Proud Motherhood Moment: I Have a Little Swimmer!

Of all of my most prized accomplishments, I can say that being a good mother is probably what I do best. 

I tell people all the time that when I took on the responsibility of being a mom, I knew that it included placing a temporary halt to my social life. It was much more important to me to be a mainstay in my child's life during her earliest years to establish the foundation that "Mommy is here, always has been, and always will be."

Like most parents, in addition to sacrificing my social life, I've also made financial sacrifices.  I've gone without new clothing and shoes to make sure she has what she needs. I learned to eat to live rather than eating what I wanted.  I probably put my own development on hold to make sure I could steer her own development and support her goals. Since the age of 2, my daughter has proclaimed that she's a gymnast; and I do what I can to help her accomplish that.

In addition to gymnastics, Jireh loves all things sports.  She wants to do it all! She's told me that she wants to play soccer as well as tee-ball. Her favorite past time is going to the beach.  She loves water! When she was still in diapers, she attempted to run straight into the pool at Splash Adventure.  She had no fear. Yet, I knew that she didn't have the necessary skill. So, I made the decision that she would learn to swim.

She took four swimming lessons last summer before my schedule got too hectic to continue. So, this summer, I was determined to do whatever was needed to make sure she learned to swim.  She started her lessons two weeks ago (two lessons, one on Tuesday and the other on Thursday) and then we took a week off.  We returned to her lessons last night. Before the night was over, her instructor (LaJessica Harris) had her diving into 10 ft and swimming to the side.

Don't get me wrong, she was afraid to jump into the deep end; but I assured her that neither I nor her instructor would let her drown. Through tears, she believed me when I told her, "You're a champion! You can do this!" And she did it!

So much for the myth that black people don't swim!

The crazy thing is that I've never taken lessons, and I can swim "enough" for a pool, but I'm not skilled in any way. However, I made it a point to provide for my child what I didn't. It may not be in the form of clothing or electronics, but I'm giving her a skill she can use for the rest of her life.