10 August 2009
A crying boy at the swimming pool
I've decided that I'd like my boy to learn to swim much earlier than I did. So, I've registered him with a five day Swimini course (swimming for children at beginners level) at our local leisure centre. Of course this won't lead to him swimming but at least it will expose him a little more to water than I managed to do in the last three years. Unfortunately I couldn't get him into the weekly swimming lessons during the upcoming term time any more but there's always another term after that.
I think it's fair to say that both Frank and I are complete couch potatoes. We've only managed to take Yannick once to the pool before the lessons started - and that was last Sunday. Eek. However, he's been to the seaside where he loved the splashing waves and he expressed an interest in learning to swim when he was in a relatively big paddling pool of a friend. When I said to him that he could go to a five day swimming course with an instructor he was all up for it!
So today we had the first 30 minute lesson. I was watching from the gallery. Yannick was so excited that he could hardly sit still and wait for the instructor to 'swim' with him. The first 15 minutes of that went well, Yannick enjoyed himself. Nevertheless, he made sure to be as close as possible to the pool edge most of the time and sitting on the top most step rather than a little further in with the other children. Then the instructor started showing them how to move through the water on their backs. Yannick didn't like that. I don't know if he got too much water into his ears or his face somehow but all of a sudden he was sitting at the edge of the pool and was crying. The crying sounded half way theatrical but he was clearly somewhat upset. The instructor got him again and talked him into trying the next thing and Yannick seemed OK to go on with it. I could see he was a bit fearful as he was putting his legs around the instructor instead of relaxing them. The instructor managed to calm him down a little, still he came back a little bit more upset than before. This was hard to watch but I decided to keep my distance as the instructor was trying to console him and Yannick didn't seem like he needed me badly. In the end I went down a couple of minutes before the end and Yannick noticed me a moment after I sat down behind him. But he didn't come running to me as I half expected. So I'm not quite sure what to make of this. Let's see how this develops over the next four days.
Posted 13 August 2009, 7:11. About 'A crying boy at the swimming pool'.
Oooooh, well done Yannick! I keep meaning to book Freyja in for swimming - or at least take her to the pool sometimes. She used to be quite scared of the water, but then last summer she started really enjoying it (my parents have a pool in their place in France and where they live in Dubai so she has swum a lot while on holiday) and now she is really brave, but only with her armbands on. I’d like her to start learning to swim properly as well and really need to take her when we’re at home as well as on holiday.
Hope it goes well!
Posted 14 August 2009, 21:11. About 'A crying boy at the swimming pool'.
I can only recommend the courses! The teachers use all kinds of props but no armbands so the children really get more comfortable around the water and understand how it feels without any aids. Despite the initial crying Yannick enjoyed this loads!