Now that my big girl, R, is 3, I have enrolled her in swim class. I waited until she turned 3 for a few reasons. I was told that children learn fear around that age; and, even if they were not afraid of the water before then, they may then become fearful. But, my main reason is because I don’t have to get in the pool with her. Instead, I can simply watch dryly from the deck with my little girl, M, who is 1-year-old, at my side. This prevents me from having to pay a sitter or find a convenient time when my husband is home to watch her.
My friends often talk about being “behind” on their children’s swimming skills. Here, in San Francisco, it is popular to enroll your child at a swim school like La Petite Baleen before babies can even crawl. You will often hear moms comparing ribbon colors. Some take it a step further and get private lessons because they felt their child was not excelling.
I must say, even though I don’t get in the pool, children’s swim class is a lot of effort for only 30 minutes of splashing around. R insists on getting dressed in the locker room, instead of at home, because she saw it in a book that we read together. So, we pack her Tinkerbell bag (just a note, the Dora backpack is only for ballet), load the girls on the bike, ride down to the pool, park the bike, unload the girls, rush in, and get R’s swimsuit on in time.
I have also witnessed 2.5 year olds swimming independently across a pool and, must admit, was very impressed. But, this still did not convince me to hand over my credit card and give a swim school permission to charge it each month until we decided to quit — with 30 days notice, of course. And does attending swim class at age 3 really matter so much? I like to think not. We’re in it for the fun!
R is taking lessons at the YMCA, instead. It is close to home and costs almost half as much. Is it as good of a program? Some parents love it, some parents hate it. Everyone has an opinion. I honestly think it is going to depend on the child’s disposition and the instructor. I also figured I’d see how R takes to the water before making a big commitment.
Growing up in land-locked Pennsylvania, I did not take swim classes. Like my childhood friends, I went swimming at the local pool during the hot summer months and splashed around. I never did laps – I simply learned not to drown. My husband, on the other hand, had proper training, but just never took to it. When he came to see R one week, I thought he was going to have a panic attack — the heat and smell of the pool brought back bad memories of swim class of his youth. He is still talking about it.
But me, I love to swim. It is an exercise of choice (along with lifting weights and yoga). When we moved to San Francisco 10 plus years ago, I got into triathlons and I made it my priority to learn how to swim – properly. I really wanted to be able to go across the pool and not feel like I couldn’t breath and was about to drown. I like to attribute my skills to, besides dedication, the fact that I am a water sign (Cancer).
And with that theory, I respect that this may not be my earth sign big girl’s (Virgo) strong point like her dad (Taurus). But her little sister (Scorpio), who screams with delight when she sees the pool, just may be a natural. I do think it is important that children learn water safety, but whether or not they become captain of the swim team may just be determined by the stars!
Do you have a swim class story or want to tell us about what kind of activities the children do in your part of the world? Share it in the comments section below!
This is an original World Moms Blog post by A. Roselyn. Beep if you’re in San Francisco and see a mom on a bicycle with a double child seat and Dora backpack. That may just be her!
Photo credit to http://www.flickr.com/photos/peasap/825059658/. This photo has a creative commons attribution license.
Great article! I have had people say that my son (now 10 months) should start his swimming lessons asap or he will not learn how to swim! I didn’t learn until I was 6 or 7 I think but I still learned, so I am trying not to get too stressed about the swimming just yet 🙂 We have plenty of other things to stress about! 🙂
Way to keep things rolling at World Moms Blog today, A. Roselyn!
We waited until age 3 for swim lessons for our daughter, too. We chose a school in NJ, USA that had outdoor heated pools, and they have a big sand area, too, where the kids can play. http://www.siltonswim.com/
Three of her cousins went to that school, and Sarah loved it! It made me feel more comfortable for the rest of the summer when we went swimming. I watched her like a hawk, but there was that little bit of relief that she new some water safety! 🙂
Veronica Samuels
Thanks for sharing your swim experience A Roselyn! I remember when my oldest daughter started swim class when she was 3 (eight years ago, my how time flies!) I couldn’t wait to shed those swimmies of hers and for her to develop into an independent swimmer. Although she didn’t have very many formal swim lessons, she developed into a strong swimmer and was even on the swim team at her last school.
On the flip side, Leyla started swim lessons here in England when she was fourteen weeks old. I was mortified that people would put their little babies in a pool at that age and even worse, submerge them!
Shortly after starting Swim Academy for Babies, though, I realized that the purpose of starting at such a young age is not to develop Britain’s next olympic swimmer but to teach water safety. Although Leyla is by no means an advanced swimmer (these days she seems to have an aversion to swim class) I like to think that she knows what to do if she ever fell into the pool; swim to the side, hold on and climb out. These are skills that I’m proud to say Leyla has mastered!
Good luck with swim class!
I think are doing a great job A Roselyn! Water saftey is really important from a young age. My mother-in-law did not really swim, and as a result invested her seven childrens’ time in swimming lessons–now they are all avid swimmers. We plan to have our older children train as lifeguards as soon as they are of age, especially since those teenage beach trip excursions are a bit nerve-wracking for parents. I’m glad you put your child into swimming lessons–you really won’t regret in the future. 🙂
Thank you for all of your comments. It is great to hear your thoughts.
Yesterday at our little girl’s 1 year doctor appointment, my pediatrician’s expressed that she thought swimming lessons should start at 4. From her experience with her own children and the advice of Olympic swimmers, 4 is when children can learn to do the crawl stroke. But she also made it extremely clear the importance of water safety at every age. As she put it, drowning is silent. So it is very important for parents to keep an eye on their children around water no matter how young or old and no matter how experienced or not.
Great article! I enrolled my daughter when she was almost four in her first swim class. I was thrilled she embraced the experience (she’s a Gemini). There was a little boy that refused to stick a toe in the water and cried the whole time. It was heartbreaking to watch his angst. He just wasn’t comfortable with it.
I too had my youngest daughter with me at the time in the stands watching. After doing the math I realized I could get in the water with her during family swim time on Saturdays at half the price and double the time. Instead of a 30 minute lesson, the family swim time is 60 minutes. I must admit though that the water is a little cooler than I’d prefer, but I figured she is getting one on one instructions from me for a full hour and loving it. We end up playing mermaids by the end of the hour.
I convinced my husband (Scorpio) to come along and get in the water with our youngest daughter (now 2 – Virgo by the way!). She actually LOVES to swim. A
Happy splashing!!
As someone who is a former lifeguard and once taught swimming lessons I think 3 is a great age!
At 2, we were in it for the fun, too! 😀
I saw the biggest progress in my son’s swimming when we went to the pool every day and once he could touch in the 3 feet area. It gave him the confidence he needed to really go for it. Now, he swims like a fish!