Coach

(This picture has nothing to do with this post)

Last night we took the kids swimming.

Sydney has been BEGGING us to go swimming for months. We finally got our passes so we went for Family Home Evening.

Sydney is fearless. She'll do anything in the water.

Ryan on the other hand is petrified of the deep end. I think he must think that the Loch Ness Monster is down there just waiting to grab his foot an pull him under.

I spent a little while holding Ryan close to the deep end. I whispered in his ear and tried to get him to relax a little bit.

Brett convinced Ryan to swim to the opposite end of the pool, where he could stand. Shortly after, Sydney and I joined them.

Then the coaching began.

Ryan began telling Sydney, the fearless one, how to swim. He would say "Sydney, you move your arms like this, or you kick like this." I stood there and listened, and laughed. Where did he get this from? Mr. Coach who can tell someone what to do, but doesn't do it himself.

Then, this morning I was wakened at 1:27am. I didn't get back to sleep until after 5am, so a I had a long time to think. It was sometime in the wee hours of the morning that it came to me.

He gets the coaching from ME!

I can tell you how to prevent injury while running. I can tell you how to have a better stroke swimming, and how to fuel your body for endurance events. I can tell you how to rehabilitate after being injured (I've paid a few house payments for some physical therapists). I KNOW all of the stuff. I just don't do it all. Who knew I could have such an influence on him?

Made me realize that I need to do a lot less coaching and a lot more doing.