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Long before I had children, I knew I wanted to do everything I could to ensure they had all the skills necessary to be good swimmers. I was lucky enough to have a mother who took me to summer swim lessons. Trouble was, we didn’t get many opportunities to go swimming due to our distance from the closest pool towns and due to the fact farming didn’t allow for many free summer days for them to get us to those pools.

Luckily I married a man who also believed it was important for our children to have the swim skills we lacked. Neither one of us can do more than save ourselves. Well, I can save myself. My husband is probably going down with the ship! So, yes, we are adamant our kids get the basics and more.

When my daughter was barely 7 months old, she was enjoying Kenesaw’s kiddie pool. Shortly after, I took her to the Parent & Tot class at the Water Park. She’s never looked back. My son was cheated out of the Parent & Tot class—mostly due to the fact he wasn’t the happiest baby (thanks to colic & reflux). Thankfully he grew out of that stage and has become obsessed with pools. From summers at the pools to winter stays in hotels with pools, my children have become big fans of water.

Last year I started my daughter in private lessons. And this year she just started again. Comparing last year to now, I cannot believe how far she has come. Jumping off the diving board has become an obsession. In just the past week or two, she’s become brave enough to jump without her life jacket (under my watchful eye). Her confidence has increased and she thinks she’s invincible. I even have to remind her to slow down and catch her breath or she will jump non-stop.

Just in the past week, my son has decided the “big pool” isn’t so bad after all. He’s also decided a variation of a life jacket isn’t as restrictive as he once considered it, so he’s taking advantage of a little more freedom.  He gets to start his own set of lessons next week and I’m looking forward to seeing how much more comfortable he becomes.

One way or another, our kids are going to learn to be swimmers. Hopefully they’ll never have to use a learned skill to save their sinking dad!

 

 

 

About the author: Jill Kimle

Jill is a farm wife from the Kenesaw area with two BUSY children under the age of 5. She will admit to being in her upper 30's, and if you ask her specific age, she won't shy away from telling it. ("My kids will look at me in ten years and think I'm pretty old!")