I have taken my 18 month old to weekly swimming lessons since he was 4 months old. He use to enjoy the lessons, to be honest I rarely dunked his head under as he always got very upset, and I wanted him to enjoy the lessons.
Now he’s older the lessons are less fun and the instructor does a lot of head dunking, he absolutely hates it, he looked terrified today like he knew what was to come and then cried so much after. I felt awful! Other mums at the lessons say to keep doing it and he will get use to it. We’ve been trying the last fews with dunking him under/pouring water over his head, he’s getting more upset. So I’ve decided to stop lessons and take him myself for a free swim without all the going under. DH thinks I’m being unfair and that I am stopping him develop.
The way I see it, he’s becoming terrified, it’s suppose to be a fun activity as well as an important one. I can’t bare to make him so upset for a swimming lesson, the older he gets the more he will understand and feel comfortable putting his head under. Please tell me I’m not being ridiculous stopping the lessons?