Dr. Asher and Mr. Dinosaur

"Would the mother of the screaming child who refuses to get into the swimming pool please come retrieve her son immediately? And will the rest of you parents please laugh and point while this duo leaves the pool area never to be allowed back again?"

This is how Walter and I imagined the first day of swimming lessons would go today. Asher does not do well conforming to group settings and regularly refuses to speak to adults other than Walter and me (well sometimes he refuses to speak to us too!). This combined with his aversion to putting his face in the water caused us great concern as we expected swimming lessons to be a total flop.

But my little Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde surprised me once again. He did great!!! Even before his allotted time began, he won all the waiting teachers over with his smile and sweet answers to their questions. When they asked him to get in the water, he complied. When they wanted the swimmers to hold onto the wall and kick, Asher's splashes outdid them all!

As I watched from my lounge chair, hardly able to keep my head from shaking in amazement, I beamed with pride. He can participate in a group setting. He can obey a teacher. And he may just even learn how to swim!

But we do know his little secret. He may be a good performer and put on a good act in front of other people.
My little Dr. Asher
But at home, his inner-dinosaur becomes unleashed!
My irresistible Mr. Dinosaur.