Am I being too pushy with daughters swimming?

[RarePearlTiger]

My daughter is 4 almost 5 and has done swimming lessons since she turned 2, she did waterbabies and then moved to leisure centre lessons at 4. For anyone familiar with the lessons she’s just moved up to stage 4 and has got her 25 metres certificate at the weekend

While I was at work earlier in the week my husband mentioned her swimming, and my MIL made a comment about how kids should be kids and not pushed into ‘competing’. FIL agreed and said it’s unnecessary and every child gets there in the end, there’s no need for such pushy lessons

She does a lesson once a week and I probably take her once every 2 weeks on an evening, sometimes every week. She enjoys swimming, she’s not pushed into anything but swimming lessons for me are not negotiable.

It’s just made me feel like shit but I’m probably being over sensitive

Of course swimming can save your life.

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

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.

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.

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!

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.

That's part of the swimming lessons, and being a stronger swimmer means you have better stamina to use those skills for longer.

There have been very sad cases of people being swept into the sea when just paddling in shallow waters recently. In those cases, being able to float and tread water have saved lives. Kids do learn these things at swim lessons.

It might be different in other places, I just know that was the rule at our council pool. If they can come along that would be a great idea, and they can see that there’s no pushing going on.

I teach stage 4. Well done on reaching that stage at her age. She must be a very competent and enthusiastic swimmer.

In stage 4, no one is pushing anyone. In fact I think it is the most fun and enjoyable for the swimmer and teacher.

I play games with mine to develop certain skills. They learn all the 4 strokes, but a big part of my job is to make sure they know about cold water shock, hyperthermia, and the risks of the ocean and rivers. A few weeks ago we discussed rivers, and what to do if you got into trouble in one, then practised it.

Ignore your MIL. One thing I learned as a parent of young DC is that GP's don't actually know what they are talking about half the time.

You are clearly an attentive parent who is prepared to show up for your DC and facilitate what they like to do.

Tilt head, smile and keep doing what you are doing.

It's 3 and a half at our pool. They don't let kids skip stages at ours though, even if they can swim, as they want to teach water safety. I think a lot of people come from water babies and aquatots and want their kids to go into higher stages because "they can swim though" and they haven't been allowed.

It probably does vary a lot though. Ours don't even do distance badges. My 11yo is in stage 7 and has never done a distance badge.

Being able to swim will potentially save her life. You are nailling it. Tell them its not up for discussion. Tell them how many children drown annually

They’ve clearly misunderstood the levels as she is not competing, so just ignore.

Are they very thick?! Surely everyone knows what a swimming lesson for a very young child is?!

This is ridiculous...or course anyone can drown but be realistic who is more likely to survive falling from a boat - someone who can swim.a mile or someone who can't swim at all?

Op please keep going with the swimming lessons! It's a life skill. Perfectly normal to progress up through the stages. Literally thousands of children doing council lessons every week - completely normal. Ignore them.

Well I say she skipped stages but she did 1 lesson in stage 1, moved upto stage 2 and only did 2 lessons in stage 2 before going to 3. She was in stage 3 for 6 months and then into stage 4. I have heard waterbabies use techniques that usual swim teachers don’t like

As someone who can’t swim, I wish my parents had pushed swimming for me. I did have lessons at school, but I was rubbish at it and they weren’t one on one.
It’s an essential skill and, if she enjoys it, that’s a bonus!

Ignore them, both my kids went swimming from 3 months old, they swim like dolphins now as teens and can manage sea swimming and are confident in water. I couldn’t swim til o was in my 20’a and am still crap, can’t swim underwater so carry on! I always took my kids to any sports they wanted and stopped when they were fed up - swimming lasted the longest and they love it

Public pools often have adult beginer lessons with an instructor in the water and low ratio of students.

I learned in this set-up in my late teens. DM didn't encourage swimming because it was cold 🙄 and I just didn't get it in school lessons with teachers on the side shouting into the cacophany and flailing around. I hated being a non-swimming teen, but within a year of my first length I could swim my first mile and it's been such a useful, enjoyable hobby/ skill to have.

The fact you know the length of time at each stage etc does make me wonder if this is what the GPs are picking up on.
Weekly lessons fine. Any of this "waterbabies are special, only 1 month at x level" in front of your daughter and other people is maybe something you need to watch.
A love of swimming, pride in effort is one thing. What if she gets a stumbling block and plateaus. Just make sure you are focusing on the enjoyment and not the stats.

Learning to swim is a non negotiable in our house, I’m a terrible swimmer and Dh can’t swim. It’s a safety issue more than anything else and a lesson a week is hardly overloading her, she probably quite enjoys being in the water.

I’m just giving an example as someone said they don’t usually allow to skip stages stage 1 is for very beginners, so it’s not bragging to point out my daughter skipped this stage after doing 2 years of lessons elsewhere. It certainly isn’t something I talk about randomally

My 2 eldest are 15 and I remember how long each of them spent in each stage 😆 its not bragging to mention it on a thread about swimming lessons

every word just gets over analysed on Mumsnet