Dont be afraid to take the plunge!

Some children take to swimming like duck to water and Abhay is certainly not one of them! Right from his infancy, Abhay was like a fish out of water when in water!:-) Giving him a bath was one of my biggest challenges as a new mom! Believe me I would have put on ear plugs, if I had them handy! Every day as we gave him a bath, he’d break new records in the intensity level of his screams. Only when we came to the US, he got more comfortable with bath and began enjoying bubble baths. So I felt relieved that my son was not scared of the water after all. When he was three and a half years old, I enrolled him into swimming lessons and that’s when I realized how wrong I was!  It’s been a year since and Abhay is still at the first level (Catfish1) when all the others, have moved up the swim ladder! I understand that there's no hurry, but at some point of time, a catfish has to grow into a blowfish!:-)

So today I read two books on two penguins who share one thing in common - their fear of swimming. The first one being “Don’t be Afraid, Little Pip” by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman, in which Pip, a little penguin is not sure about wanting to swim as he believes birds should fly instead. The reality is Pip is afraid of the mighty ocean that is home to creatures like octopus, giant sea plants and coral forests. So Pip bunks her swim class and wanders around the shore when she sees a giant Albatross from whom she takes flying lessons. Eager to put her training into work, she spreads her wings and jumps from the edge of the sea, hoping to fly, but lands in water instead. With a little help from her friend, Pip finally learns to kick her legs and flap her wings and manages to swim in the ocean! As she swoops past octopus, sea plants and coral reefs, she realizes that swimming feels like flying, after all! 

The second is my favorite, “Sergio makes a Splash” by Edel Rodriguez. Sergio, a penguin loves playing in the rain, relaxing in the bath tub and frolicking with water in general, but is petrified of  swimming in the ocean. On a school field trip to the ocean, Sergio is nervous about getting into the water. Even with his floats on, his snorkel and his life vest on, he is not so keen on taking the plunge. When all his classmates dive into the ocean, its now Sergio’s turn. Taking a deep breath, closing his eyes, edging towards the rim, he jumps into the water and disappears into the ocean. As everyone waits with baited breath, he pops out of the water with a big splash and an even bigger smile! So you’ve got a little hydrophobic at home, read to him about Sergio and have him take a splash!