Yay - Those expensive swimming lessons seem to be paying off!

[MingMingtheWonderPet]

DS (age 5.10) has just got his 100m front crawl badge. I am so proud of him. DH took him along today, and the instructor said it was test day. When he came home with his badge and told me he had swum 100m I didn't actually believe him - feel a bit bad now that DH confirms it is true.
Sorry for the proud mummy moment, hope you will all forgive me!

awww how long has he been swimming?

He's been swimming a while, and has always been full of confidence, but it has only been recently that it has all started coming together and he has started properly swimming. Handy really cos we are off on holiday tomorrow!

Fantastic!

Good for you (and your ds!!). In Holland, nearly every kid attends swimming classes from about 5/6. It is compulsory for a child to have the first diploma, called the 'A' diploma, before they are allowed into a public pool without armbands and an adult supervising at all times. The 'A' diploma means swimming about 400 mtrs, with 3 different strokes, treading water, swimming underwater for about 5 mtrs and doing something in pyjamas or shorts and te-shirt. I am always amazed that kids pass it. I think I passed my 10 mtrs at about 9 yrs old.

Huge congrats to your ds - its such a relief when kids become confident swimmers

Surely a child is allowed in a swimming pool without armbands if they are supervised one to one in Holland. It sounds a very tough test that many adults would fail.

My son can swim, but I would never let him in a pool on his own. Children who can swim are often silly and over confident.

Wow, that is a tough test.
Not sure how many kids could do that in this country.

It is tough but all the kids pass eventually. Some might take a year of weekly swim lessons to pass, some quicker. And strange as it may sound, you are NOT allowed to let your child take off their arm bands even if one on one. It drives me and loads of other parents nuts. Obviously, when they can swim, although not well enough to pass the test, you can be a little sneaky about this, but the rule in all public pools is 'No diploma, bands compulsory'. My older 2 kids are now much stronger swimmers than me

Actually, have just though, the test reminds me of the bronze swimming badge I did at about 13 yrs old

Just out of interest, when you're in the pool, how do the attendants know who has the diploma? Do you have to show it as you go in?

No, but if they see any young child who looks like they are not a competent swimmer (and they seem to have a pretty good idea), they would hound down the parents and ask them about the diploma. Obviously, there may be some people who have learned to swim, perhaps abroad, and not bothered to take this test. It really confused me for ages but now I just take it for granted. And as doing this diploma thing seems to be part of the national culture here, I don't think many people would 'cheat'. On things like school camp at my kids' school which is in group 6 (Yr 5), kids have to produce their diploma to do the swimming activity. Last year a kid in ds's class who was 10 had to wear armbands as he didn't have it (and to be fair, was a v poor swimmer) when the others were diving in the deep end and doing all sorts of tricks. Must have been horrible for him.