To think Saturday swimming lessons will be a bit miserable?

[MerryBeret]

DT (reception age) previously had swimming lessons but their teacher moved away and they got cancelled and we took a while to find an alternative, but spaces have now come up.

Previously it was before they started school so lessons were day time (late morning). Obviously that's not possible now they're in school.

We've been given a choice of 11 or 1130 on a Saturday or 5:30 on a Friday, and have to sign up for the full summer term.

530 on Friday will mean we won't be able to eat as a family any more, and the logistics might be slightly tricky as we also have a younger DC. It feels like it will end up being a bit of a rush, and also maybe not ideal when they're tired at the end of the week.

But I'm also loathe to give up my Saturday mornings - it means we can't go away for the weekend, or have a full day out somewhere without them missing swimming (and paying for two lessons they don't go to). The times feel like they're a bit too late to do anything beforehand, and then going out afterwards in the afternoon is also a bit tricky because of younger DCs naps. I don't know if it feels worse because it's summer and I want to have the freedom to just wake up on a sunny Saturday and go to the beach etc if we want?

Aibu about feeling annoyed about committing to this every Saturday, or will it not bother me at all once I'm in a routine?

YABU - just go for the Saturday lessons
YANBU - make Friday work so you can keep weekends flexible

If anyone wants to comment on swimming lessons and logistics and the least painful way of doing this, please do as I'm welcome to any advice! I think it's the having to commit to several months in advance that's making me concerned about it, as it's a long time if it doesn't work out.

Also I cross poste with you, loads of people have younger and older dc at our classes, it's fine and my dc loves to watch (and then copy in the bath)

It's not getting up and out for 1130 that bothers me, just the loss of a free day. It doesn't feel like weekend extra curriculars are mandatory but maybe they are, the purpose of the thread was to try and find out what others do to get the best solution.

I'd do Friday. 11.30 is too late on Saturday and you'll lose the rest of the day most of the time. We have done 5-6 times on Friday and earlier slots on Saturday and both were fine but on balance Friday was easier. It just slots into the school week. Dinner together less important.

Or leave it until a slot you prefer comes up and take her swimming yourself earlier on Saturday when you feel like it.

Oh that sounds very cute!

So you wouldn’t consider 1-2-1s?

or a block session of 1-2-1 in school holiday?

I'd do the Saturday, then go on any waitlist for a time that suits you better. By Friday, a reception child is likely to be tired and wrestling a bored younger sibling poolside is a special kind of hell 😆 Combined with a disrupted dinner time it would be a frantic end to the week.

I long ago gave up Saturday freedom for kids clubs. That said, they do miss them very occasionally if there is something else going on.

My boy is younger than your twins, he’s only 3.5y but in a group populated by reception/year one age kids (what a lame humble brag, there’s a reason to this I swear!!) and so the lessons offered are either after school time or Saturday morning. There was no way I was doing a Saturday morning. One because it was a similar time to yours and frankly you lose the whole morning and even eating into the afternoon once you’re out, changed and go elsewhere/home but two because our swim school doesn’t offer any flexibility and I pay by direct debit so you’re soon out of pocket once you miss a couple of lessons. Perhaps if it were earlier it would be different but 11:30 is such an awkward time.
I would 100% go for the Friday evening lesson.

My twins had swimming lessons on Friday at 5:30. They had an early dinner about 5pm, but it was a bit of a rush for me to finish work in time. They've now moved to 6pm which works better - dinner before we go, bit of TV and relax before bed when we get back.

For years before this we had lessons at 12 on Sundays. It was fine - if we were going out for the afternoon, we just left straight after lessons and I brought a picnic lunch. The odd time we missed a lesson if we needed to be somewhere early.

So I think both times are fine!

Just leave it until September, they'll be no more safe around the water this summer if you start now, so you might as well just enjoy the freedom over the summer and see what's available in September and how it fits in with how much things have changed over the summer. And maybe you could look at a block of lessons over the summer if that suits your family.

"Loathe to give up" your Saturday morning 🤣🤣

This is just the start and you've got another 10 yrs at least of driving an hour to an away football match or dance competition

It's a huge amount more money which isn't affordable. Plus, it would either be a lot more money for 1-2-2 so not the same as a 121, or it would at to the difficult logistics to have them going at different times, even if consecutive (ie possibly having younger DC waiting around for over an hour poolside if we did it after school or in school holidays). So I don't think it would help much.

@MerryBeret you will be done by 12 and at the beach for the rest of the afternoon . Do you really want to be at the beach before it gets properly warm ? It’s the joys of kids and swimming lessons . I’d prefer this to a Sunday morning.

Tbh I’d do the Friday evening if your Dd isn’t To tired after her week.

This is a good idea .

My kids have Saturday lessons at almost exactly that same time. For us, it works well, but we don’t tend to go away at weekends very often outside of school holidays (when there are no lessons). If we do - they skip swimming.

We come home for lunch and then have the whole afternoon. When DC2 was younger we’d leave him at home with DH for early lunch and nap, and then chill in the afternoon. We usually do full days out on Sundays.

I personally would prefer Sat AM to Fri after school as I’d expect a reception child to be tired at the end of the week. Plus it can muck up dinner and bedtime.

Can they swim at all now? If so why don't you skip formal lessons and just take them yourself (or husband) when it suits so they can continue practising?

I never had swimming lessons as a child other than at school, neither did my children, but we all swam by the age of 5 or so. We do spend all summer holidays by a lake though so had plenty of opportunity to practice.

Definitely Friday.
There are 6 other days to eat as a family. Weekends are sacred

I've done both of these timeslots and would have a strong preference for Saturday mornings. Everyone is so tired by that point on Friday and it disrupts the evening.

However we were relaxed about skipping a session if we wanted to go away, so that made a difference.

My 3 children had Saturday lessons early for years....it's a sacrifice but worth it.

My ds2 has swimming lessons on a Saturday morning. We don’t usually go away for the weekend in term time. I find it doesn’t affect anything, if we go out for the day we just go after. Ds2 would be too tired on Fridays after school I think.

I’d sign up for now and ask to be put on the waiting list for a better slot.

YABU I am afraid, this is life with school age DC. If it isn't swimming it's football or riding or dancing.

There is robust evidence that having outside interests is protective for mental health and well being. Do you have a partner could you alternate ?

I would probably try and make the Friday work. Or alternatively you could just take your kids swimming and teach them the basics yourselves. I think it slightly depends on how much your child enjoys swimming. If they are afraid of the water then small group lessons can be really helpful. If they're happy to put their head underwater and jump in from the side and swim using a noodle when they're with you, maybe it's OK to wait a little longer for lessons.

We are in the thick of this at the moment.

Our local leisure centre lessons don't start until age 4 but my 3 year old DS hated the pool and needed much bribery to go in the water, so we signed him up for very expensive small group lessons at a private pool. It's been brilliant for him but it is every Saturday afternoon which does limit what we can do at weekends. I also take him to the pool myself once a week after school to practise what he has been learning in lessons.

In his private lessons he's basically learned how to move along the wall of the pool using his hands like a crab, how to swim forwards with a pool noodle under each arm, how to swim forwards with one pool noodle in front of him under both arms, how to lie back and put his ears in the water, how to jump in from the side from a standing position, and how to get out of the pool safely using the ladder. He's also been working on blowing bubbles and putting his head under the water. Last week they did an exercise where the teacher lined up some floats along the edge of the pool and the children had to move along the side of the pool using their hands and then duck underneath each float (like upside down/underwater hurdles).

Outside of lessons, when we're in the pool together, we have progressed to having him jump in from the side and paddle towards me (without using a noodle or armbands). I've been getting progressively further away and he's been managing to swim a good few metres unaided. I then turn him round and give him a good shove and he makes his own way back to the wall.

All of this would have been unthinkable six months ago.

For what it's worth I think the after school time slot (where I take him to the pool myself) is more convenient than the Saturday afternoon, but it does mean he doesn't get to eat dinner with 2 year old DD.

In September we will move to the cheaper lessons at the leisure centre and try to get an after school slot to free up weekends a bit more.

Not sure yet what we will do about DD, but since she's much more at ease in the water than DS and often tries to copy what he's doing when we swim as a family, I think we might just keep going to the pool and teach her ourselves until she's 4 and we can sign her straight up for the leisure centre classes.

Our DC are active and their sports take over our weekends - personally I'd make the most of free weekends and go for the Friday evening - just batch cook something that everyone can eat as and when for that day

To be honest we found the group swimming lessons rubbish and ultimately ended up teaching our own kids to swim. If you can swim yourself you are literally in a position to teach your children to swim, there's isn't some magic formula they use at lessons.

Yes this. For whatever reason I can’t pinpoint swimming just seems a faff. Maybe it’s because the starter lesson are generally 30 mins so seems a lot of effort for it.

now we just embrace it and my eldest goes 5 times a week including 5.30 am 🙄

for the one session my youngest gets does we all go in for 30 mins into swim / diving lessons for the kids and I do 1km in 28 mins. Then we do a family fun swim after. Triples the faff if we all go in but the kids love it. And we’ve just got into a routine so it’s pasta and bolognaise from the freezer so ready in 10 mins of getting home….. trying to convince the kids to cook it whilst I hang the soggy swimmers out by bribing them with the otherwise unheard of tv WHILST eating.

In my (admittedly fairly limited) experience, it's helpful to have lessons for the first child and watch what they do, and then you can teach subsequent children yourself until they get to the stage where they need to learn technique.