Swim lessons, and drowning fears

July 21, 2010

in kids

The little kids started swimming lessons two days a week for the rest of the summer today. I should have started them sooner, but as a former instructor I know sometimes kids just aren’t ready, and finally all 3 of the younger ones are ready to learn.

Swim Lessons 2008 2596.jpg
Creative Commons License photo credit: Philms

While I am a former competitive swimmer, I don’t dream of them being the next Michael Phelps (minus the drug use thank you very much), or Summer Sanders. I want them to be safe.

The kids are doing great on their own-they are all close to learning how to swim, especially my oldest who loves to swim underwater. The littlest one at 2 he would walk into the pool until he was up to his neck and just keep going. I had to be on top of him every second. Now at 4, he’s better about staying where he’s supposed to be, but they still aren’t safe.

At their lesson today I sat by the side of the pool, and watched and talked to them as they took turns with the instructor. While the instructor was halfway up the pool with my oldest, my little guy bounced on the 4th step and fell off too far from the edge to grab a pole or pool edge and pull himself out.

It was all a flash.He couldn’t get back up. He was completely under the water. Silent. Still. Alone.

I knew what was happening. Within seconds I pulled him out without stopping to take off my sneakers. Did I have to jump in? Yes. By the time a lifeguard or his instructor got there he would have been under for 30 seconds maybe more. Too much time.

I’ll continue to go, sit and watch him, and his siblings as they try to swim and play, and take lessons at the pool, but you better believe I’ll have on my suit.

“Approximately 750 children who will drown next year, about 375 of them will do so within 25 yards of a parent or other adult.  In ten percent of those drownings, the adult will actually watch them do it, having no idea it is happening (source: CDC).”

This quote is from a very through, and sobering article on drowning via Mario Vittone called “Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning” Please read it.

Kelly

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About Kelly


Kelly Whalen is the founder of The Centsible Life, a blog where motherhood and money meet. Her goal is to help readers live well on less. Kelly is a mom to 4, and loves that she can stay at home with her kids, and still pursue her passions for writing, personal finance, and social media. You can often find her on twitter and Facebook talking money and motherhood.

Tagged as: drowning, kids, mom, safety, swim, swimming, water safety

  • http://www.thecentsiblelife.com/ Kelly Whalen

    One thing that's great about having pools though, is that they are exposed to it younger, and more frequently.

    the downside of course is that you have to be uber careful and make sure they can't get out of the house alone.

    I'm so sorry for your friend.

  • http://www.thecentsiblelife.com/ Kelly Whalen

    Teri, that is just awful! I hope that someday you will be able to get over your fear.

  • http://www.thecentsiblelife.com/ Kelly Whalen

    Thanks for passing the article on. It is such important information to have.

  • http://www.thecentsiblelife.com/ Kelly Whalen

    That's fantastic that you are learning to swim! I think it is wonderful that you are moving past your fear.

    I guess we were fortunate to grow up with a community pool literally in our backyard (well behind it), so we swam every day from the time I was 2.

  • http://www.thecentsiblelife.com/ Kelly Whalen

    They are doing so well. It is scary though. It can happen so quickly!

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  • http://www.facebook.com/lindsay.lebresco Lindsay Lebresco

    That is so incredibly scary. I have a lot of respect for the water & my kids are doing pretty good with their swimming this summer but I don't want to get too comfortable or too confident because you still have to be wary and watch. Hope their lessons are going well & you're at least having fun!

  • miss tejota

    Wow, that is scary. I’m glad you had the ability to take action and not wait on the lifeguard. And I’m more so happy that all is well with the little one.

    I’m not very confident in the water, so I’m learning how to swim this summer. I’m a huge proponent of not only kids learning to swim, but us adults who have put it off to learn as well. I think it is important for all of us to be able to swim, because one never knows what will happen.

  • http://www.moneybeagle.com Money Beagle

    So glad you were able to react so quickly. I saw that article that you referenced and sent it to my wife, and suggested she send it out to the other mommies in her mommy group.

  • http://teri-gonewalkabout2.blogspot.com Teri

    If that little head goes under… they need to be fished out!!!!!!!!!

    And BRAVO that you stay with them. When I had my one set of swim lessons at 4 or 5, the parents dropped of the kids and left. Gone. The teen agers who taught the lessons thought it was funny to toss kids into the deep end and fish us out after we went under a couple times. I don’t know what happened with the class but I do know that the parents believed the teens (anxious, normal fears, will get over it). Me? I started going so monkey crazy on swim day the parents finally let me quit. To this day I hate being in the water with other people around unless I really trust them. If I’m alone… I love the water.

  • Lifewithoutpink

    OMG Kelly you just have me chills. So glad he is ok. This is my #1 fear. I have a pool and so do my parents. Now that we are trying to teach my 4 yr old to swim I stress to him every single day that he can’t do this without mom or dad and he needs to wear his life jacket. The other day we were teaching him and I saw him struggling {my hubby was right next to him} but it scared me so bad to see him so helpless. We had a friend’s son drown at the age of 2, so I just cant wait to both my boys can swim.

    Glad your little boy was ok!

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