To think it is okay for DS (8) to stop swimming lessons now?

[NameChangedSummer1]

As he can swim well, and is doing lots of other activities that we are struggling to juggle. DH and I both work full time, and he already does activities during the week, we need a couple of nights where we don't have to finish early to get to a club to keep up with work commitments.

DS still would like to go as he enjoys it but I've said we can just go swimming at the weekend as we often do (our local centres don't do lessons on a Sunday which is our free weekend day)

And on Saturday he does football (winter) and cricket (summer) which he does not want to stop. I've said if he wants to continue with his Wednesday evening swimming lessons then he needs to drop either Tuesday football training (his favourite), martial arts (Thursday), or Cricket coaching (Friday). He loves all of these.

We will still take DS2 (6) to lessons on a Saturday as he cannot yet swim competently, and he doesn't do as much other stuff as DS1.

He loves swimming but loves the other stuff more. AIBU to say the mid-week evening lessons are not sustainable?

As long as he’s a competent swimmer I’d say this was fine. We only intend ours to take lessons until they no longer need them as they are very competent and safe.

I’d be careful about relying on school swimming. My dd school used a 60cm depth pool and the kids barely got any proper practice.

I would keep up swimming until dc have done the “swimming in clothes” test.

My ds is 6 and swims twice a week (once with me and once at his lesson) and I plan to keep up until he has passed stage 6 minimum.

There was a Guardian article recently about swimming in Australia and the problem of starting lessons too young and quitting too early. Unless you do keep up swimming the skills can be lost quite quickly.

YANBU - if he would rather do other things and won't sink if chucked in water then he is good to go IMO

I think 8 is a bit young to retain the skill, going to local pool he won’t maintain the same level of skill. I’d give it a couple more years

I wouldn't stop I'd find another provider free with a more suitable timing. I was in similar position and considered dropping swimming as it was on a Sunday and only activity DS would give up but I switched to a different provider and fit it in after school now

Swimming isn’t about how far but about technique.

if he can comfortably swim 400m and have energy he’s doing well - but if that’s 400m stopping at each end and pushing off or putting his feet down that’s not the same.

There’s a huge difference in the standard of swimming taught. Those in smaller swim schools and learn to swim attached to clubs are generally more proficient at lower stages.

I live on the coast though so swimming was something we were brought up to be able to do well.

Although I never envisaged the life as a swim aren’t to a national swimmer - that’s a whole new level of ball game 🤣

I would stop the lessons if he is now confident in the water and knows all the strokes.

I seem to be going against the grain here, but I live in a hot country where a lot of people have their own pools and those who do lessons, are mostly to learn water safety and being able to swim.

Anything from there on, is training. Obviously water sport is very big here, so training is as well.

So I don't see the point of training for a sport if there is no intention to pursue it. If there is another sport he is more interested in, then that is where I would put the time and of course, the money. If he wants to continue with water sports at a later time, then look at it again then.

The only lessons they do at school is about 8 or less lessons only once a year for 2 years so 16 lessons in 2 years

When I was at school in the 70s we went to the swimming pool every week for PE and did swimming lessons and got a badge for how far you could swim

Our school does one half-term of lessons in junior school and passes the full cost of the pool hire, teachers and coach onto the parents. It is very nearly the same cost as our private lessons. They simply couldn't offer it otherwise; they don't have enough money for books: the PTA fund those!

It should be a voluntary contribution, it's compulsory for them to teach so if someone can't afford it the child should still go if permission is given.

I don't see £36 a month over just over 50 weeks a year as expensive. I would cut back on other areas definitely before swimming. Plus unlimited swimming card. Living by the sea side you do have a different view. As you know that their teenage years will be down there. Multiple parties and play dates in the lidos paddling pools. Plus a great job for them training to be a life guard if they need spends. Schools offer very limited swimming lessons as funding is lacking. Obviously if you are on the bones of your ass different priorities. And I did start mine two In swimming lessons at different ages as I knew they would engage and not run away screaming!!

floating is a confusing one as a swim skill - when I was a skinny kid, I simply could not float. I lay in the water in just the right posture and my face would sink below the surface. now i'm an adult with a bit of fat on my belly, I can float perfectly with the same technique. but my skinny kids can't.

kids should definitely know the principle of how to float but actually doing it is different.

as for weekly swim lessons, it sounds like the OPs kid has a very intensive sport schedule. how about summer swim lessons (every day for a week) instead of weekly?

It is costing us £80 next term for school swimming.

DS stopped swimming age 7 as he completed his mile badge. I thought that was good enough regardless of age.

Swimming isn't about milestones it's about competance and a child that stopped swimming age 8 (which is essentially what happens unless you're lucky enough to live near the sea will never be competant as an adult. No matter how many milestones they achieve at age 8.

I let mine stop at 11 by which time they were swimming competitively but didn’t want to take it any further. No way would I have stopped before they were that competent.

I’d rather have my competitive swimmer caught in a current than your leisure swimmer. Only one of those has even a chance of getting out of it!