The Lollipop Lesson

Just pick one.

Every Tuesday, my son has a private swimming lesson at a pool a town over from us. My husband and I pay a lot for the 30-minute sessions but we feel it is worth it for at least three reasons: 1. our little guy needs to learn the life skill of swimming; 2. he absolutely loves being in the water; 3. watching him in the water serves as my version of mindfulness meditation. Regarding reason #1, purportedly over half of the black population in America does not know how to swim and there is a painful history of racism in this. And so my son will become a proficient swimmer. #2 is a relief and has made the process toward reaching #1 relatively smooth. When he gets that last high five from the instructor and I beckon him with an outstretched towel, his response is always, “Aww! Already?”

And reason #3 is pure selfishness on my part. I get to sit back in a bright-colored Adirondack chair and just watch my little guy gliding about like a porpoise. There is a 1 adult to 1 child rule so I am without any company. I can focus on my peanut, bobbing and splashing around. If I’m lucky, I get a refreshing spritz of saltwater toward the end of the lesson, when he practices his jumps. And in case you’re wondering if I use the time to check emails or browse articles, the cell signal I receive there is very weak so the few times I have been tempted to send a message, it has taken…