Swimming Lessons

Monday, was Hannah's first swimming lesson ever.  I know, I have been a bit remiss in getting her into swimming lessons, but I figured I am a very good swimmer I can show how to do it.  For the most part, she has progressed fine and is at about the same level as the other kids her age.  So, she was not irrevocably damaged by this over-sight.  Well, it really wasn't an over-sight, more of a life getting in our way and not having either time or money to participate in swimming lessons.

This summer both the time and money collided and I signed the kids up!  Hannah took to it like, well a duck to water.  She leaped into the pool and did what they asked her to do.  Then when we got home, she practiced in the bath tub.  She can't wait to show her teacher that she can float.

While it was not a purposeful decision to have Hannah wait until she was 4 to have swimming lessons, it was a good outcome.  I watch mothers try and force their kids into swimming lessons.  Watched the kids cry.  The mothers cajole and plead.  Some threatened and bribed.  Some got in the water with their little tikes.  I remember going through that with Mac.  It was a massive Mexican stand-off.  It was horrible.

I didn't have to go through that with Hannah, because I waited until she was old enough to participate.  Don't get me wrong, I think it is a critical life skill to know how to swim.  It is not like soccer, dance or karate, it is something that my kids need to know how to do.  They do not need to be able to gracefully glide across the pool, but the do need to be able to safely remove themselves from a pool should they find themselves in one.  I agree with these parents, their kids should learn to swim.  But do they need to do it before they are potty trained?  Maybe not.