Opinion- Should I back off from swimming lessons - Page 2

[Boot]

Originally Posted by lolar2

I'm not a lifeguard, but it sounds dangerous to me to make children comfortable playing in the water when they are not able to swim.

But how will they learn to swim if they are not comfortable in the water?

[MommaCrystal]

Originally Posted by lolar2

I'm not a lifeguard, but it sounds dangerous to me to make children comfortable playing in the water when they are not able to swim.

Well, my oldest son (now 4 1/2) HATES being water above his head. It doesn't matter if mom and dad are holding him. He FREAKS! And swim lessons take place in water that is over his head.

However, he ADORES the water. So long as he can stand up. He'll even do quite a bit of the stuff asked of him in swim lessons so long as we are in the shallow end.

I decided swim lessons were not a good idea but it is better to allow him to gain confidence in water he is comfortable in.

[Super~Single~Mama]

Originally Posted by MommaCrystal

Well, my oldest son (now 4 1/2) HATES being water above his head. It doesn't matter if mom and dad are holding him. He FREAKS! And swim lessons take place in water that is over his head.

However, he ADORES the water. So long as he can stand up. He'll even do quite a bit of the stuff asked of him in swim lessons so long as we are in the shallow end.

I decided swim lessons were not a good idea but it is better to allow him to gain confidence in water he is comfortable in.

At 4 its great for him to be comfortable in water he can stand in!! I would recommend looking into swim lessons that are not in water over his head - I never taught 4 yo's in water over their head (unless they were small for their age and the shallow end was too deep for them - and then I never asked them to let go of the side if I wasn't right there with them or holding onto them).

As he gets older, teaching skills that will translate from the shallow end to the deep end will serve to make him more comfortable in the deep end as well (bobbing comes to mind - take a breath, exhale under water, push off the bottom to take another breath once you surface).

[TiredX2]

The only reason to have a 3 year old in swimming lessons is for enjoyment. If DD doesn't want to, pull her out.

Now, IMO, a 7+ year old is a different scenario, but at that age it's just for fun anyway. Let her goof around in the water with you & DH when/if she wants to and she'll eventually be ready for more formal learning.