Slippery when wet

Jakob and Filip both take swimming lessons. Jakob to improve his skills, and learn new swim methods - Filip to learn how to swim. (This autumn Thomas & Mathias also started. They had loved playing around in the sea in the summer - but swimming was different, so they quit..)

Last Thursday I first took Filip to his class. Everything was fine, he was happy, he's almost learned how to swim now (even though he mostly swims under water...), which he's really happy about. Leaving the wardrobes afterwards, and walking up the steps to the exit, he slips, falling head first onto the stone steps. Big bruise on forehead. (No tears, though.) Guilty-feeling mother...

Then I took Jakob to his swimming a good hour afterwards. Everything was fine, he was happy, he's almost always doing most rounds in the warm-ups (very competitive...), which he's really happy about. Heading for the showers afterwards, going down from the pool, he slips, falling back first onto the stone steps. BIG bruise on lower back. (And a scream that scared the other kids no end...) Very guilty-feeling mother...

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But before they fell, and before I had so much to feel guilty about (what was I there for, if not to hold their hands in the steps?), I had a chance to observe their swim coaches. There are about 8 young people, taking turns in training them. I noticed two especially (my boys' favourites), both around 18, I guess:

T - Tallish (6'?), blond, rather good-looking, very popular with the older kids. When he's giving directions, he's assertive in that insecure way, the way only shy people will give off an air of confidence... When he's not directing, though, just helping, he's loving it, and will play games for free :)

J - Tall (6'3''ish) and big, not excruciatingly handsome, but still adorable... He gives gentle directions, but there's no mistaking that they've got to do what he says. The younger kids love him dearly. He says things like "will you hold my hand, I'm a little scared out here" and "I really don't remember how to do this", and they feel like they're all kings..

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Incidentally, I bumped into handsome T in the shop, he was there with what could well be a date, and I almost said "I didn't recognise you at first, with your clothes on!" which might have been a bummer, what with the girl and all... But I checked myself in the last minute, and said only "I didn't quite recognise you out of the pool" which seemed to go down well.