The power of encouragement!
Yesterday we went to a friend's pool to chill out (and I mean CHILL! it was 73degrees out!!). It was just me and Dave and the kids. I put arm floaties on Zech and tried to see if he'd get in the water and try swimming. He was terrified and stayed on the stairs. I eventually just pulled him out to the water to show him how the arm floaties would hold him up. It kinda scared him, but we tried to make sure he felt secure in the water floating him back and forth between me and daddy. Then we gave him a noodle and completely let go. He was VERY scared until we started shouting "you are so brave, you are such a great swimmer, Look how great your doing!" His demanor completely changed, his sholders stiffened with new confidence and he began to swim, and swim and swim. He went from one side of the pool to the other with ease, asking Daddy to back up, and not touch him. He got faster and faster. He gained more and more confidence as we shouted more and more encouragement. We were telling him that he was a new ninja warrior champion (from a show he watches) and he would swim even faster. i couldn't believe how fast he learned! But it goes to show how easily things can be accomplished if we were to just encourage one another.
Lily, too, found an innertube and clung to it and set off to floating. She didn't need our hands holding her up, she was reminded how proud we were of her, how brave we thought she was, and what a big girl she was, and that gave her the confidence to have that freedom in the water.
Just imagine who else we can set free with our encouraging words?