Deep end of the pool swim test

[Pumpkin_Pie]

DS took a swim test to swim in the deep end of our local pool today. He had to swim the length of pool, which he breezed through, and then tread water for a minute without going under. At the end of the minute treading water, he stuck his face in for a second. He had goggles on, which he usually doesn't use. He literally just put his face in for fun, and came up giggling about looking under the water. The lifeguard FLUNKED him and said he could try again on another day by doing the entire test over.

My inner mama bear is wondering if anyone else think the lifeguard was a little too harsh on a THREE year old??

Oh, and FTR, he has been swimming the length of the pool EASILY since March. The new "test" was just started in the past few days and kids get a bracelet to show that they have passed the test.

[hotmamacita]

Not to sound rude but.... he is 3. Why does he have to do that test?

[daisymama12]

I have those protective reactions when I feel others are underestimating my DC, too, but in this case, I think the lifeguard did the right thing.

They may have misunderstood the face in the water, and are trying to stick by the rules, as they should.
I have so much respect for lifeguards - it's a huge responsibility for a young person. They should err on the side of safety, every time.

[Kristine233]

Your son probably has no problems but the lifeguard has to follow the same rules for every person doing it. Whats "for fun" and not is subjective and other parents might argue so they do it to be fair and for safety reasons. But yay to him! That's awesome!

To the poster who asked why they do it, many pools have this test. Ours does too. At our pool for a child to swim without a flotation device (life vest or "block") they have to pass this test too. Some lifeguards or more strict than others.

[grisandole]

Moving to parenting

[GuildJenn]

Originally Posted by daisymama12

I have those protective reactions when I feel others are underestimating my DC, too, but in this case, I think the lifeguard did the right thing.

They may have misunderstood the face in the water, and are trying to stick by the rules, as they should.
I have so much respect for lifeguards - it's a huge responsibility for a young person. They should err on the side of safety, every time.

I agree with this. And I actually think the fact that he's 3 (and clearly a prodigious swimmer, woo hoo) would make me stricter about following the rules of the test - because if he can't focus on the rules for one minute, it may not be the safest situation for him to be under the diving boards, etc.

[tbone_kneegrabber]

He didn't pass the test. He put his face in the water, the test includes not putting your face in the water. He can take the test again tomorrow, no big deal.

But kudos on swimming the length of the pool!

A friend's swim club you have to swim the length of the pool 4x and tread water for 2 mins with no face in the water, so I will agree that the rules are rather abritrary in that they change from location to location.

[Pumpkin_Pie]

I agree that lifeguards do have a tough job, and most of them are very young, but my only problem with it was that he has been swimming in the deep end every time we go to the pool since he could swim confidently starting this past March. He LOVES going out there. Kids are not allowed to jump in at the shallow end, and he also loves to chase me as I am swimming away from him (which I am really too tall to do in the shallow end). We generally spend 90% of our time in the deep end (which also has no diving boards) when we go swimming because the shallow end is usually jam packed with kids and the deep end is usually very quiet.

Yes, he can try again tomorrow, but it is so hard to explain to a 3 year old that he can't "play" while taking the swimming test. His entire time in the pool is play. It was just heart breaking to drag him back to the shallow end today with him crying, "Why can't we play over there Mama?? Why can't I do jumps????"

ETA: I am also not sure what they are going to do for proof once he passes either. The kids who pass all get bracelets that they wear to the pool to show that they have passed. There is no way it will fit his skinny little wrist without falling off.

[Pumpkin_Pie]

Originally Posted by grisandole

Moving to parenting

Sorry about that, I wasn't sure where to put it.

[baltic_ballet]

Originally Posted by Pumpkin_Pie

Yes, he can try again tomorrow, but it is so hard to explain to a 3 year old that he can't "play" while taking the swimming test. His entire time in the pool is play. It was just heart breaking to drag him back to the shallow end today with him crying, "Why can't we play over there Mama?? Why can't I do jumps????"

Perhaps its a sign if he can't understand why he can't play during the test and you had to keep dragging him back to the shallow end he's not maturely ready to swim in the deep end. Your son will have to follow rules in to protect himself and others and from what you have written above it doesn't sound like hes ready to.

[nextcommercial]

Yes, at three, I think flunking him for looking under the water was harsh. It's not Navy Seal training.

They should have at least let him do the treading water test over again in the same day.

[Pumpkin_Pie]

Originally Posted by baltic_ballet

Perhaps its a sign if he can't understand why he can't play during the test and you had to keep dragging him back to the shallow end he's not maturely ready to swim in the deep end. Your son will have to follow rules in to protect himself and others and from what you have written above it doesn't sound like hes ready to.

I only had to help him to get back to the shallow end after his test. Like I said, we usually play in the deep end for the majority of the time that we are swimming in the pool. I realize that rules have to be followed in order to stay safe, but he is three and it is hard to explain to a three year old why it isn't ok to put your face in the water during a test when most of the time I am trying to get him to put his face in while he swims anyway.

Like an above poster said, he isn't training to be a navy seal. He is simply showing the life guard that he is a strong enough swimmer to be in the deep end of a small indoor pool.

I think we may check out the lifeguard schedule and go back when a different guard is working and try again. Her comments after she "flunked" him were along the lines of "I have never seen such a little kid able to swim independently, I don't really know what to say". It really made me feel like she felt that no matter what, he had no business in the deep end.

[Pumpkin_Pie]

Just wanted to add that I didn't give the guard any grief, other than asking why the sudden change in policy regarding swimming in the deep end, and also asking her if I could explain about putting his face in the water and have him do the treading water test over right there. Yes, I am irritated, but I didn't argue with her about it.

[TiredX2]

Honestly, I think that in your *specific* situation you would be better served by going in and speaking to a supervisor/manager. Just explain the situation (a VERY young, competent swimmer) and see if you can get him evaluated/passed for the summer all at once. I think most lifeguards will be very nervous passing that young of a child because of the possible repurcussions of making a wrong decision in that case.

[Pumpkin_Pie]

Originally Posted by TiredX2

Honestly, I think that in your *specific* situation you would be better served by going in and speaking to a supervisor/manager. Just explain the situation (a VERY young, competent swimmer) and see if you can get him evaluated/passed for the summer all at once. I think most lifeguards will be very nervous passing that young of a child because of the possible repurcussions of making a wrong decision in that case.

That is a great idea, thank-you! I hadn't thought of speaking to the supervisor. She did say that her manager was "cracking down" on kids in the deep end. I bet she is nervous for her job by passing him. That combined with her comment that she had never seen a child that young able to swim makes sense now that I think about it.

This is why I love MDC.

[Pumpkin_Pie]

Ok, here is the email I drafted to send to the aquatics director:

Dear Aquatics Director,

I am writing regarding the new policy for testing children who swim in the deep end of the program pool. My son is very young, but a very strong swimmer, and we have regularly been swimming in the deep end of the pool since March of this year. Today I was informed that he would have to pass a test in order to be allowed in the deep end. I completely support this testing, and ensuring that children have the appropriate abilities in order to swim in deeper water.

My only concern is that my son has a hard time understanding the seriousness of this test with him being only three. He passed the test of swimming the length of the pool end to end easily, and then when he was asked to tread water for a minute, he also did so easily, but at the end of the minute, he put his face in the water because he had new goggles and wanted to look under the water. I was told that he is not allowed in the deep end again until he attempts the test again on another day.

I had never seen the guard that was on duty today, and completely understand her hesitation in passing such a young child in the swim test. I realize that his is an unusual case, and that she needs to be absolutely sure that he has the ability to swim confidently and strongly enough to be over there. I was wondering if there was any way for the life guards who do know him and have seen him swimming for hours at a time in the deep end in the past can somehow vouch for him, or if I will need to work with him on not putting his face in the water. (I have actually been working with him on learning to put his face IN the water to swim, unfortunately).

Thank-You for keeping us safe,

Pumpkin_Pie

[dahlialia]

We went through things like this so many times with DD. She would go to summer camp, pass and be allowed in the deep end some days, and not others. Same when we took her to family swim. Sometimes it is hard for them to remember what they are meant to do (what tripped her up often was that they weren't meant to touch the side in between the swimming portion and the treading water portion).

For me, I resisted stepping in and addressing it. It was disappointing to DD sometimes, but with her personality I felt it was better to support her in handling the disappointment, than try to fix it for her.

Regardless, I think it wouldn't be a bad idea to work with him on the idea of treading water properly - if you practice with him, I bet he would get to understand that when he is treading water, his face is meant to always stay out of the water.

[Irishmommy]

Was the lifeguard timing the treading water? If so, and if 60 seconds had passed BEFORE he put his face in, then she had no business failing him.

[eepster]

It sounds like the real problem is the new policy which they sprung on you and that the policy is set up for a very different situation than you have.

The test sounds like it was designed for older kids who would be swimming alone or with friends while their parents hang out on the side of the pool. Being in the shallow end wouldn't mean a non-swimming 3 yo could be unsupervised, since most 3 yo are still in over their heads in the shallow end (my small 4 yo is still in over his head in the shallow end.)

As a test to see if a child is ready to go into the deep end without close parental supervision I would say your DS did indeed fail. The test isn't just about swimming ability, but is also about following directions and taking the lifegaurd seriously. Playing around during the test shows that your DS isn't ready to be in over his head by himself.

However, your situation doesn't fit into what they are testing for. You do not plan to send your DS into the deep end alone. Even with your DS stucK in the shallow end he still needs supervision and unless he is unusually tall he is still in well over his head.

Though simply getting him to past the test is the simplest solution, you might talk to the people who run the pool about having a separate policy for young kids who are within arms reach of parents. My DS is not a precocious swimmer, and I take him into water up to my shoulders all the time. The difference between 3 feet of water and 4 1/2 feet of water are irrelevant for children at this stage, both are over the child's head and necessitate the parent to constantly hold the non-swimming child.

If he does pass the test, can you tie the bracelet to his swim suit? All DS's suits have ties at the waist band.

[Pumpkin_Pie]

Dahlialia, I do think that working with him on treading water would be a good idea. He had never heard of the concept until yesterday. He has done it pretty regularly, just for fun, but you are right, it really would make sense to help him to understand that it is a skill, just like the other skills that we work on.

IrishMommy, I don't know if the 60 seconds had actually lapsed before he put his face in. I was in the water beside him, so am not sure exactly at what point he looked down, other than it was at the end.

Eepster, I think you are right, the test really is for older kids who are going to be in the deep end without an adult right there, although the sign that is up says that kids under 8 need an adult within arms reach. I never, ever had him out of reach over in the deep end, and never take my eyes off him. Yes, he is a very strong, solid swimmer, but he is still three.

He absolutely LOVES playing in the deep end, and it is such a fun activity for us. The shallow end is still fun for him, and it is over his head, but he can't jump from the side, and I can't actually "swim" with him, which he also loves. I sent the email last night, so we will see what the director says when she responds. I am pretty sure he is the only swimming toddler there, so they may have to come up with something a bit different for him.