My boys love to swim and we live in Texas, so swim lessons are a “must”.

If you spend as much time at the pool as we do, swim lessons are more of an investment than some other kid activities.

This is Harry Potter’s 4th year of swim lessons.

He can swim the length of the pool several times no problem. This year his lessons focus on learning the proper strokes, and he’s doing awesome.

This is the first year of lessons for AsthmaMan.

He’s watched a LOT of lessons, and swims all the time, but the lessons require you to be three to swim independently, so this is his first go round.

When we swim, AsthmaMan is off on his own.

He is required to wear floaties, but he has no fear of the water.

With floaties he has absolutely no problem keeping up with Harry Potter and his friends.

He can swim about 15 feet without floaties in the deep end. He knows how to tread water, how to jump in and hold his breath, you know the basics.

I thought because he was fairly well versed in the basics of swimming that he would love swim lessons… wrong.

AsthmaMan hates swim lessons.

He hates them so much, that he spends a good portion of the lesson trying to escape and come sit with me.

They aren’t doing anything that adventurous, certainly nothing he hasn’t done a million times at home.

Blow bubbles in the pool, check! He’s an expert.

Jump to an adult, check! I watched him attempt to do a spinning kick move into the pool on Saturday.

Tred water, check! How else could he give the Princess a hug in the pool.

But doing any of these things at swim lessons… absolutely freaking no.

Today I told the teacher to push him in.

The other three year old moms looked at me like I was evil, but seriously, PUSH HIM IN!

He can swim no problem, he just wants to be difficult.

And the thing is, the part that he hates, isn’t the swimming or the head underwater, or the splashing, none of these things phase him.

The thing that bothers him is that the teacher has to touch him.

The teachers help them swim to the “island”, catch them when they jump him, and hold them while they blow bubbles.

AsthmaMan hates to be touched by anyone other than an immediate family member, and even then it’s touch and go.

My sweet sister in law spent a week bribing him, and all she got was a small forced hug for her efforts.

He SCREAMED at his camp teacher that “I ONLY HUG MY FAMILY!”. It’s true, he only hugs his family.

So swim lessons for AsthmaMan, not a win. He hates them, and I’m a terrible mother for pushing him in.

On the other hand, Harry Potter is doing awesome!

Except….

Today he dove for a ring and came up screaming.

His ear hurt so bad. After a quick run to the doctor (second trip in 5 days) we discovered that his ear drum had burst due to infection…. yep.

The first sign of infection was today, and I took him in as soon as I knew. So he’s out of the pool for a few days.

If only the three year old moms knew how terrible I really was. I pushed one kid in, and let the other burst his ear drum… mom of the year right here.