Reply to Can your five year old swim?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]No, but DS is only 18 months old. I come from a different culture that doesn't emphasize swimming as much. I'm curious to learn why you all feel it is so important. Any responses would be helpful![/quote]

We're from Florida, where there is literally water everywhere, from backyard pools to the ocean and gulf to canals used to hold all the water in the rainy, swampy Sunshine State. 
In fact, drowning is the leading cause of death of children under 5 many years, surpassing even auto accidents.

We lived in Florida until my son was 3.5 years old. He started swimming lessons at about 13 months old in group lessons, and we switched to individual lessons by 2. He hated the first individual lessons, without me in the water, and screamed and cried for about the first 5 sessions. After that though, he learned to really work with the instructor. He was able to put his face in the water, monkeywalk to the steps, and they practiced jumping in and then turning and grabbing the wall of the pool and pulling himself out over and over and over and over and over. He also worked on swimming a few feet at that age. I had thought about stopping during those first miserable private lessons; but redoubled my efforts when my son's playmate drowned a few doors down from us at age 3.

When my son was 2.10 years old, we went to Mexico and were at a resort pool. I turned to head to the bathroom after telling my husband to watch our son. As I was walking away, I heard a commotion behind me. My son had run after me, slipped and fallen into the pool. The adults sitting around the pool started to jump up, but my son immediately popped up out of the water, spun around, grabbed the edge of the pool and pulled himself out.  The lessons worked exactly like they were supposed to -- my son didn't panic largely because he didn't have to think. He just did what he had practiced so many times before.

By age 5, he could easily make it across a residential swimming pool, swimming mostly underwater though, not any kind of true stroke.

At age 12, he passed the BSA Swim Test. He's now almost finished up with his Boy Scout Swimming Merit Badge.

Beyond the swim lessons, we spent hours and hours in the pools just having fun, and having him get used to moving in the water and feeling his body in the water. Time in the pool makes a lot of difference.

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