Freya has gained new skills in swimming, thanks in part to her swimming pal, Signe. Signe has been able to swim short distances for a few weeks or so, and Freya has been only to willing to test her boundaries. She cannot actually do much in the way of moving around, but she is throwing herself into the unknown, and managing to bring herself up to the surface. I don’t think it will be long before she is able to swim in the same manner as Signe.

Also, she has been learning how to breast-crawl, with very good coordination. Again, she is not able to sustain herself, but the actions are there. Doggy-paddling is coming on very nicely, as well.

It is a slightly strange thing to experience, I must say. Seeing Freya try to stop herself from drowning, but knowing she would have no chance in a real situation, is a tad unnerving. I will be a happier Jon when she can keep herself afloat and be able to head towards the safety of the side of the pool, which won’t be long if everything continues as it is.

At our recent meeting with Freya’s teacher we talked about the areas of Freya’s development we’d like to bring on: alphabet recognition, standing up for others (the social responsibility of speaking out against those who are being unkind), mastering buttons and hopping (not the most impressive skill to master, but apparently good fun).

Hopping is coming along nicely, as is being able to do up certain buttons. It’s easy to take for granted what we adults can do, but hopping appears to be a relatively difficult skill to attain. Freya’s attempts have involved a sort of galloping motion or an undainty frolicking, but today, whilst holding Mum’s hand, she managed a few true hops. I think we were happier than she was about it.

The alphabet has been the area we at home have been working on most. It started off with bringing out a box of hand-made letters and numbers that Jo’s grandad had made sometime, probably long, ago (I’d always assumed that older generations worked their fingers to the bone just to scrape and save to buy soap to eat, but this man really had too much time on his hands).

A few of the f’s have been judiciously taped to her bedroom window and above her towel in the bathroom, to instigate the learning process, and along with writing on the bathroom tiles when having a bath, and the DVD purchase of a 70’s children’s program called “Five ants are more than four elephants” (a program solely about the alphabet and numbers), she is making progress. She can now write “f, h, x” and “i”. I’m surprised, though, that she hasn’t bothered with the number 6 and the letter “o”, since she has been able to recognise these two for well over a year.

Social responsibility is a tougher nut to crack, especially for a three year-old. Not only is the idea itself foreign to a lot of parents (who wants their child to get involved in other people’s problems), but the way it is carried out needs special handling. Any such situation must be approached in a non-confrontational way, hardly a skill hoi-polloi has, let alone a child. Still, it’s a gradual process and she is making ground.

All advancements in these aptitudes has been apparent within the last week or so.