07.07.05 Teaching our son to swim...
Day 1
We have 2 boys, one is almost 12, the other is 5. We also own a pool. Our 5 year old has been in a pool before, my sister-in-law has an inground pool where my son can go in at his own pace. He seems to enjoy it and does not show much fear. Our pool, on the other hand, is an above ground pool where he can most likely touch the bottom of the pool, but he will not go in it. So we decided to take him to swimming lessons. Let the 'fun' begin. The first night, he was all jolly and skipping down the hallway at the middle school in our town where they have an indoor pool and the lessons are given. Once we got to the pool area, he froze like a deer in the headlights. He refused to even put on the inflatable 'swimmies' on his arms. We tried to reason with him to no avail. I was so frustrated, I felt like giving him his 'final exam' and hurling him into the pool like a drunken Austrailian at a dwarf tossing competition.
Needless to say, I did not do this. I did what most men would have done. I went into the locker room, clenched my fists, silently SCREAMED, and let my wife deal with him. I returned about 45 seconds later to try to talk reason with him. If anyone has tried to talk reason to a 5 year old, they would know that it's not always easy. So, we wound up packing everything up and going home defeated.
Day 2
I took our son by myself to try it again. We told him that if he goes every night and gives it his best shot, we will buy him a game for his Game Boy. He seemed to like this idea so off we went. We got to the pool and he put on his swimmies and I went off to the sidelines. He started to panic. I kept eye contact with him and he seemed to calm down. All of the other kids were in the water while he sat by the side. The young girl who was one of the instructors kept on trying to win his confidence. She was taking a sponge and wetting it and dripping it on him. Then he would take the sponge and wet it and drip in on her, and throw it at her too. Watching their exchange, I couldn't help but think of Jane Goodall working with the chimpanzees and the sponge was a banana. He still did not go in the pool. To finish off the night, all of the kids were lined up against the wall and they would go, one after the other, and jump into the arms of an instructor. He was, of course, the last to go and they had to pry his hands off of the pipe that ran along the wall. They then slowly placed him in the water into the arms of an instructor. I went to greet him and gave him a big hug and told him how proud I was of him. He told me he was scared, but I assured him he would be alright and it's normal to be afraid. I then bought him some Pop Tarts and we went home.
Tonight is our 3rd night.
I can hardly wait...
We have 2 boys, one is almost 12, the other is 5. We also own a pool. Our 5 year old has been in a pool before, my sister-in-law has an inground pool where my son can go in at his own pace. He seems to enjoy it and does not show much fear. Our pool, on the other hand, is an above ground pool where he can most likely touch the bottom of the pool, but he will not go in it. So we decided to take him to swimming lessons. Let the 'fun' begin. The first night, he was all jolly and skipping down the hallway at the middle school in our town where they have an indoor pool and the lessons are given. Once we got to the pool area, he froze like a deer in the headlights. He refused to even put on the inflatable 'swimmies' on his arms. We tried to reason with him to no avail. I was so frustrated, I felt like giving him his 'final exam' and hurling him into the pool like a drunken Austrailian at a dwarf tossing competition.
Needless to say, I did not do this. I did what most men would have done. I went into the locker room, clenched my fists, silently SCREAMED, and let my wife deal with him. I returned about 45 seconds later to try to talk reason with him. If anyone has tried to talk reason to a 5 year old, they would know that it's not always easy. So, we wound up packing everything up and going home defeated.
Day 2
I took our son by myself to try it again. We told him that if he goes every night and gives it his best shot, we will buy him a game for his Game Boy. He seemed to like this idea so off we went. We got to the pool and he put on his swimmies and I went off to the sidelines. He started to panic. I kept eye contact with him and he seemed to calm down. All of the other kids were in the water while he sat by the side. The young girl who was one of the instructors kept on trying to win his confidence. She was taking a sponge and wetting it and dripping it on him. Then he would take the sponge and wet it and drip in on her, and throw it at her too. Watching their exchange, I couldn't help but think of Jane Goodall working with the chimpanzees and the sponge was a banana. He still did not go in the pool. To finish off the night, all of the kids were lined up against the wall and they would go, one after the other, and jump into the arms of an instructor. He was, of course, the last to go and they had to pry his hands off of the pipe that ran along the wall. They then slowly placed him in the water into the arms of an instructor. I went to greet him and gave him a big hug and told him how proud I was of him. He told me he was scared, but I assured him he would be alright and it's normal to be afraid. I then bought him some Pop Tarts and we went home.
Tonight is our 3rd night.
I can hardly wait...
Labels: Grif
4 Comments:
Sounds like you guys are both making progress. Patience is the best approach. Learning to swim is one of those things children really shouldn't be given a choice about, because it can be a matter of life and death. But, still, if they have a fear of swimming, the whole process must be approached with patience and caution so that a lifelong fear is not developed.
When my own son was learning to swim, I forget how much money we spent on lessons, but he just couldn't seem to learn. He didn't like getting water in his eyes. I bought him a pair of swim goggles, and it was as if someone had waved a magic wand over him. With the goggles he began swimming, with no problems after that.
By
fugusashi, At
July 07, 2005 4:37 PM
Is there anything a pop tart can't do?
By
Chloe, At
July 07, 2005 7:05 PM
Yes, they don't float (for long)!
By
:phil:, At
July 07, 2005 7:21 PM
hehe, I think I lived this exact story.
By
Monica, At
September 06, 2005 3:54 PM
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