swim lessons.

P took a Water Babies class at the beginning of July. Thought it would be a lot of fun for the two of us. A way to beat the heat, bond with my sweet boy, and get P acclimated to the water. Not so much. Turned out to not be one of my grandest ideas. The class turned out to be more like a swimming survival course rather than a fun, relaxed class in which P and I could spend quality time together.

Here is the class description, straight from their website:

For 6weeks-36 months, this course will introduce babies to the water, provide bonding with parents, provide word association with repetition and structure and at the very least they will learn to LOVE the water. Focus is placed on a fun, child-centered environment where games are mixed with education. This course will introduce toddlers to the concept of holding their breath, kicking, and floating.

Wouldn't you be confused when within the first 2 minutes of class they were dunking my son under water without any warning or explanation? And there were no "games mixed with education" in our class. I know that I am a protective mama, but this just really caught me off guard. I was ready to snatch him out of the water and take him home. But I tried to remain calm, thinking that maybe, just maybe, this class would be good for P. And maybe the crying and fear would diminish as the week went on. Nope. It multiplied by a factor of ten each and every day. I think I cried more than P did.

When it came to swimming, P actually did really great. He just screamed the entire time that his head was not under water. Poor little buddy. I'm trying really hard to teach him the importance of following through with things. Trying to teach him not to be a quitter. That is the only reason we even showed up for days two, three, and four of swim lessons. By day 5, Taylor and I both decided that it's not the end of the world to quit some things in life. We just won't be making a habit of it.

Here is P on Day 1, before he even stepped foot in the water. Doesn't he look so eager and excited?


He cried between each exercise, but then pulled himself together right before getting dunked under water. I think that he quickly figured out how to avoid sucking in a mouth and nose full of water. One positive....he at least learned how to hold his breath.


Swimming to the steps.


He would grab the steps and high tail it out of the pool faster than any other kid in his class. But then we couldn't get him back in the pool.


He hated floating on his back. I've never seen my baby fight so hard.


A few of him swimming from the teacher to Taylor. Like I said, he would do it. He just didn't like it. Not one bit.



I really though that I had scarred my child for life by putting him in these swim lessons. He seems okay, though. My friend always tells me that kids are resilient. They really are. He still talks about swim lessons like they were the greatest thing that ever happened to him. But if I mention going back, he immediately panics and locks up. I'll give it a few more years before I try it again. For now, playing in the mushrooms and sitting in a float in our neighborhood pool sounds much more enjoyable for me and my little man.