A little peer pressure isn't such a bad thing.

Last night we went swimming in the community pool where our lot is. We met friends out there to swim and eat pizza. This was the second time we had been swimming this year.

Matthew, my fairly fearless child, is scared of drowning. When he was 18 months old, he would jump off the diving board and slide down the slides at the pool with floaties on. The next year, he became petrified of the water and hardly went in. Last year, we had the swim instructer sent from heaven above who gave Matthew confidence that he could swim without floaties. He was able to do it, but not without a lot of coaxing and bribing.

Last night, he wouldn't take his life jacket off. He had lots of fun jumping from the wall into the pool, but not without the jacket. Then, two 6 year old boys started jumping in without floaties on. Matthew watched them for a while, and then decided to join them. He took off his jacket and started doing canonballs and twists into the middle of the pool! Gotta love male machismo!

This was the first time Mary Beth had been swimming. She just loved it! Squealing with delight and splashing the water, she also loved when her big brothers splashed her with their canonballs.

The boys begin swim lessons tomorrow. They will go for two weeks. Parents aren't allowed to watch, so the baby and I will have a Barnes and Noble date every day for an hour.

They also start Mother's Day Out tomorrow. Our church has a summer program for eight Tuesdays in June and July. I decided to put Mary Beth in this year, so I will be footloose and fancy free for 5 hours! I am already planning my shopping schedule.