...Into the deep end!

My little man went off the diving board for the first time today!!! This is a big event for a 6 year old. This simple event was so important to him. He was so proud of himself. He and I went and watched the "big" kids jumping and diving off the low and the high dives. He had decided that maybe he would take a few days to practice in the shallower area first.

The power of EXAMPLE is a very powerful thing, however. Belle decided that she wanted to go. She convinced Bear to go with her. He didn't want to be left out. I think it would have killed him if they had gone and he had to watch--feeling like a coward. I thought that maybe he might chicken out once he got on top of that board and looked down. Not my little man! He was ready. No hesitation. Just one, two, three GO! (Weeelll, maybe a little bit) My heart was in my throat. We've been working very hard this past year on his swimming. He tries super hard. Sometimes he's doing all of the things he's supposed to but he's just not moving. It's like he's swimming in one place. I knew he COULD do it. I just hoped that HE knew that he could do it. You never can tell what a person is going to do under pressure. Is he going to PANIC? Or is he going to rise to the TOP and glide over to the side like a champion? I guess that's why we sometimes have to just take a deep breath, (half)close our eyes and let them jump into the deep end. I'm just SO glad that I didn't have to dive in after him.