Going swimmingly

I have often said - somewhat jokingly - that God gave us Freddie, because He knew how much Jones needed him. Today definitely helped to prove my point.

The boys and I were at swim class. I'd done all of my work to prep Jones for his lesson - encouraging, threatening, bribing, you name it; I've not been above it. We'd even sung "the Bravest Cat" from the "PJ Masks" soundtrack approximately 3,000 times between our house and the Fitness Center. Still, as soon as (the unbelievably wonderful) Sarah Grace came over to collect the older of her two charges, he started to tense up.

I could tell that the promise of new goggles or the suggestion of a strawberry milkshake would not help to calm him down. Luckily, though, Sarah Grace came up with something. She suggested teaching both boys together, since she had a trainee observing her all afternoon. As soon as she asked Jones if he wanted Freddie with him, his entire demeanor changed.

He went from nervous and beginning-to-be-bulligerant to chatty and charming. The entire lesson was INCREDIBLE, a credit to Sarah Grace's unwillingness to give up on Jones - or to be swayed by how difficult it can be to convince him to do something that he just doesn't want to do.

I was so, so thankful.

She's decided to keep training them together, having unlocked the key to success with the bigger of the brothers, and if today's lesson as any indication, Jones will be swimming in time for Summer days at Lake Chatuge.

After his lesson, he did the funniest thing. He'd taken his tractor umbrella into the lesson, for some reason - it wasn't raining when we went in. As soon as he got out of the pool, he grabbed it, hunched over, put his hand on his back, and started walking like an old person.

Where he has seen this to even emulate it, I don't know, but it was hilarious. Of course, I couldn't get my camera out in time to capture the original walk, but I DID convince him to recreate it for me, if only for a few seconds. On his own, he then walked out of the Fitness Center, hand on his back, umbrella in the air.

To those who've asked if I'm going to put Jones in Drama classes, I may not have a choice in the matter.