Swimming

When we became an Arizona family with a backyard pool, we were very concerned that the kids get water-safe sooner, rather than later. The girls took (indoor) lessons as soon as we moved here, and spent lots of time in the pool that first year:

We thought we'd start even earlier with our first Arizona-born babe:

(one month)

We continued the insta-swimming trend with Oliver:

(five months)

The girls caught on to swimming quickly - between the lessons they took here, and the lessons they had in Homer over the summer, they both ended up with some great strokes and impressive skills...

Hoping for the same for the boys, a friend told me of some private, backyard pool lessons that her daughter took, so we signed Liam up for a four-week session. It was still COLD when he started, and he wasn't too pleased with it for the first few classes (three days a week)...but he soon caught on and ended up doing great!

I will say, these were not your happy-happy, make sure no kid is upset kind of lessons. From day one, Ms. Shellie had them underwater, diving through a hoop

getting rings

and jumping into the water

And you know what? It worked. It worked REALLY well!

So we decided for session two to put Oliver in the lessons as well...it was a tough decision to make, as he is my baby...and he's "Jolly Ollie," and I really didn't want to make him miserable. 

I should have given him more credit! 

The first day, he was not so happy to go to a stranger and be put under the water...he would climb out and come snuggle under a towel with me...content. Every time it was his turn, he would voice his displeasure, and again would stop before he went under, and as soon as his turn was over. 

You know something, I really don't even think it was the water that was making him sad...it was still COLD that entire first week! He was shivering, and that made him sad :(

He was smiley and hard to keep away from the pool at the end, once he was warm...

Sure enough, by week two, he was sitting happily on the steps, splashing with the other kids while waiting his turn. He went from a floater and turner to a kicking, moving, side-grabbing, ring-nabbing water monster! 

He LOVES IT!

Oliver jumps (even off a diving board - ours is long gone though)

and he kicks and reaches underwater (I wouldn't call it freestyle quite yet ;))

 

And most of all, he is hard to keep above the surface in his quest for rings...seriously, the kid is a ring-diving fiend!

 

See the glee?

I hope to continue some lessons in Homer in July...or at least when we return...but then again, the boys now have a great foundation - and more importantly, I know what they can do, so when I get in the pool with them, we keep practicing...

On a side note, there was a girl in the second session who had taken ISR lessons last year. She is just two years old, and the kid can actually freestyle across the pool. I was blown away. 

I used to have issue with non-happy-happy swim lessons. After all, why would I force my kid to do something he doesn't like? Why would I let a stranger do something I wouldn't do to him?

You know something? 

I changed my mind. 

We live in a state where water safety is paramount. Actually, you could argue this is valid for anybody.

I don't mess around with car safety - the kids may not always like their 5-point harnesses, and may be the only six-year-olds around still in them...but I.DON'T.CARE. I know it's the safest option, research shows it's the safest option...and 

I don't let their complaints compromise their safety. 

I think kids and pools deserve the same respect...so I am very happy I listened to my friends' recommendations for these lessons, and have two young boys who stand a fighting chance at not drowning if they happen to find open water...and besides that, it turns out, I can hardly keep these two OUT of the water now! They were not traumatized, or turned against swimming, or made fearful of the pool...quite the contrary. They both BEG to go swim many times every day. Now THAT is another whole issue, since *I* don't like to go in the pool 10 times a day...