Raphaela's second swim lesson last week was less successful and fun than the first, as she had not napped in the morning and was somewhat tired; she melted down about 2/3 of the way through the class. Before tomorrow's swimming adventure, I am going to force her to nap, even if only for 45 minutes, that's enough to cover the 45 minutes of the session.
Tonight I took Raphaela to a Mommy and Me music group that was meeting down the block from our house. While my child loves listening to music and playing the drums at home, I fear that this class is more appropriate for children over the age of two, it has lots of singing and participation, and Raphaela cannot yet clap "Hooray" by herself.
I am learning that it will take experimentation on both our parts to discover Raphaela's particular skills. There may be someone in her class or among her friends who is better than her, and I will have to find a way to explain it to her, and to allow her to feel good about excelling in her own talents. I will also have to find a way to break out of my own competitive patterns, and remind myself that I (and my daughter) do not have to be the best at everything.
1 comment:
my little half-brother went to baby-swimming.
When he was 6 years old, it was a great drama to teach him to swim.
Perhaps he was traumatised by baby-swimming?
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