Splash!

Daxton and Kinlee had swimming lessons in June and August this year. The last day of every session, the kids get to swim across the pool in races. Daxton swam better and faster than I have ever seen him swim. When we were driving home, I was telling him how great I thought he did. He told me that he learned it from Michael Phelps. He said Michael always cups his hands and digs deep in the water to make himself go fast. I may just buy the DVD of the olympics and take him to the pool rather than spend money on lessons next year.

Every night when you ask Kinlee what her favorite part of the day is, she jabbers a bunch, but it always ends with "splash". It is one of the words that she says really clearly. She loves blowing bubbles and jumping off of the diving board.

Just a hint to people who don't know how to deal with kids with special needs. Don't assume that you know what they need. Maybe just ask what they need. The nice thing is that they usually come with a parent who has all kinds of experience with them and worries more about how they can fit in a situation than you do. For instance, if you had a child with lets say, Down Syndrome, at your swimming pool taking lessons. Don't go up to the mother of the child and tell them how kids with Down Syndrome need their moms more than other kids. Don't insinuate that the parent tried to slip them into your program without telling someone (especially when your husband is the one that convinced them to sign up). And certainly don't tell this mom about how kids with Down Syndrome aren't as bad as "those kids with Autism", because moms of kids with special needs know each other and have a gilmpse of the struggles that are always in each other's paths. Just recognize that although you are a public pool and have to deal with OSHA, the Health Department, and cryptosporidium, that everyone has challenges in their lives. Have some compassion to know that as hard as it is for you to deal with children with special needs for a few hours a week during the summer, the parents of kids with special needs accept this as a part of life and appreciate as many precious years that they get to learn from them. Just a little shift in your perception of the situation, and you might realize that the three half hours that this beautiful little girl gets to spend in your pool, might be the highlight of her day!