Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Actually, it's extremely hard for certain adults to learn to swim. My mother did not learn to swim as a child and she tried many different times, with many different instructors, as an adult, and was just not able to learn. As a result, she made sure that all of her kids became good, strong swimmers, because she knew she could never save us. We also never swam unless a life guard was present.

Thank you for this. I had already decided to stop defending the fact that I don't know how to swim (no oceans for me!) but the fact is that so far I have failed 3 sets of classes as an adult. It's true that I haven't taken any classes in a while, but at this point my focus is on getting my kids where they need to be. It's funny that the oldest is now encouraging me to take lessons and I might just do it in a year or two with them or solo but there is no time or money at the present moment for other-than-kid-swim-lessons. I think I need private lessons and that can't happen right now. I asked my husband to teach me once, and we almost got divorced that day.

OP, no one should judge you for not knowing how to swim. The thing PP's are criticizing is you being the only person to watch your kids while they swim. Even for a well-trained swimmer, it's highly dangerous to save a drowning person. A non-swimmer doesn't stand a chance. And throwing them a pole is not enough. Your not swimming is fine and it's your prerogative. What's decidedly NOT fine is putting your kids at risk by being the only one to watch them.

I hate when threads get offtrack, and here I am, contributing to it! I am not the only one, I am an additional one. I am the one dedicated to watching them and only them (sometimes pools get crowded or guards get distracted). If need be, there are lifeguards. I got chastised for relying on the lifeguard, but I think that's alright. I am not taking them to the beach (I'm not getting in ocean water!) or hotel pools. Plus, they are swimming. They are passing the swim tests mentioned above. It just doesn't look like what I see as 'strokes' on tv so that was my question, really, should I keep pushing so they can do those lovely strokes.

Lovely strokes, no but I would keep pushing it so they are safer/more skilled in the water, especially the deep end. If they are going in standing height water, fine, but not the deep end.

I think that's kind of a dangerous mistake - here in the suburbs people think pools are the only water you need to think about. But it's a whole other story in lakes, rivers, and oceans. There is no such thing as a shallow end there. You can't always control where you end up. They needs skills good enough for more than a community pool.

This.
My son is comfortable in pools but he recently got carried away a little in a lake and freaked out. He was able to float but totally panicked, calling me.

I am planning to keep him in swim lessons as long as I can overcome his resistance (finding coaches and schools that are a good fit for him).

My kids do/will do swim team. I think knowing how to swim beautifully opens up so many possibilities in life, and it's a skill that's only easily acquired as a child. I'm not raising any Olympians, but my kids will be able to dive into any body of water with ease their entire lives. Triathlons as an adult, lake or beach vacations, time at swimming pools...they'll be able to enjoy any of these things to the utmost. Plus, they'll have an athletic skill they can come back to over and over, that'll serve them when all other sports have fallen aside (injuries, age etc).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Actually, it's extremely hard for certain adults to learn to swim. My mother did not learn to swim as a child and she tried many different times, with many different instructors, as an adult, and was just not able to learn. As a result, she made sure that all of her kids became good, strong swimmers, because she knew she could never save us. We also never swam unless a life guard was present.

Thank you for this. I had already decided to stop defending the fact that I don't know how to swim (no oceans for me!) but the fact is that so far I have failed 3 sets of classes as an adult. It's true that I haven't taken any classes in a while, but at this point my focus is on getting my kids where they need to be. It's funny that the oldest is now encouraging me to take lessons and I might just do it in a year or two with them or solo but there is no time or money at the present moment for other-than-kid-swim-lessons. I think I need private lessons and that can't happen right now. I asked my husband to teach me once, and we almost got divorced that day.

OP, no one should judge you for not knowing how to swim. The thing PP's are criticizing is you being the only person to watch your kids while they swim. Even for a well-trained swimmer, it's highly dangerous to save a drowning person. A non-swimmer doesn't stand a chance. And throwing them a pole is not enough. Your not swimming is fine and it's your prerogative. What's decidedly NOT fine is putting your kids at risk by being the only one to watch them.

I hate when threads get offtrack, and here I am, contributing to it! I am not the only one, I am an additional one. I am the one dedicated to watching them and only them (sometimes pools get crowded or guards get distracted). If need be, there are lifeguards. I got chastised for relying on the lifeguard, but I think that's alright. I am not taking them to the beach (I'm not getting in ocean water!) or hotel pools. Plus, they are swimming. They are passing the swim tests mentioned above. It just doesn't look like what I see as 'strokes' on tv so that was my question, really, should I keep pushing so they can do those lovely strokes.

Lovely strokes, no but I would keep pushing it so they are safer/more skilled in the water, especially the deep end. If they are going in standing height water, fine, but not the deep end.

I think that's kind of a dangerous mistake - here in the suburbs people think pools are the only water you need to think about. But it's a whole other story in lakes, rivers, and oceans. There is no such thing as a shallow end there. You can't always control where you end up. They needs skills good enough for more than a community pool.

Anonymous wrote:So the kids love the water and can get around the length of the pool unassisted, but it's not necessarily a nice pretty set of strokes. Is that enough or am I supposed to keep making them go until they can do all the strokes properly? I don't swim so I don't know. They are good and comfortable enough to have fun a ton of fun and not worry me (still watching, of course).

Absolutely continue those lessons indefinitely. My mother, who never learned to swim, forced me to do swim lessons until I was a teenager and reached the level where they don't go any higher, and then signed me up for lifeguarding and water safety classes. It's been one of the most useful skills I've had in life. First, there is the safety factor. I can swim across a river, or out of a rip tide, and so on. I can't believe how many people say they can swim, but then can't go further than 25 meters, because they don't actually have good enough form or enough knowledge to actually survive in the water past a few minutes (but they don't know it, of course). The second reason is because swimming is fantastic exercise that many people turn to when they get older and can't handle running and weighlifting and so on, but many find they can't actually exercise very well this way because they don't have the technique to swim continuously for very far. If at all. It's much harder to learn as an adult than as a child. You will be giving your kids a great, lifelong gift by keeping them in swim lessons for as long as possible.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Actually, it's extremely hard for certain adults to learn to swim. My mother did not learn to swim as a child and she tried many different times, with many different instructors, as an adult, and was just not able to learn. As a result, she made sure that all of her kids became good, strong swimmers, because she knew she could never save us. We also never swam unless a life guard was present.

Thank you for this. I had already decided to stop defending the fact that I don't know how to swim (no oceans for me!) but the fact is that so far I have failed 3 sets of classes as an adult. It's true that I haven't taken any classes in a while, but at this point my focus is on getting my kids where they need to be. It's funny that the oldest is now encouraging me to take lessons and I might just do it in a year or two with them or solo but there is no time or money at the present moment for other-than-kid-swim-lessons. I think I need private lessons and that can't happen right now. I asked my husband to teach me once, and we almost got divorced that day.

OP, no one should judge you for not knowing how to swim. The thing PP's are criticizing is you being the only person to watch your kids while they swim. Even for a well-trained swimmer, it's highly dangerous to save a drowning person. A non-swimmer doesn't stand a chance. And throwing them a pole is not enough. Your not swimming is fine and it's your prerogative. What's decidedly NOT fine is putting your kids at risk by being the only one to watch them.

I hate when threads get offtrack, and here I am, contributing to it! I am not the only one, I am an additional one. I am the one dedicated to watching them and only them (sometimes pools get crowded or guards get distracted). If need be, there are lifeguards. I got chastised for relying on the lifeguard, but I think that's alright. I am not taking them to the beach (I'm not getting in ocean water!) or hotel pools. Plus, they are swimming. They are passing the swim tests mentioned above. It just doesn't look like what I see as 'strokes' on tv so that was my question, really, should I keep pushing so they can do those lovely strokes.

I'm the PP you answered to. I must admit, I misread. As long as there's others who could act in case of emergency, I stand corrected.

To get back on track and answer your question: the goal shouldn't be lovely strokes. As long as your kid can safely remove themselves from the water in an emergency situation, that's all that counts. Aesthetics aren't what determines a good swimmer. Someone can have a perfectly nice stroke but still panic when getting their head underwater. Focus on setting safety goals for him if you want to give him an aim to work towards so he can stop. Tell him things like "you'll have to jump in the deep end, get your head above water and swim around the pool twice without getting tired" instead of "you'll need to lengthen your grasp". His stroke simply doesn't seem efficient enough from how you describe it to allow him to get to safety if need be.

Doesn't the swimming teacher you use do tests with the kids? Ask him/her what his requirements are, then motivate your kid by having him work towards those and only those, who cares if he looks good doing it.

Anonymous wrote:For us, they needed to swim across the pool consistently (not a fluke and not stopping to rest) in something other than doggie paddle. Doesn't t have to be swim team legal, but close.

Also had to be able to tread water for a couple of minutes.

Swim team legal for freestyle is basically crossing the pool without touching the bottom.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Swim team is more fun than lessons and will teach your kids quickly and for less money. Sign up next year!

I would do this but for the meets. They're all over (long drives sometimes), and long.

There are plenty of swim teams where you're not expected to go to meets. Most summer swim teams would be happy to have your kids come to practice and not swim at meets. Of course, your kids might want to go to the meets, which is a different story.

We just did our first swim team at the county pool and they were great. We did not do meets and they had the older team members working 1-1 or 1-2, sometimes 1-3 with the younger kids. The older one teamed with my child made it fun, instructed him while walking beside him (he was tired from his practice) and eventually he'd get in and swim next to my child. There was no pressure to do meets and everyone was very supportive as long as your kid tried.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Actually, it's extremely hard for certain adults to learn to swim. My mother did not learn to swim as a child and she tried many different times, with many different instructors, as an adult, and was just not able to learn. As a result, she made sure that all of her kids became good, strong swimmers, because she knew she could never save us. We also never swam unless a life guard was present.

Thank you for this. I had already decided to stop defending the fact that I don't know how to swim (no oceans for me!) but the fact is that so far I have failed 3 sets of classes as an adult. It's true that I haven't taken any classes in a while, but at this point my focus is on getting my kids where they need to be. It's funny that the oldest is now encouraging me to take lessons and I might just do it in a year or two with them or solo but there is no time or money at the present moment for other-than-kid-swim-lessons. I think I need private lessons and that can't happen right now. I asked my husband to teach me once, and we almost got divorced that day.

OP, no one should judge you for not knowing how to swim. The thing PP's are criticizing is you being the only person to watch your kids while they swim. Even for a well-trained swimmer, it's highly dangerous to save a drowning person. A non-swimmer doesn't stand a chance. And throwing them a pole is not enough. Your not swimming is fine and it's your prerogative. What's decidedly NOT fine is putting your kids at risk by being the only one to watch them.

I hate when threads get offtrack, and here I am, contributing to it! I am not the only one, I am an additional one. I am the one dedicated to watching them and only them (sometimes pools get crowded or guards get distracted). If need be, there are lifeguards. I got chastised for relying on the lifeguard, but I think that's alright. I am not taking them to the beach (I'm not getting in ocean water!) or hotel pools. Plus, they are swimming. They are passing the swim tests mentioned above. It just doesn't look like what I see as 'strokes' on tv so that was my question, really, should I keep pushing so they can do those lovely strokes.

Lovely strokes, no but I would keep pushing it so they are safer/more skilled in the water, especially the deep end. If they are going in standing height water, fine, but not the deep end.

I did lessons until my kid was old enough for pre team (much cheaper) and have kept her in it for4 years. She's not the best swimmer but she's gotten a couple ribbons and passed our pools swim test so I'm fairly comfortable. She's also 8.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Swim team is more fun than lessons and will teach your kids quickly and for less money. Sign up next year!

I would do this but for the meets. They're all over (long drives sometimes), and long.

There are plenty of swim teams where you're not expected to go to meets. Most summer swim teams would be happy to have your kids come to practice and not swim at meets. Of course, your kids might want to go to the meets, which is a different story.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Actually, it's extremely hard for certain adults to learn to swim. My mother did not learn to swim as a child and she tried many different times, with many different instructors, as an adult, and was just not able to learn. As a result, she made sure that all of her kids became good, strong swimmers, because she knew she could never save us. We also never swam unless a life guard was present.

Thank you for this. I had already decided to stop defending the fact that I don't know how to swim (no oceans for me!) but the fact is that so far I have failed 3 sets of classes as an adult. It's true that I haven't taken any classes in a while, but at this point my focus is on getting my kids where they need to be. It's funny that the oldest is now encouraging me to take lessons and I might just do it in a year or two with them or solo but there is no time or money at the present moment for other-than-kid-swim-lessons. I think I need private lessons and that can't happen right now. I asked my husband to teach me once, and we almost got divorced that day.

OP, no one should judge you for not knowing how to swim. The thing PP's are criticizing is you being the only person to watch your kids while they swim. Even for a well-trained swimmer, it's highly dangerous to save a drowning person. A non-swimmer doesn't stand a chance. And throwing them a pole is not enough. Your not swimming is fine and it's your prerogative. What's decidedly NOT fine is putting your kids at risk by being the only one to watch them.

I hate when threads get offtrack, and here I am, contributing to it! I am not the only one, I am an additional one. I am the one dedicated to watching them and only them (sometimes pools get crowded or guards get distracted). If need be, there are lifeguards. I got chastised for relying on the lifeguard, but I think that's alright. I am not taking them to the beach (I'm not getting in ocean water!) or hotel pools. Plus, they are swimming. They are passing the swim tests mentioned above. It just doesn't look like what I see as 'strokes' on tv so that was my question, really, should I keep pushing so they can do those lovely strokes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Actually, it's extremely hard for certain adults to learn to swim. My mother did not learn to swim as a child and she tried many different times, with many different instructors, as an adult, and was just not able to learn. As a result, she made sure that all of her kids became good, strong swimmers, because she knew she could never save us. We also never swam unless a life guard was present.

Thank you for this. I had already decided to stop defending the fact that I don't know how to swim (no oceans for me!) but the fact is that so far I have failed 3 sets of classes as an adult. It's true that I haven't taken any classes in a while, but at this point my focus is on getting my kids where they need to be. It's funny that the oldest is now encouraging me to take lessons and I might just do it in a year or two with them or solo but there is no time or money at the present moment for other-than-kid-swim-lessons. I think I need private lessons and that can't happen right now. I asked my husband to teach me once, and we almost got divorced that day.

OP, no one should judge you for not knowing how to swim. The thing PP's are criticizing is you being the only person to watch your kids while they swim. Even for a well-trained swimmer, it's highly dangerous to save a drowning person. A non-swimmer doesn't stand a chance. And throwing them a pole is not enough. Your not swimming is fine and it's your prerogative. What's decidedly NOT fine is putting your kids at risk by being the only one to watch them.