Underwater Swimming – Yay or Nay?
You may have seen my post a little while back about getting your children into clubs and hobbies as early as possible… Well, following on from that, the latest club we have joined is Tadpole Tots Swimming Lessons.
I know, I know, Olivia is only 2. She can’t really be taught to swim, right?
WRONG.
Today we had our first lesson and it was amazing. Her confidence in the water at first wasn’t great, and she gripped onto me like there was no tomorrow, but by the end of the half an hour session, she was diving off the side of the pool into me, rolling off of a big float into the water, and more happily went underwater with me.
I won’t lie, going underwater with her terrified me… A LOT. I’m pretty sure she inhaled/drank a fair amount of pool water…
I’m not a confident swimmer – I’ll be the first to hold my hands up to that! Jamie on the other hand is a pretty good swimmer and goes quite often. Kiera, my stepdaughter, had swimming lessons when she was about 6 or 7, and we saw a big difference in her ability over a few lessons (but she is now doing them regularly at school). This is why it made sense to me to get Olivia into these lessons.
We debated it a little, Jamie and I, as the lessons were obviously pricier than dancing or even Olivia’s French classes that she is now doing every Saturday. However, Jamie rightly pointed out that Olivia will be far better off by getting used to the water now, while she is still little and doesn’t have the time or experience to become scared of the water! I can safely say that after one lesson, she is so much more confident. She still isn’t a fan of going on her tummy and would much prefer me to sit her on my side, bobbing around in the pool, but I was amazed at how willingly she kicked her feet to swim on her back (with a float of course), and at how willing she was to glide through the water to the teacher and back to me again… Actually, coming back to me took a little bit of coaxing!
I am so pleased that I did take the plunge and book these for her, as she will benefit immensely in the future and will hopefully be a far better swimmer than I am! In fact, she probably already is!