Swimming Lessons: A Story for Mother's Day

Take Pen to Paper: Edition 85

May 09, 2024

Hello Friends,

Summer is just around the corner. Soon, we will be looking for activities to cool us off. What’s better than the refreshing waters swimming pools, lakes, rivers, or oceans?

In this newsletter:

Mothers know best.
Swimming lessons.
Saying thank you.

A Mother’s Wisdom

Mothers know some good stuff. I am lucky enough to have had a wonderful mother and other mother figures in my life to appreciate what they have to offer.

Being a mother myself adds to the validity of my statement. I feel like I have imparted a lot of good stuff to both my children and grandchildren. That’s not to say mothers are perfect. I’ve made plenty of parenting mistakes. Some I caught in the moment and corrected. Others I look back on and cringe at the memory.

Just like my mother, I did what I thought was best and still do. We mothers never stop mothering. And, we never stop needing our mothers, even if it’s just for the love they give us.

As mothers, much of what we do and advise is based on our experiences. We’ve observed our mothers and our friend’s mothers. Our childhood experiences shape us. We learn from trial and error with each child because no two are alike.

Parenting can be a thankless job. Did I ever tell my mother thank you for something specific?

The Value of Swimming Lessons

My mother's experiences as a child shaped what she wanted for my siblings and me.

The one that stands out most in my mind is swimming lessons. She never learned how to swim and often related her near-drowning experience at the swimming hole with her brothers and sisters.

My mother was determined that the three of us would be excellent swimmers. She was so determined that she enrolled my brother, three years older than me, in swimming lessons in the Long Island Sound (New York) when he was seven.

The average water temperature of the sound is 65 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s dang cold for skinny little kids from Alabama. My guess is that the kids learned to swim so they could get out of the water! The last time my mother talked about it, she couldn’t help but laugh.

My sister and I were more fortunate when our turn came in the sense that we had moved back south. But I had a healthy fear of water, knowing you can’t breathe underwater. Splashing around in the shallow end was fine with me. My mother disagreed.

During our first summer of lessons, I wasn’t a difficult student, but I was a reluctant, skeptical student. I managed to learn how to doggy paddle. But the ultimate goal was to dive in head first and swim underwater. On the last day of lessons, the instructor threw a handful of coins in the shallow end. We could keep any we retrieved.

I would not have had any coins if it wasn’t for my younger sister. I had learned to put my head under; getting within reach of the bottom was another thing. My fearless sister went for the money and handed some to me.

Needless to say, that summer was the first of many summers of lessons. I’m not sure I would have made the progress I did without the desire to not be horribly out-performed by my sister.

I’m not sure I would have learned to swim if it wasn’t for my mother and sister.

Saying Thank You

I never thanked my mother for swimming lessons.

Once we learned to swim, she supported our efforts to take lessons, improve, and ultimately become certified lifeguards.

My mother’s insistence on having us learn to swim gave me freedom and opportunity.

In middle school, we were free to ride our bikes to the pool without her to swim under the watchful eye of lifeguards. Getting our swimming badge and lifeguard badge for Girl Scouts was easy. In college, it cleared up a class requirement for graduation slot and summer jobs loved seeing “lifeguard certified” on an application.

It took me years after those first torturous swimming lessons to be grateful that my mother insisted we learn. And even talking with her about my memories of those lessons late in her life did not prompt me to say thank you.

Now, as a mother, I know we don’t always need those words because we see the results of the good stuff we impart to our grown children.

I hope my mother could see that.

7 Days, 7 Thoughts on Gratitude and Good:

The turtle in the picture above needed a mother who could teach it that no all water holes are alike.
My mother was on to something. This swim school sites 19 benefits to swim lessons.
It’s good that some schools and school districts teach children to swim at no extra cost. Swimming is a life skill. Just knowing the basics can save a life.
Mothers have been celebrated with festivals as far back as ancient times. In the United States, Mother’s Day was started in 1907 by Anna Jarvis in honor of her mother, who organized women’s groups to promote friendship and health among women.
A quote: “The mother's heart is the child's schoolroom.” - Henry Ward Beecher
I am grateful for having my mother as an example in my life.
Are you sure your mother wants a gift for Mother’s Day? Maybe she just wants your time.

As a Mother’s Day bonus, check out this bird cam with four fluffy peregrine falcon chicks that eat meat (but most of the time, they sleep and cry).

Thank you for reading. This week, find a way to express your thanks to a mother figure in your life.

Until next time,

💚

Susan

Did your mother pass on words of wisdom through words or actions? Leave a comment and tell me about it. You may have advice for me.

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