The Third Turn

After not swimming in the pool for a week, G got right in with me without her wings and set immediately to doggie-paddling.   She had no issues relearning or handling fear.   She swam the week before in Rocky Point, but in a new pool and her being challenged aplenty by the ocean, we did not want to push her without her wings.   Much like I often ride something familiar to reinforce lessons from riding something scary, her break from swimming lessons seemed to make her braver, as she did not panic when she was dipping under or struggling to reach safety.   Each attempt she went further and further, and you could see the confidence grow on her as she focused on moving rather than her face going under.   By the end of our afternoon she was having me pull her under to touch the bottom with her feet.   By the next day she was going down the slide without wings, and then letting us pull her down face-first to touch the bottom with her hands, after which she surfaced and got to safety by herself.