Swim Lessons

Since we moved we had to find a new place to take Max for swim lessons. Initially we tried a swim school two minutes from the house due to the convenience, but it didn't seem like a good fit. We didn't like their program and didn't feel like Max would learn how to swim off their class. So, we got referred another place that is closer to Ms. Marie's house. It would be easy to pick him up from Marie's and go straight to swim lessons. I called the place and this is kind of how it went after the small talk and basic information.

ME: So, we are all set for Friday at 5pm?

LADY: Yup, just get here a little early so we can show you around.

ME: Ok, so one of us is getting in the pool with Max, correct?

LADY: Oh, no. Your kid is too old for that. We do not have the parents in the pool with the child after one year old.

ME: At his last swim school we had to be in the pool because he is only two years old.

LADY: That's not how we do things here. We focus more on survival and you will only make him too comfortable where he might not learn how to save himself.

ME: Just to confirm...I am not in the pool with my son?

LADY: That is correct.

ME: Uhm...I don't think we are going to be a good fit them. (While I am laughing inside thinking of my son going to a complete stranger swimming in the pool happily learning how to swim. If you know my son, you know that's not gonna happen.)

LADY: Oh, just give the free trial a shot and you might be surprised.

ME: No, you will be surprised at how much my kid is going to freak out at the thought of swimming with a complete stranger in a pool.

LADY: Oh, I promise that if you give us a try you will be surprised.

ME: Ok, we will see you on Friday at 5pm.

So, I informed Andy of how this swim school runs things. He did what I did...laugh. We know our child and we know this is not going to go well. We like the concept and see why they do that, but our kid has severe "stranger danger" and I would like to say it's just a phase, but he's been like that since birth.

So, we headed to swim lessons on Friday, but not before we spent two days talking to Max about the new swim lessons. We hyped up how much fun it's going to be swimming like a big boy with the instructor. No matter what we said it was not working. He didn't like what he was hearing. Even so, we went anyway all while laughing inside knowing what we were about to walk into.

Here is Max waiting for class to start all happy as can be.

Then it all goes south when he is forced into the pool with Nathan, the instructor who is also a complete stranger. This is exactly what we expected.

Nathan asked Andy to sit on the edge of the pool next to Max to make him feel more secure. This helped a little. Max cried constantly during the first half of the instruction, then Andy got him to calm down and then he only cried every time Nathan retrieved him from the stairs to do a lesson.

Even though Max cried throughout the majority of the lesson I signed him up anyway. Max was miserable, but in due time he will learn to like it and learn to like Nathan. The instructor was really good and we both really liked the course they taught. We feel Max will learn how to swim better without us in the pool. He needs to learn how to save himself if he falls in, but with us in the pool he thinks of it more like play time versus learning time. I think this swim school is exactly what he needs to learn how to swim and I am pretty sure after a few more swim lessons Max will stop crying.