Swim Lessons

Mason and Audrey have started swim lessons at Swim Otters. It is a swim school close to our house that specializes in teaching kids ages 6 months to 12 yrs water safety and swimming skills. They are private lessons, so parents don't need to get in the pool. The lessons are relatively short due to the kids' attention span, 10 minutes for Audrey and 20 minutes for Mason, but they are 3 times a week for 8 weeks! The lessons are Mon, Tue and Thu at 4:30, so I need to leave at 4 or earlier to pick them up from school, take them to the pool, get them dressed and ready. I committed to Bill that I will take the kids to swim lessons, unless I am out of town for work or for the last lessons where they want a parent in the pool to coach us on how to work with them.

A few main reasons compelled me to spend a small fortune and taking up the commitment of taking them to lessons 3 times a week:

1) Probably the main reason is that I don't swim. As a kid (about 8) I had a near drowning experience in the pool of my apartment complex while playing with some other kids. One of their parents saved me and I was too terrified to tell my parents or enter the water again. When my parents asked me to go to swim lessons, I told them I wasn't interested. As an adult, I am more comfortable in the water, even went snorkeling in Hawaii in our honeymoon at Molokini, but I still don't swim. I want both of my kids to be strong swimmers like Bill (who swims, grew up spending his Summers at Lake Rabun, water skis and scuba dives).

2) We have access to the pool at my parent's place, and we often vacation at a place near a pool or lake. I don't want to have to carry their floaties everywhere we go. Mason was happy to wear his floaty until he saw the older kids swim around without them. At the end of the day at the pool, he got out and wanted me to take his floaty off. I did thinking he was done, but he went back into the water because he wanted to try to swim without it. He sank, as Bill carefully watched and pulled him out. I asked him if he wanted to learn to swim like the bigger kids, and he said yes.

3) I have no doubt that Bill would be able to teach the kids how to swim, but we don't have the time. Also Mason is at the age he listens to teachers/coaches better than us. We have tried the rec center group lessons when he was 2, he didn't get much out of them. At this point, Bill doesn't have the time to go into a pool 3 times a week, and it would need to be him alone doing it.

And finally, Audrey probably would still be happy wearing her floaty. But, once she starts seeing Mason swim without them, I think she would want to follow as well. Since we are taking one to lessons, might as well take 2 at the same time.

So, here we go. Their swim coach's name is Mr. Brendan. He is very nice to the kids. So far, both are doing great, although Mason is more excited and focused, according to Brendan, probably a week away from floating on his own. When Audrey is in the pool, she is looking for me and suffering from separation anxiety. Next week, I will try to leave the pool area and see how she does. Updates to follow.