Swimming Lessons for Infants and Toddlers
I’ve heard it called everything from essential life saving skills to the torture of water boarding. To on lookers, sometimes strangers and sometimes family, infant swimming lessons appear cruel and uncalled for. The new student is “taken” from the parent, many times kicking and screaming, and introduced to the pool. This is just the first in many scary events over the next few weeks. Next, the precious little one hears the call to action, “Ready…Go” and suddenly these little ones grow eight arms and ten legs, trying to cling to anything they can latch on, to no avail. The instructor hears them take a quick breath to scream and that’s the cue…into the water, face first they go. Only to be lifted out of the water by another strange person who repeats the process. Then, on to the back…. The screams that were stifled by the water at first are at full tilt now. What child likes to be “put” on their back…in water? Really? And just to be brought back the next day for more. To me this doesn’t sound like much fun or even necessary. Until, one day I heard a mama tell the story of the day she was working around their pool, when she looked up to see that her 3 year old had stepped off into water over her head. The mama stood amazed as she watched her precious little one put her newly learned life saving skills into action and reached safety.
Convinced???
Ok, let me ask you a question. Have you ever heard a child drown? Nope? And you probably won’t. Witnesses of children falling into a pool have said that all they heard was a soft “plunk” and then nothing….No sound!!!! Drowning is silent. Don’t have a pool? It could happen in a bath tub.
So, next time you are deciding whether or not infant/toddler swimming lessons are worth it, remember this: If they are screaming they are breathing.
Here’s to your little one earning their fins!
Yaya