Friday, May 20, 2011

Lion in the Yard...

I heard someone once say that if you have a backyard swimming pool, you need to treat it like it was a ferocious Lion. Do everything humanly possible to keep it away from your kids. Chain it up under lock and key if you have to. Great advice that I wished I had heard year earlier. I lost my namesake, 16 month old son to a drowning accident in 1987. It is something that is indelibly seared into the mind, while taking temporary respites, never completely straying too far awy from your thoughts. It happened in May, so this month can be particularly tough at times. What type of man would he be? How tall, how smart, how handsome?

Back to the Lion, I came across Conrad, the neighborhood Swim Whisperer a couple of weeks ago. He teaches swimming to kids as young as 2 years old in his backyard. Parents will schedule visits to L.A. from as far away as Chicago, so that their young ones can spend a week with Conrad. He is so patient and gentle, you can sense the assurance and confidence he dispenses. Couple that with a backyard that suits his approach to a tee. A running fountain, Buddha statue, soft music, torches, it is a veritable serentiy panacea. I took Shiloh to observe and she was very much at ease. I have been doing what was suggested to prepare her for his class when she is closer to two years old in August. Submerging and developing the leg kick, she has shown improvment in a short period of time. When I mention this to a parent at Cyrus' baseball game, it elicits positive affirmations from other parents who hear our conversation. Seems like Conrad has taught the whole neighborhood to swim. And as you can well imagine, it will be a welcomed relief when Shiloh is able to swim herself to safety. Until then, the Lion lurks, never sleeping...