We have now completed our fifth swim lesson. And nothing much has changed. Actually, I think we might have digressed. This was Baby Twerp at the beginning of his swim lesson this weekend. 
Ten minutes later, we had progressed to here....
And ten minutes after that....here is where we were (please notice how exhausted I was after my Boston trip)
Anyhoo, five minutes later...this was our status. It seemed futile. Hopeless. A lost cause.
But then Swim Instructor Sent From Heaven Above showed up after he had given a lesson to all the other kids to chat with BT. 
And there was NO WAY he Hay Dez that BT was getting in that water. Nunt uh.
So Swim Instructor Sent From Heaven Above said to me, " If it is okay with you, next week I am just fighting thru it and taking him in. Is that okay with you?"BT ran off screaming "Help me Jesus! Help me Jewish God! Help me Allah! AAAAAHHH! Help me Tom Cruise! Tom Cruise, use your witchcraft on me to get the fire off me!" {name that movie}
So now, I need your advice:
A. Just go for it. Let the Swim Instructor Sent From Heaven Above fight through the pain and gnashing of teeth and weeping and wailing and take him to the deep end to conquer all fear of the water and heal the aqua allergy once and for all.
ooooooorrrrrr
B. Save the poor precious Baby from the fear and trepidation of his severe and life threatening aqua allergy and prevent the inevitable therapy he will endure. DO NOT...repeat....DO NOT let that Swim Instructor force that child to face his fear. No way, Jose. Amen.
I need your help. Pleased advice.
30 comments:
Talladega nights, of course. :]
Also, go for it. The only way BT will get over it is if he has to. It might be ugly, but in the end you'll be thankful. Hopefully, in the end he'll love swimming!
IMO (and this from a woman who has never birthed babies) Go for it and then hide. Watch from afar, where BT can't see you. I hate to say it but it may be as simple as that. If he knows you're there he knows he can just cry & give up & go sit with Mom. Maybe if you aren't there it will be different. Again I may be way off base here but it's just a thought.
I say let the swim instructor go for it. He is going to have to overcome his fear one way or another. The guy knows what he is doing I say.
well, i would like to say i'd say, nah protect your chitlin but really? let him take him in. nothing is going to harm him. and maybe he'll learn a lesson that he can't always cop out if it's something he's scared of. you know? sometimes being scared is a good thing, that what you're about to try is going to change you. but i'd totally hide while the instructor plunges him in, tho. just sayin. i'm a coward like that and all.
I also say go for it. It will pay off in the end really. You might have to go lock yourself in the bathroom and weep and wail some yourself, but in the end....he will thank you for it.
do it!
if you can not be there or possibly be "far away" watching...it may be better for everyone!
you've got a zoom lens, right?
can't wait to hear what you decide
I agree with the ladies....go for it. It's important for a child to know how to swim (for safety purposes, if nothing else) and I think the fact that you are just an arm's reach away is what's holding him back. I think maybe you do need to just walk out and let the Swim Instructor Sent From Heaven handle it. Obviously he and BT have a thing going on....maybe he trusts him more than you know. It'll be like dropping him off at school or daycare.....it's hard to walk away, but you just have to trust that it will all be ok and a learning experience for BT too.
And I'll keep my fingers crossed for a promotion!!
I say just throw him in and tell him it is time to sink or swim!
just kidding sort of.
I think the swim guy knows it is time and he will not let anything happen to BT. And I would stay out of sight or earshot, because he is going to reach out to you to save him and you are going to reach back.
My mom never learned to swim. A thang that hindered her all her life. And you know, I always worried about her falling off the boat or something and not knowing how to swim. So, BT, it's time dude!
I say Do Not Do It... He will come around in good time. If ya scare the crap out of him now he'll never enjoy the water. Let him take his own time and just set on the edge with him.
Send him with SISFHA. Only - this is the really important part - don't just let SISFHA take him into the water. You have to let BT know this is a united front. YOU must tell BT "I'm sending you with SISFHA now" and then hand BT over and leave the viewing area... and watch from nearby of course :)
Do it! I actually walked by and pushed (oops!) my kiddo in the water.
1. They need to get over the fear.
2. They need to know what to do if they ever do accidently fall in.
It will be alot easier for BT to get over this now, as opposed to when he is older.
I say let the instructor take him in. You want him to get over his fear of water in case he is ever "accidentally" pushed in. Just disappear for a few minutes. He'll recover and he'll learn the love the water and you won't be able to keep him out of it.
Well, it seems that I will me in the minority here...but I would just table swim lessons this session. He is obviously terrified, and I can't see what it would hurt to wait and try again at a later date. That's my gut feeling...but all of my children absolutely took to the water like fish from the time they were about 9 months old, so what do I know?
How old is BT? I mean it's not like your going to be sending him off to camp without being able to swim...I think he has time. Go with your gut - it won't steer you wrong!
My first thought as a mom was .. just wait till next year, it just may not be his time yet, but then my need for learning things kicked in and I said what most above say and that is- make him do it and YES YOU MUST DISAPPEAR FROM HIS SIGHT while he is doing it! Just like at pre-k and school! Encourage (note I did not say bribe) him with not being able to swim over the summer when you go to the pools, creeks, big water filled FUN theme parks....etc, etc. He can do it!!
Tell BT to suck it up and sink or swim! Just kidding!!! Seriously though I agree with everyone else that said let the instructor take him in. Wait now that I think about it, might not be such a good idea. Ask Working Mom about when The Boy went in the water with his Uncle for the first time. He's been afraid of the water since! LOL
~Uncle Trix~
I don't have kids so I don't really know what the heck I'M talking about, but I say let the swim instructor take him & do his thang. He knows more about this kinda thing than we do, right? Plus, you'll be thankful if BT learns to swim because you DO NOT want a kiddo afraid of the water...right?!
Hi CG
I am a lurker but thought I would comment on this one. As a "terrified of water" mom, I made sure none of my kids were like me. My youngest was very scared as well and I had the same debate as you...do I let her pick and choose when and if she will go in...or will I just get it over with.
We had a bit of a different scenario though. We were at a lake, she had a life jacket on, I was in the water to my waist and holding on to her - or rather she had stuck herself to me like glue. I finally just pushed her away. She screamed for about 5 minutes and then stopped and paddled over to me. That was the end of it. She has been a water rat ever since.
I think sometimes you just have to "push" them past their fears. I sure wish someone had done that to me when I was little. I sure feel that I miss out on a lot of fun - like snorkeling without having to just concentrate on my breathing instead of enjoying all the fishlife etc. below me. And believe me it took me 5 years to even get that far into the water. And if there are no lifejackets - FORGET IT.
Carrie
Let the swim instructor just take him in...you do not need to be within site. Knowing you are there to rescue him is maybe what keeps him from overcoming his fear. It's not as if he is going to drown, he is physically in no danger, once he sees that, he will be able to succeed.
I agree with the previous posters. Let the swim instructor take him, then hide. Like someone said before he's not gonna drown. He will be okay! But I also know that that's easier said than done. But give it a try, okay?
BTW, it's Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Possibly the funniest movie EVAH!
It's time for BT to swim, imo. Young 'uns at least need to know how to get to the side or shore if they fall in. Better to face those fears now in a safe and controlled environment.
Jump in with both feet!
I said that and then went and read everyone's opinion and remembered some things.
First, I agree if you're going to let him do it, don't be there because he knows you won't make him if he cries.
Second, I kind of agree with the opinion that if he is REALLY terrified, waiting won't hurt. I remembered that my middle one was a little afraid one year, but the next you couldn't get her out of the water.
Dear Sweet 8lb 6oz Baby Jesus, just throw that kid in the water already, would ya?!?!
No seriously.. Swim Instructor Sent from Heaven Above knows what he's doing. He's instructed many a BT, I'm sure. Just let him go with it. And if things go bad...well, I'm sure he knows CPR. I mean am I right?? =P
Throw him in!! I saw the same thing with my friend's boy and after just making him cry it out EACH lesson he is now an awesome swimmer. For a year or two he seriously cried a lot during the lessons especially when he had to do the diving board but I think it's OK. We've had an awesome teacher out here for my boys and on the first day she has each kid go of the diving board...screaming and all, even w/ the very small kids. She said you can either let them cry and worry about it all year or just get it over with. BTW, I know where you are doing those lessons and it's not cheap!! Make him get in. :)
OK, I'm going to be contrary here, but I did not learn to swim until I was over 40. Why? Because my first swim instructor threw me into the deep end of the pool and I went down like a rock. I wasn't so much petrified of water as I was of swim instructors after that.
How did I finally come around? I took up kayaking. I simply never fell out of my boat. In fact, I got nationally certified as an instructor. (Unlike scuba, they just assume but do not require you to know how to swim). Finally I took lessons. To this day I don't want anyone touching me in the water.
Give him time and don't scare him.
I know that once BT figures out he can swim, then he will enjoy it, but forcing him in, I don't know. It might give him a great fear of water.
MAYBE what you ought to do, is PUT A LIFE VEST ON HIM! Show him that he can't sink. This way he will get the motions down, and his fear might go away.
I am a horrible swimmer. SINK all the time! There is no such thing as a BODY Floating where I am concerned. I learned to swim with a life vest. The best that I do is a dog paddle! LOL But I do get from point A to point B now, With out a life vest I might ad! Teehee
It is something to think about. If BT gets a big fear of water, then you might regret it!It will come in time.
Then maybe next summer try the swim lessons again.
I'd wait until he's ready! Kids have a way of getting the hang of things. You probably never thought he'd stop sucking his thumb, pooping his pants, wetting the bed and then one day it happened. Give it a little more time and then if it doesn't get easier bribe him!!
I am not that worried about him being scared. I worry about him falling in while wait til he decides to like it. I have taught hundreds of kids to swim. Send him in
I think I'd let it go for now. I would bet that a fun vacation with some buddies that can swim and older brother... he might decide he doesn't want to get left behind and the problem might solve itself.
I disagree with most of the other comments. My son was just the same as your baby. He clung to the side of the pool and sat on the steps for years. We tried to get him in and gave him lessons with similar results so left him alone. Then one day, probably when he was 6 or 7, he took off and started swimming like a fish. He was a member of the swim team in high school and has loved swimming since. I guess the question I would ask myself is whether it really matters if he learns to swim now or not.
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