitive streak and wants to be a 'big boy' when he's with other kids. However, I also loved to see him comfort one of the littler kids when she got scared. He reached over to pat her and say, 'It's okay. You can do it.'
All of these things give me a little glimpse of the man he will be. He's a kind person. He's compassionate. He's learning so fast and he's proud of himself. He's comfortable in his own skin. He's not shy or afraid to try new things.
I'm in awe of him. I'm humbled by him. I'm fascinated by him. When we got home later today, Soren's brother, Kieran, came down with a tummy bug. He wasn't feeling well at all and was very fussy and sad. I was discussing his symptoms with my husband and I guess Soren overheard the conversation from the other room.
When I walked into the kitchen, Soren was standing there, practically in tears. He looked at me and said, 'Mommy, I don't want Kieran to have a bug in his tummy! I don't want him to be sick and sad!' I quickly gave him a hug and explained that Kieran doesn't have a real bug in his tummy and that's just something we say when somebody isn't feeling very well. I told him that Kieran will be fine in a day or so and that it's nothing to worry about. The look of relief that washed over Soren's face was instant.
Soren was worried about his brother. Kieran's never been sick before, so this situation was new and I never guessed Soren would react this way. The fact that my three-year-old was so empathetic showed me how quickly he's growing up. The fact that he thought his brother had an actual bug in him tummy reminded me that he's only three.
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