Why Swim Lessons Were a Non-Negotiable for Our Family

Why Swim Lessons Were a Non-Negotiable for Our Family

Summer Memories Around the Water

I’ve always loved being around a pool and will even work in the yard in my swimsuit. I remember walking around our own yard in a swimsuit as a kid, even though we didn’t have a pool. There was just something about wearing a swimsuit that made it feel like summer.

Summer also meant going to my Aunt Francis’s house because she actually had a pool. When I was even younger, we always went to the Mississippi beach.

Since I had my daughter, we’ve gotten a pool almost every year. As she has grown, the pools have gotten slightly bigger. Last summer, we put up a larger pool and decided to leave it up through the winter. We’re glad we did because now we’re enjoying it for a second season.

Why Swim Lessons Were a Must

Last year was the first time my daughter could barely touch the bottom of our pool. That’s when I knew swim lessons were a must.

We signed her up for private lessons with Angela Bachelor. To be honest, I thought that week of lessons was a bust because I wasn’t seeing much progress.

Later that summer, though, something changed my mind.

She started swimming underwater in a pool. Before swim lessons, she had been terrified to do that. As her confidence grew, I felt much more comfortable taking her to not only our pool but other pools that were somewhat shallow too.

Building Confidence One Step at a Time

After that experience, I knew swim lessons were a non-negotiable this year too.

This year, she learned to tread water, swim laps on her own, practice two underwater swimming variations, float on her back, and even swim laps backward.

Were the laps perfect? No.

But I am proud that she feels confident enough to do them.

At first, she was terrified to even go into the deep end. By the end of the week, she let go, treaded water while she was still scared, and started swimming underwater. Before the week ended, she was excitedly telling everyone she was going to swim in the deep end.

She also learned how to dive. On the final day, all of the children jumped off the diving board. She jumped too — with assistance. By then, she was much more confident jumping in from the side of the pool and swimming in the deep end. For the diving board, she wanted assistance, which was completely understandable.

Every year, she takes another step toward becoming more confident and, most importantly, safer around pools.

Watching her confidence grow has been one of my favorite parts of summer.

Worth Every Mile

The 40-minute drive from South Lafayette to Carencro was worth it. We found people who made my daughter feel confident and this mama feel much more at peace when it comes to taking her to the pool and the beach.

We can’t wait to send her back to Private Lessons by Angela Bachelor next year.

As parents, we can’t eliminate every risk around water. However, we can give our children opportunities to build confidence, learn important swimming skills, and become safer around pools.

For our family, swim lessons have absolutely been worth it.

Have your children taken swim lessons? I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments!