Am I being too pushy with daughters swimming?

Statistically I'm more likely to drown by going out for a run than by going for a swim. For a start, I choose safer open-water locations and have my tow float if I am intending to swim and practice gradual safe entry.

If I'm running and ever end up in the canal or river from a slip/ trip/ push, being used to floating and swimming is going to improve my odds of self-rescue, or floating long enough for help. Knowing how to work with a current rather than exhausting myself fighting it also improves the odds. Being a non-swimmer slashes those chances of survival.

DS1 was the same, at 6 he did his mile, he did competitive swimming, because he enjoyed it, now he has a weekend job as a lifeguard earring a decent bit over minimum wage while he’s doing A levels.

id ignore their comments!

If you're daughter is enjoying it and you can afford it then why not? What a brilliant girl she is.

It is great to get her into it even before school as it's less easy to fit in lessons around that.

Its not swimming that saves you, its knowing how to avoid danger, and what to do if you get in danger. Treading water, floating, etc.
Being strong in water.

A high number of swimmers drown. Non swimmers tend to stay away from the water

I’ve had two terrible experiences around pools: I’ve had to pull out a drowned elderly person, and in a separate incident, I had to jump in and pull out my own toddler who had escaped my notice, plunged into our pool, and sunk.

Don’t EVER feel bad about giving your child swimming lessons.

Are they worried the teachers are being too pushy, rather than it being pushy to have lessons at all?

Kids here can’t even start stage 1 until they turn 4, so to be at Stage 4 and swimming 25m within a year would be very unusual. Maybe they’re worried that she’s gone so far because the teachers are pushing her too hard and not making it fun as well, rather than realising that she’s apparently just naturally talented.

I really had to push my two to go to lessons but for me, it was non-negotiable. As PP said, it’s a life skill.

I wonder if it’s a lockdown thing. My dd 12yo stopped lessons during lockdown, the pool never reopened and she kind of fell through the cracks like a lot of her peers. We were lucky to land private lessons for her in year 6. She could swim but had zero technique. Thankfully it didn’t take her long to catch up. Luckily we do a lot of play swimming so she was very confident in the water.

@Strawberrycheesecake7 this is 100% true, it’s not necessarily about being a strong swimmer but life saving skills.

I also agree to an extent with @PollyBell yes there is absolutely a big difference between open water swimming and a swimming pool. But the lack of knowledge is not too hard to understand. Unless you’re taught that open water swimming is very different, how is someone to know? Most people are not taught how different it is.

You've done a fantastic job by the sounds of it.

Ha ha love this. They never have any lane discipline and are all ego. Admittedly it nearly kills me sometimes but I can’t resist. Their sheer panic when I tickle their toes. There is no shame greater than being overtake by a fat grandma! Their stroke is usually poor and disintegrates under pressure - it’s mean but fun!

My 3 year old son has had swimming lessons since he was a baby. He can’t swim that well, but he knows how to get to the side of the pool, hold on and climb out by himself. This could potentially save his life if he were to accidentally fall in a pool without anyone noticing. Swimming lessons are so important.

It’s a life skill - they should be able to swim

100% keep going with the lessons, especially if she enjoys them. I am a Cubs Leader and find it terrifying that the 8 year olds coming up can’t swim 50m. This means that they’re not allowed to do any kayaking/sailing etc in scouts, unless they have 1:1 supervision, which we can’t facilitate, so we don’t let them on the water. Very sad.

Most people don’t realise how big a gap there is between swimming lessons and club racing, it’s quite evident when they do trials at our club.

Don’t stop

It’s an amazing skill to have , and besides the whole life saving thing , when she’s older and invited to pool parties where they have all that mad floating equipment she will be able to confidently take part and enjoy herself

I dropped the ball with my youngest and ended up paying privately to teach her aged 12 - she can now swim confidently but god I wish I had done it earlier

They’ve either misheard something and under the impression your child is a competitive swimmer or they’re not very bright and don’t realise there is a difference between swimming lessons and swimming races.

Swimming is good but no it cant save your life i dont understand why it is so hard for people to understand even 'strong swimmers' can drown

Maybe get them to read the news over the last couple of months on the number of water related deaths!

Most kids love swimming, it’s great exercise and a non negotiable life saving skill as far as I’m concerned. The fact they get certificates and badges just makes it more fun for the kids.

You are not being unreasonable at all. Being a strong swimmer can save your life. I always told my son that he could quit any other club/activity but I wanted him to do swimming lessons until he was a competent, strong swimmer. He’s 15 now and a better swimmer than most adults. I was a trained swimmer as a child too and I’m so grateful my parents did that for me. My son stopped lessons a few years ago when he reached the final level, but we go swimming together about once a month now just to maintain technique. We spend time at the beach on holiday every year and it brings me peace of mind to know he’s a strong swimmer (it’s not a guarantee of safety at sea but definitely hugely beneficial). It’s also great full-body exercise and because it’s low impact you can usually do it into old age so having a good swim technique is a life-long benefit. I cannot think of a single reason not to continue to ensure your child learns to swim strongly.

Kids need to be able to swim competently

It's hugely important

what you’re doing is totally normal, responsible parenting. What your DD is doing is pretty exceptional though, isn’t it? I don’t remember any 4 yr olds doing that well.

So if your ILs think she’s been pushed to attain that level, I could see their worry. But clearly she hasn’t, she’s just doing really well! Maybe you need to reassure them that she’s just joining in with lessons, not being hot housed or anything. And that she’s doing so well because it’s a talent rather than hours of practice

Keep going, she's the perfect age to gain confidence in the water and there's no reason not to give her the opportunity whilst she's happy to swim. I'm not seeing anything remotely competitive in what you're currently doing.

My parents for some reason never thought swimming lessons were important, we never got into a pool until primary school compulsory lessons. I found out later in life that I have hypermobility, so low impact exercise like swimming is great for helping me maintain fitness and strength. I find myself in my 40s, discovering that becoming proficient in swimming will be beneficial in staying healthy as I age.