Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Is Swimming a life skill (following on from driving thread)

213 replies

girlfriend44 · 23/07/2022 20:56

Alot of people here said that driving was a life skill.

If you drive can you also swim?
Do you consider Swimming to be a life skill too that everyone should learn?

OP posts:
Badgirlriri · 23/07/2022 20:57

Yes I do. Both important life skills.

Tellmewhyaintnothinbutaheartbreak · 23/07/2022 20:58

Swimming isn’t a life skill.

it’s a life saving skill and therefor way more important imo

WGACA · 23/07/2022 20:59

Yes as you need to have the best chance of saving yourself if you fall into or get into difficulty in water.

CharlieAndTooManyCharacters · 23/07/2022 20:59

I consider it a useful skill. I wouldn’t like to not be able to swim.

ComDummings · 23/07/2022 20:59

I do drive but I don’t think it’s a life skill. As long as you aren’t a cheeky fucker and get yourself around it’s fine.

Swimming isn’t comparable. It is a life skill, a very important one as it could save your life. Everyone should at least be able to float.

alwaysmovingforwards · 23/07/2022 21:01

Yes it's a life skill.

Namenic · 23/07/2022 21:03

Swimming is more important. But both are life skills. Some people can manage life without driving, especially in cities. But with kids it is helpful (eg to get them to a&e).

TeenDivided · 23/07/2022 21:04

Yes to both.

nomistake · 23/07/2022 21:04

It's not really a skill, it's a necessity. If you can't swim and you end up in water it's likely you'll drown. When 70% of the earth is water its likely you'll come into contact at some point.

Having to get the bus rather than drive yourself to the supermarket is hardly comparable.

TotheletterofthelawTHELETTER · 23/07/2022 21:05

I’m always in the minority but I don’t think it is a life skill. it’s not something that affects your day to day life if you don’t. It doesn’t limit or restrict your life if you can’t swim.

I can swim but I don’t. I’ve never fell in a canal/river/sea/off a boat so even though I can swim I’ve never needed to do it.

godmum56 · 23/07/2022 21:05

hmmm see i am not sure that everybody can learn to swim. I can't swim although I have tried many times to learn. I don't float, i sink. I have travelled on ships (cargo ships and oil tankers) many times in my life and have also taken many holidays on the Broads and the Thames. I also had many seaside holidays as a child. I do think that every child should have swimming lessons but that's not quite the same.

I don't think that everyone SHOULD learn to drive. I do think that if they choose not to then they shouldn't expect to be chauffeured around by friends or family who can drive

Bananarama21 · 23/07/2022 21:05

Of course it's a life skill, it's crazy you should create a thread about it to ask.

RedWingBoots · 23/07/2022 21:06

Swimming is a life saving skill.

There was a recent thread on this and how swimming is taught in the UK is an issue.

You can cope and live well not being able to drive - just live in a city or large town.

luxxlisbon · 23/07/2022 21:06

Of course it is.

If it isn’t a life skill what would you class it as?

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 23/07/2022 21:06

I can swim a few strokes and can float but that's it. I'm terrified of deep water thanks to my swimming instructor at school and I don't think I'll ever learn to swim.

LemonSunchines · 23/07/2022 21:07

I wish I could swim. I can't afford lessons.

PurpleFlower1983 · 23/07/2022 21:08

Swimming is way more important than driving, it could lit

PurpleFlower1983 · 23/07/2022 21:08

Pressed too soon! Was going to say literally save your life.

godmum56 · 23/07/2022 21:09

nomistake · 23/07/2022 21:04

It's not really a skill, it's a necessity. If you can't swim and you end up in water it's likely you'll drown. When 70% of the earth is water its likely you'll come into contact at some point.

Having to get the bus rather than drive yourself to the supermarket is hardly comparable.

that 70% figure is just plain silly. Much of the water that covers the earth is not accessible to people unless they deliberately travel to it and if you fall out of a plane or off a ship then being able to swim ain't gonna help...I know because I have been there. On ships (planes too) you rely on lifeboats and life vests not anyone's ability to swim.

TipsyMipsy · 23/07/2022 21:10

I think it can be life saving but despite being able to swim for long periods in a swimming pool I'm not convinced I would survive an emergency situation.

godmum56 · 23/07/2022 21:11

RedWingBoots · 23/07/2022 21:06

Swimming is a life saving skill.

There was a recent thread on this and how swimming is taught in the UK is an issue.

You can cope and live well not being able to drive - just live in a city or large town.

you can cope and live well not being able to swim. Where I live it would be much harder to be a non driver than a non swimmer.

Justcallmebebes · 23/07/2022 21:11

Of course. Yes to both and love swimming

2pinkginsplease · 23/07/2022 21:12

its a life suck I’ll. we live near a canal and for our children learning to swim was a priority.

I didn’t learn until I was 12 so wanted both of ours to learn to swim. Ds is quite a strong swimmer, dd can swim but isn’t a strong swimmer,

2pinkginsplease · 23/07/2022 21:12

It’s a life skill. Feck knows where the suck came from!

CakeCrumbs44 · 23/07/2022 21:13

Of course swimming is a life skill.
My daughter is 5 and I'm surprised by how many of her friends aren't having swimming lessons yet.

Swipe left for the next trending thread