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 #1: Getting your Face Wet
Skill #4: How to Front Glide with Kicks
Skill #5: How to Freestyle/ Front Arm pulls
Skill #6: How to Roll Over in the Water
Skill #8: How to 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: How to Retrieve an Object from the Bottom of the Pool
Skill #10: How to Jump in the Pool, Turn around, Go Back to Safety
RESOURCES
- Check out the Do-it-Yourself Teach Your Child How to Swim eBook
- Visit the our Learn to Swim Shop
- Download the FREE Safer Swimming Bundle
- Subscribe to our Youtube Channel