I’m not going to lie guys, I have always been petrified of taking my kids to swimming lessons. Mainly because I never knew how I was going to handle it. Could I cope? What if the child screamed? My child would probably scream, so I’d probably have to leave. I can’t go in the water! I’d have to put togs on. Me and togs? YUCK!
I had a LOT of anxiety around taking my kids to swimming lessons. Even just one child!
Now this might seem ridiculous, but it was how I felt. Plus honestly, my girl wasn’t ready. She didn’t even want to put her foot in a pool until this year.
So for three years now I haven’t done anything remotely pool related with our kids – at least not unless my husband was around. I wasn’t about to do it by myself.
Well, two weeks ago I got asked if I wanted to enrol my kids in swimming lessons at the local YMCA Swim School, and I jumped at the opportunity.
My husband used to be a competitive swimmer, and I have had experience with kids in the swimming pool, so I know how imperative it is to learn to swim. However we always said we wouldn’t teach our own kids, because well … they’re our kids. They’d probably make us want to leave after 30 seconds – so best to leave it up to the professionals.
I am actually petrified of surf beaches, and I attribute that to the lack of swimming lessons growing up. My husband, however, is like a fish returning home. He LOVES the water. A lot of it is confidence, but also knowing the limits.
To say I was nervous about the swimming lesson was an understatement. Firstly, we’d never done it before. Secondly, I had the 2 year old with me as well – and he isn’t fond of water so I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with him.
Gosh, was I an idiot for not doing that sooner.
BOTH of the kids had SUCH a blast in the water. I actually felt horrible for leaving and having to go home!
I was so proud of both of my kids. My girl, who was the one who had the one-on-one swimming lesson, did SO well. No screaming. No crying. Just bloody brilliant. And my boy, who was just there to watch, actually ended up in the water and had SO much fun. Like a ridiculous amount of fun.
All of the staff at the pool, including the instructors, were just absolutely fabulous. I actually feel like buying them chocolates and wine to thank them for making my kids feel safe, and secure. And making ME feel the same.
I have come away from the experience BEAMING with pride and excitement. My kids are actually going to learn how to swim and love the water! And they are going to learn about water safety, and hopefully become more confident in the water than me.
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With NZ’s current drowning statistics already up on last year, it is more important than ever to properly understand importance of swimming and water safety education.
Drowning is most common in children aged between 1 and 4 years and YMCA Auckland believes that water safety should be an important aspect of all children’s education, and that it can never start too early. Not only do Swim School programmes teach valuable life skills; they also have a whole raft of benefits for younger children, including early development and socialisation. YMCA has lessons available for kids from the age of six months.
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I actually got talking to the ladies in the YMCA Swim School office, and they told me that they run a non-profit programme. They are so passionate about our kids having proper water education that they are offering free lessons at selected pools for selected age groups. I just think that is brilliant.
Are your kids enrolled in swimming lessons? If you have any questions feel free to ask me – as a Mum who was petrified about doing it, I feel I might be able to help HAHA
