Rhen and I went to our first swim class yesterday. It’s called “Shrimp and Kippers”. I guess I’m the kipper. The age range is six to eighteen months and oh yeah, the adults too. It started off swell. A variety of songs were sung to acclimate our children to the sensation of water and getting their face wet. On the second round of “I’m A Little Tea Pot” I dunked Rhen’s left side of his face into the water a bit to vigorously and made him cry a little. What can I say. The little tea pot business was only the beginning. We then sang “Motor Boat” which I’ve never heard in my life and then moved onto “Ring Around the Rosie” all incorporating various acclimation elements. Some kids just wanted to be left alone. Others were ready for the high dive. It all seemed to depend on the personality of the parent. At least that is how I saw it. The more mellow parents had kids that just wanted to chill and float about. The “Type A” parents had their children splashing, screaming, crying and then jumping and laughing like little hysterical deckhands. Class was a half hour long. A lot of group singing and circling followed by some freestyle time with your child.
After swim lessons we went down to the Heritage Fair (formerly known as the Victorian Fair) and had pork chop on a stick and talked to some friends.
The night ended at my parents’ place watching the Gem Auction (I love satellite tv) with my sister until about 11pm. It was a very good thing.