Survival Swim

For the past 4 weeks Liam has been taking a survival swim class.  Even though we have a pool safety fence and our house alarm announces when an exterior door opens, it was important for us to have Liam take swim lessons in order to prepare for the summer season.  While ordinarily we would have just taken a class down at our local YMCA, we had a friend who recommended an Aqua Tykes class instead. 
 
This class is focused on what would happen if your child fell in the water and they were all alone.  They are taught to roll from a face-down position in the water to a face-up independent back float.  Roll over breathing is not taught very often in swim schools because it takes a lot of time and patience. The classes can be pretty intense.  They are 10 minutes a day, 4 days a week for anywhere from 4-6 weeks. 

Going into the lessons Liam was a little too overconfident.  Since last summer he used a swim vest, I think he was under the impression that he actually knew how to swim, which made him being near a pool very dangerous.  It was common for him to jump in the pool without an adult near by, because he thought that he knew how to swim.  So the first few lessons were a very rude awakening to him.  He hated it and would cry and want to get out of the water.  It is almost a sink or swim mentality.  But as the weeks went on he became more confident. 

This is his last week and I think that the lessons have been worth every penny.  The last few lessons they even have the kid wear their normal clothing to replicate an unexpected fall in the pool.  They start teaching children as early as 6 months, and I think we will start Ansley once she can walk.  I feel so much better knowing that if Liam were in a situation where he fell in, he could be alright.  And it is nice to know that we are done with floaties and swim vests.