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My son learnt to swim when he was 4 years old. Despite taking him regularly and a once a week session with the school, he was not progressing at all. We lived on the Devon coast, spent many evenings and weekends paddling or fishing or swimming. We also had a small boat which we used for fishing and lobster potting.
The importance of Henry being able to swim was paramount. I could not even get him to put his bare feet on the waves. When he was 4 we went on a family holiday to Dubai. There was a large circular pool about 20m across. For the first time Henry decided to use the pool with me propping him up whilst wearing armbands. For 2 days I tried to deflate the armbands but he sensed even the smallest decrease in floatation and insisted we blew them up again. His desire to swim was zero.
Prior to coming away, childrens tv had been awash with adverts for some modeling clay called Floam. Henry wanted Floam so badly that he begged me to buy it for his birthday another month away.
After an exasperating 2 days I had an idea. I told Henry that if he could swim a width of the pool by the end of our 10 day holiday, then I would buy him all 6 colours of Floam.
He did not get out of that pool for 6 hours, he sat on the sunken internal bar stools and continued to dive and kick over and over again with a determination that surprised everyone who watched. No one including me or his father was allowed near him whilst he continued jumping into the pool. He swam the width of the pool that day, the goal not to swim, but for Floam. The Floam cost me £24.99 and was the cheapest swimming lesson ever. Floam taught my son to swim.
So why after all these years did I bring it up. Well as much as he did not want to swim, he did not want to ride a bike. Several bikes, several years and the patience of parents and grandparents in shreds, we had not progressed at all. Again, Henry did not want to ride a bike. His desire was zero and it got to be that he worked himself into such a state that we abandoned it.
He is now 9 and it seemed the only one in his class who could not ride a bike. He could not understand why we had not pushed him harder since now he was feeling a little stupid. Truth be-known, I am over protective and actually felt that it was fine that he couldn't ride, one less potentially dangerous activity for him to take part in.
2 days ago my husband borrowed a bike from a friend to see if we could try again. Henry showed the same determination and commitment that he had when he learnt to swim, again he would not be supported. The only help he asked for asking us to ride it so that he could see the technique himself. He decided that he was going to learn to ride a bike himself that day. It took no time at all and he did it.
It makes me so proud to see his focus and effort rewarded by achievement. It is humbling to know that my young child can teach me a thing or two about what is possible when you set your mind on something!
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