Do your children know how to swim? Have you ever thought about taking your children to swimming lessons? I am a very proud father tonight as my son was today awarded his ten metre swimming badge. He is five years of age and has come a long way from the young boy who at one stage was so scared of water that he would not even take a bath. As soon as I put him into the bath he would jump out towards me like a frog and cling on to my body, shaking. I believe swimming is a very important skill that each child should learn as it is a skill that one day may just save their life.
I am not really sure as to why my son had such a dislike to water when he was a baby and toddler. I have to say that I am not exactly a great lover of water or swimming and living in a big city it is not something we are surrounded by unlike people who live in the coastal areas of England.
In an attempt to make my son start to see water in a more fun way I decided to take him to the local swimming baths. By buying him some armbands and a form of safety vest/jacket I hoped he would feel very safe and I assured him that I would not leave his side. I even made out that I was scared of water and that I needed him to look after me. He seemed to like this idea.
The swimming baths themselves are like a fun pool as it has a number of slides, some big and some small. It also has a wave machine. To say my son loved every minute was an understatement and he insisted that we should return as soon as possible.
When he was four years of age he agreed to attend swimming lessons at another local swimming pool and a year on is doing so well it is untrue. He even swims a width where he is mainly underwater and has gained a knickname of shark boy by the swimming instructors.
I would advise more parents to help and encourage their young children to swim.
