It's all Fun and Games Until Somebody Gets Hurt
I had the mother of a five year old call me after a swim lesson. She didn’t actually see the lesson, but heard from her daughter that I “was mean and made her do hard things she didn’t want to do in the pool.” Well, yes. That is my job. And just because she doesn’t want to do something does not make me mean.
The mother informed me that her daughter did not need to practice getting rings off the bottom of the pool anymore because she didn’t like it. I informed the mother that it’s a very important skill to learn for safety, so she would indeed continue to practice until she no longer had anxiety over it and could do it comfortably.
We went back and forth for a bit, which shocked me. While the mother thought she was looking out for her daughter by not wanting her to be upset, she was allowing her to dictate the class and skip important safety skills. I was not giving in. Needless to say, we continued to practice and she soon mastered it. In fact, it's her favorite activity! It’s very important to be able to control the breath and change direction in water. In this case, to sink down, then swim yourself back up to safety. It can be difficult to watch your child struggle, but it’s best to do it in a controlled, safe environment to prevent future accidents.
To review, we have been discussing 10 Basic Swimming and Water Safety Skills, as introduced in the children’s book Learn to Swim with Lou! We have learned about the following…
Skill #4: Front glide with kicks
Skill #5: Freestyle/ FrontArm pulls
Skill #6: Roll over from front to back and back to front
Skill #8: Back glide with kicks
The final two steps involve changing position in the water and getting to safety. Apprehensive swimmers are always afraid they will sink to the bottom, but it can actually be quite difficult to get down there. The water wants to hold you up. If you are calm and relaxed, it will. The last two skills are...
Skill #9: Retrieving an object from the bottom
Skill #10: Jump in, Turn around, Go back to safety
SKILL #9: Retrieve an object from the bottom
Put some colorful rings or toys that sink on the steps or the bottom of the pool. Then hold your child’s hand while he uses the other to pick them up. Show your child how put your face in the water, blow bubbles and reach your arm down to pick up a toy.
Use your arms to pull yourself down to the bottom of the pool, while kicking. Then push off the bottom and kick back up to the surface. Blow bubbles out slowly the whole time.
*Tips:
Use rings or other sink toys to pick up off the bottom of the pool. If you don’t have a toy, tickle each other’s toes.
If the water is shallow enough, do bunny hops off the bottom.
Push off the bottom and use arms and legs to get back up to the top.
SKILL #10: Jump in, turn around & go back to safety
I was giving a lesson at a community pool when I saw the sweetest couple in their 30s with their two-year-old son. They couldn't believe how much he loved the water. "What a fish!" "Look at him swim!" "He's a natural!" "Look at you- you're swimming!"
It's almost surreal. I hear these exclamations, but what I see doesn't match. "The fish" has dry hair. There isn't one drop of water on his face. His head is up out of the water and he is either sitting in a floatie or being held securely by his mom. This scares me. Hunter has been told that he can swim when he clearly cannot. And worse, I can see that he is quite scared of the water.
At one point he wants to jump in, and as I see his toes about 3 inches from the wall I cringe. Luckily as he slips, mom catches him and keeps him from cracking his head open on the edge of the pool. Okay, maybe not, but that is what I see. I can't watch. I want to say something, but I'm not sure what my place is in this situation. Hunter decides to back up and get a head start for his jump and dad takes a video. I envision all of the possible dangers and open my mouth to intervene. At the same time, Hunter falls on the slippery pool deck, scrapes his knee and cries. Hopefully he learned his lesson. Luckily, the parents did as I hear them say that running around the pool actually isn't a good idea.
And when jumping in, try this...
Stand at the edge of the pool with toes curled over the edge and arms down at the side.
Jump about 2 feet forward with both feet together.
Come up to the surface, get a breathe, put your face back down into the water and swim to the edge of the pool.
Tips:
Make sure toes are over the edge so he can push off forward and does not slip backward.
Slap your hand down on the surface of the water to show your child where to jump.
Hold a hula hoop on top of the water so your child can jump through it.
Teach your child to reach up above his head to grab the edge of the pool. Every pool is different.
‘Monkey walk’ or ‘crab walk’ along the wall one hand at a time in both directions.