Trusting the swimming teacher

Thankfully this week saw N quite keen to go swimming (think it might have helped that he had a Paddlepak to try out.  We’ll be reviewing this in another post)

Sometimes I think me being in the pool for swimming lessons with N lulls him into a sense of full security.  Obviously he’s too small to be in the pool on his own without armbands or shark fins etc, and I’d much rather he learn without floatation aids (given the safety aspect – no point learning to swim only with a float if you fall in without one), but I think sometimes it does make him lazy.

Maybe, I’m too lax and too willing to not force him into something he really doesn’t want to do.  Some activities he really hates.  He’ll no longer cry when they come up, but now he obviously talks well enough, instead we get commentary and verbal moaning.

‘No mummy, enough’

‘No more mummy’

Largely the moaning is when it’s underwater or something requiring him to go on his back.  Although sometimes the element of surprise works at least the first time, a second attempt receives protest.

Generally he’ll do the activities in his own time, for example last time when the lesson was all about back swimming, he was quite happily swimming away, holding the woggle and float, where previous attempts have been a total fail.

He’ll also now try turning in the water which he used to refuse to do as well as swimming under a mat.  So he just likes to do things in his own time.

But lessons are also about trusting the swimming teacher.  When it comes to activities that N doesn’t like doing, it’s crucial that he trusts our teacher Lynsey.

This week they were practicing star floats on their backs.  Some of the children can star float on their own, others with support.  N hates even trying, and wriggles so much there’s not much chance of me even supporting him, it’s more like trying to stop him from sinking as he tries to wrench away and flip over to his front.  But this week, he gave it a go.  Head back fine, arms vaguely out to the side, and legs straight.  Not quite a star shape, but he was trying it with only a bit of support underneath.

Once he’d tried it once, that was it.  He wanted to do something else.  But as soon as Lynsey comes over he’s quite happy to give it a go again.  It’s like he craves the teacher telling him he’s done a good job rather than his mum!

Mind you, it was only a short attempt and only the once, but that’s what he’s like with most activities.  Anything he’s not keen on, or won’t do for me, he’s usually quite happy to give it a go and show off to the teacher.

I suppose I should be pleased that he’s learnt at an early age that it could be good to do what the teacher says!  Long may that continue into school in a few years.

How do your children react to the teacher coming round?

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Disclosure: We blog for Water Babies, but all words and opinions are my own.  We received a Trunki Paddlepak for review.