Pitts Stop: 30 Day Swimming Challenge

June 2013

If you are my friend on facebook, you're probably sick of reading about me taking my kids swimming. Sorry.
The great photos are all at the bottom.

When I was a little kid my mom put me in swimming lessons every year from the time I was 5. I think I stayed in level one for about 5 years.

I was terrified. They wouldn't let me wear goggles and the chlorine stung my sensitive eyes.

The instructors demanded that I open my eyes under water.

I hated them.

Eventually I learned how to swim well enough to have a good time.

Fast forward a lot of years. . .

Last September we bought everyone in our family a Pass of All Passes. These are awesome! They have so many places we can go for free or very cheap that the passes are "paid for" very quickly. We've hardly used them due to my two surgeries and busy school schedule. We mostly bought them to enjoy Seven Peaks this summer. We have visited Trafalga and Holllywood Connection. This Saturday we are seeing the play Tarzan. All of that was free.

The next step is to go to Seven Peaks. I plan to take my kids twice a week for the summer.
Just over a month ago I realized that we would get a lot more use out of the pass if we could go during the day without Daddy. I also realized my six children would probably drown with only me to watch after them.

The boys could swim already. The girls needed swimming lessons, but there weren't any starting until June. So, since I specialize in my own kind of crazy, I decided to teach them all myself.

I bought a 30 day pass to the Gene Fulmer indoor pool, about 7 minutes from my house. It cost $95 for my family of 8. Swim lessons cost $35 for 8 lessons( 30 minutes long). I knew I could do better than that and for less money if I would just commit my own time and energy to my kids. I vowed to go every day but Sunday with as many kids as were available.

Today is the last day. We will go swimming after lunch.

We have gone EVERY SINGLE Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday for about an hour. I really think I deserve an actual 14KT gold star for this, cause, it was not easy.

But, it worked.

Do you know the feeling when you see your baby walk for the first time?

I've had that feeling almost every time we've gone to the pool. As I have witnessed my children gaining new skills and the pure joy they feel in accomplishing something that seemed impossible, I too feel that amazement and joy. It's hard to adequately describe.

Reuben (14) and Tim (12)could already swim, but had never passed the scout swim test for camp. Now, they are ready.

Amy (10) couldn't swim at all. She swims. She floats. She jumps in the deep end. She is working on different strokes.

Clara (7) also couldn't swim. Her crowning achievement last week was jumping into the deep end and swimming across and back. She swims and floats and is working on the back stroke.

Audrey(5) did the death grip whenever I brought her into water deeper than her shoulders. Now, she loves to swim underwater and float on her back or tummy.

Emmeline(3). She is the most delightful. Every single day Emmeline pushes herself a little but more. She loves to jump into the pool and float to the top. She screams at me to put my arms down so I'm not trying to catch her. She jumps off of the steps and swims underwater to me, probably 4 feet. She loves to "go under"! She can float on her back by herself. The best moment was when someone asked me if she had been taking swimming lessons for a long time.

It has been worth it. The 30 extra loads of laundry has been worth it. The extra time has been worth it. The extra gas was worth it. Taking two showers every day was worth it. Scrounging for dinner or eating it quickly was worth it. Being exhausted and wet every day was worth it.

I'm going to miss it.