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“I Swam It!!”

Today was a great day at the pool.

The boys started swimming lessons at our local high school yesterday. Both had taken lessons before, elsewhere. Since I’d heard good things about the high school program, I decided to give it a try. Am I ever happy that I did. 

During his class today, Benjamin swam the entire width of the pool all by himself. No bubble. No noodle. No lifejacket. No help from his instructor. By himself! This is HUGE!!

Now, for those of you who don’t know just how huge this is, let me explain. About a year and a half ago, Benjamin was diagnosed with a gross motor and fine motor developmental delay. He has some difficulty understanding how his body works, getting his body to do what he wants it to do, how to orient his body in space and, understandably, issues with his coordination and balance. So, sports can be hard for Ben. He tends to run out of steam pretty quickly too. Think of it this way, if your brain has trouble getting your body to do what it needs to do, then anything physical can be pretty tiring, and not always a whole lot of fun. Ben has to work that much harder to do what is so natural to many kids.   

There is more to this story, but that’s for another blog on another day.

Today, Benjamin swam a width of the pool. By himself. He reached the other side, looked back from where he had come, and yelled, “I swam it!!” His smile was brilliant.

I jumped out of my seat in the bleachers, and cheered. And silently cursed myself for forgetting my camera.

Then, to cap off his lesson, Benjamin jumped off the diving board, again all by himself. Another first.

For me, that swim was so much more than a width of the pool. That swim measured just how far Benjamin has come in the last year and a half. And just how far I know he’ll be able to go.

xo Naomi

Comments

  1. Jenn BWJuly 17, 2012 at 8:41 PM

    This one made me teary (in a happy way)! Way to go Ben!!

    xo
    Auntie Jenn

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJuly 17, 2012 at 8:50 PM

    Hey Ben...grandpa and I are very proud of you! Way to go! I wish I was there to see you swim like a fish. I think that this deserves a treat from Mommy and Papa.....what do you think? You were very brave to jump off the diving board too!

    Love you lots. Grandma xoxoxox

    ReplyDelete

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