Swimming Lessons

We've enrolled our little mermaid in swimming lessons. Our goal was to find something after work due to the fact that I don't drive and both mommies want to be involved with the lessons. So after some searching, Rhonda found a class that will work for all of us. Brielle will be taking lessons at Harry Bailey from May 6-June 3, on Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:05 - 5:35 pm. Lessons for her age group, which is called Starfish, are aged 4-18 months. We are really looking forward to it. She loves the water and it'll be fun to see what we can learn.

If I had the option to get Infant Swimming Resource (ISR) lessons for Brielle, I wouldn't even hesitate. In short, ISR teaches survival swimming lessons for children aged 6 months to 6 years. Their goal is to give children confidence and skills in the water. I've watched endless videos online and am amazed with the results.

There is a lot of controversy with this type of swimming lessons but I only see the good in it. Most of the negative talk is about parents and how it can be so easy to trust your child alone around water. But let's be honest here. Any parent who believes that their child should be unattended around water, with or without swimming lessons, is not a good parent. In no way should any child of any swimming skill level, be left unattended in or around any amount of water. It's just not safe. Period.

ISR has not been offered in Canada until recently. One swimming instructor in Calgary was brave enough to offer it and I have to say, I am thrilled! I hope that one day soon, before Brielle is 6, that it is offered in Saskatoon. I will 100% be on board with her learning these amazing skills. Here is a news clip from Calgary.

 

Swimming lessons of any sort are important to me, to Rhonda & I as parents and for our daughter. Why? Because I can't imagine living in fear of water. I grew up around water and learned to respect it. Respect and fear are much different. Am I afraid of water or afraid to swim? No. Do I respect the water enough to know it's power? Yes. And I want Brielle to grow up learning the same thing. I want her to have fun, but know there are limits.

 

One of my biggest pet peeves around water is throwing people in and dunking people. I think both are extremely disrespectful. I would assume that most people who know me well and have seen me around water, know that I swim well, float easily and for long periods of time, with very little effort. But, what they don't know is that if I am dunked, I panic. Not having control of my own body in water, makes me very afraid. As it should. I want to teach Brielle that it's not okay to do these things to others in water, nor is it going to be okay for others to do it to her. Not knowing a persons water skills or fears of water can really have a bad outcome if you throw them in the water unexpectedly or dunk them.

And on another note, this morning we had another successful poop in the potty and she also pee'd in the potty for the first time. She really has no issues going potty and it happens almost immediately after putting her on. I'm going to try my best to catch as many potty episodes as possible. I mean, I'm home with her every day, so why not start now since she seems to be responding so well. Yay Brielle!!

Here's the sign for potty. We're going to start learning it today.