Learning To Swim

Do your grandchildren know how to swim?

Last year my daughter took Drew to a pool party. He watched other kids run and jump into the pool. So, naturally, he ran and jumped into the pool too. Just one little problem here. He can't swim.

Of course Mom to the rescue. She pulled him out and all was fine...well...maybe his Mom got another gray hair or two (@ my daughter - I told you about payback, didn't I?). Dear daughter was now determined to get him in swim class.

Since he spends the summer with us, we got him enrolled in the swim classes held at the Firemans Park Beach (a local swim pond). The instructors are all trained American Red Cross Certified Water Safety Instructors and he took two sessions of level 1 swim lessons.

Keep in mind that he is a kid that likes playing in the water but is running for a towel  if a drop of water gets on his face. And yes, he is (was) one of those kids that doesn't like getting his hair washed because the water might run down his face. By the end of session 1, he could stick his face in the water and "blow bubbles". By the end of session 2, he could open his eyes under water, float and very cautiously jumped off a platform with a life jacket on. Yes! He passed level one!

This year, I enrolled him in level 2. He is a different kid in the water this year. There are more kids in his class this year and I think the competitive spirit in him has helped him considerably. He can be very competitive and I noticed that when they start the class with a run around the pond to warm up, he will always come around the other side of the pond in the lead. So, when the other kids dive for a ring or jump off the diving board, he is not about to be out done!

He is now able to float on his back and front and can dive for rings that are tossed into water that is about chest deep. He also can "swim" out to the platform  with the assistance of a "noodle" (a long, colorful, foam tube that keeps the kids afloat while they fiercely kick towards the platform). What surprised me was when he climbed on the platform and dive bombed into the water with the noodle! After a couple of these dives, he was diving off the diving board with the noodle! Amazement! Finally, he jumped off the diving board...sans noodle! Shock and awe!! Of course, the instructors are in the water and there to help guide him back to the platform as he dog paddles like a puppy in the water for the first time. He even started to do a "twirling dive" by the end of this 45 minute class!

"Twirling Dive"

Okay, so we're not ready for the Olympics yet. But I have to say that if you have swim classes in your community, do enroll your grandchildren. In addition to being certified instructors, they are patient and energetic which makes swim lessons so much fun! And no one wants their precious grandchildren (or anyone's grandchild for that matter) to become a tragic statistic that we hear about in the news all too often.

And who knows? You might have an athlete participating in the Olympics! Laurels to you!

Mai

PS- Drew no longer comes out of the shower or bath with a dirty face! LOL!