To be scared of taking my 4 year old swimming

[Fightingtobepositive]

we have obviously took DS aged 4 swimming in the past. However, it isn’t often because I’m so scared of him becoming unwell after. He loves water loved the pools on holiday and loves the sea. But when it comes to swimming pools, I have huge anxiety over it. (Also feel the same about soft play, but that’s easily avoidable)
we’ve just signed up for swimming classes. But now today on a horrible and rainy day. He wants to go swimming with slides. So DP has booked a session. I am a total bag of nerves and somewhere in between I have to do these things so let’s go and have fun, to I haven’t done this often so why am I risking it 3 days before starting back to school in a new year group 🙈

Unwell with what? They'll all be snotty & coughing by the end of next week anyway.

Pools are full of chlorine. It kills everything. That’s the point. Sure, they are public buildings where lots of people are potentially sharing airspace, but are you also afraid of public transport and schools? Why swimming pools in particular?

I think you need to address your anxiety.
Bag of nerves over what??

Unwell with what? Does he have a health condition? The swimming lessons aren’t in a dirty river?

Kindly, you need to get over this issue for the sake of your child learning a life skill and for his enjoyment. Swimming is fun and important. The more you go, the more you will realise it's absolutely fine and that the chances of him picking something up are a lot lower than in other situations.

YABVU.
You need to get some help for your anxiety.
Swimming is an important life skill, it's good exercise and it's fun.

Also let him go to soft play poor kid.
My kids spent half their lives there when they were little.
It brought them so much joy and they are both still alive!

What do you think he'll catch, a cold? A vomiting bug?

I get it, I do, I had to have this kind of fight in my mind in the past. This is what convinced me...

What is worse for your son, in the present and future?

A) a cold, a vomiting bug, or both, or even having colds and bugs regularly
B) an anxious mother who limits his life

Let me tell you, as someone who grew up with an anxious mother, it is MUCH better to have colds and bugs regularly than to limit your life.

I didn't go to soft plays. My mum thought ball-pits were very unhygienic. She stopped me from playing sports because it would trigger my asthma. She stopped me from taking my prescribed steroid medication for my asthma because "steroids are bad". I wasn't allowed to learn to ride a bike till my teens because I might fall off it.

I have resentment to this day. I'd rather my children occasionally tumble off their bikes than never ride them. I'd rather my kids catch a vomiting bug in the ball pit than never have that delightful jump into one.

Has he previously been unwell afterwards? Ears, cold, fever?

he does have large tonsils so can suffer with his throat when unwell with colds etc. also more so than anyyhing is sickness 🙈 he was sick after swimming once and it’s given me anxiety since. I think when he was smaller I’d find every time he went to soft play he’d be ill 3 days later and swimming, ok not every time but lots of time would also have something soon after 🙈 I hate that I feel like this. It takes the excitement out of it. We are on our way to the pool now. DS is so excited and all I can think about is I hope he can go to school next week.

I do get it. My DD suffers from coughs/colds & it is rough when she gets poorly. But I wouldn't stop her doing anything because of it, and swimming is marvellous for children. As soon as kids go to school they pick up every single virus/bug going so it's really not worth getting stressed over. And you wouldn't stop your child going to school would you?