A 4 year old who's never been to a swimming pool - reason to judge?

[emkana]

discuss

Perhaps these are people who are using their time to ensure that their childrens clothes are ironed, which is of course much more important than taking them out swimming.

i am, with you blu and ds4 has never been - ds3 aged 5 has been a couple of times only

i think they are lurgy filled places !

I swim loads and loads with my kids though. Nowt better for wearing them out.

No

When doing teaching observation week at a primary I was attached to a year 6 class and they started swimming that term. A significant proportion had never been swimming before; the teacher said that quite a lot of muslim and stricter hindu families did not swim in public pools as part of a family together, it wasn't part of their leisure time, although they all turned up with the kit for swimming at school.

No. Could be all manner of reasons why not.

No, jesus, I don't care!

Perspective, FFS!

There was a new sign at our local pool the other day, about not using the swimming pool if you have diarrhea, and not forgetting to wash hands after toilet, shower before swimming etc. It made me feel so queasy at the thought of the pool's bug soup that I haven't been in since.

Surely this is just like saying we should judge someone who hasn't takem their child:

to play football
to climb a tree
to go on a slide
to go on a trampoline
to ride a bike
to go dancing

etc.

We can't all do everything!

theredworm

vows to keep up swimming pool absence!

eh?

not everyone's got money, time or ability to take their kids to a swimming pool, particularly if they have several kids, transport issues, kids with SN, etc.

I signed DD1 up for 'lessons' at one and a bit but then i read a study about the permanent damage chlorine does to the lungs of children under two and cancelled them.

She finally went in a pool at 3.5 yo and loved it. Now she's 4.5 yo and her nursery is taking her class for a whole week of swimming lessons this month.

loving that telegraph article

it totally justifies my instinctive dislike of baby swimming classes

my top two started lessons at 4

both brill swimmers

think before that its a waste (although having said that we do go as a family and dd3 loves it)

Maybe the child hasn't been because their parents don't swim / don't like being in swimming pools ??

are they in america? when i lived in new york it was too expensive to go swimming. everywhere required membership fees.

Mine went to lessons from a few months old but I am a "swimmer" some people cant/dont swim so it probably wouldnt be on their "things I must do" list.

For me its very important, it could save their lives at some point but I wouldnt think less of someone who didnt do it though Ive know adults who couldnt swim to whom going to a pool would have been a major trauma.

Im guessing they will get lessons once they go to school.

Don't feel strongly either way, although I was quite surprised recently when a friend told me she had never taken her dd (9) swimming - partly because she can't swim herself. Her dd has since started lessons and learnt really quickly so I don't think she's suffered from not learning sooner.

I took dd quite a lot as a baby and she now has asthma so I'm wondering whether it was such a good idea.

Started taking ds regularly from 4.

Don't really see the point of swimming lessons for very young children.

never went swimming when I was small(apart from the sea) be cause my dad had ear truble(scarlet fever when small) and my mum had a brain tumour.
so I would never judge.

Obviously no judgements if circumstances mean swimming is impossible/a health risk etc.

If not, I would say it's sad, and think the dc is missing out.
Swimming is an important skill, and I don't think you can compare it to going on a trampoline or a slide.

I personally hate putting my cossie on and getting hair wet, but take dd often.

Parenting sometimes requires me to take part in things I absolutely dislike,but feel is important for dd.

I never took mine as babies because I couldn't imagine anything more boring than bobbing around in a pool not really "doing anything" and then pissing about getting changed for hours afterwards.

I love swimming, but only real, grown up swimming.

No

i'm not fussed whether ours go swimming right now or not but I'd want them to start learning to swim by the age of about 6/7. perfectly reasonable not to want them near all those chemicals etc before then, or even not to want to bother with all the faff of getting them changed etc
whatever next?
children neglected if not taken to ballet by age of 2? horse riding by 3?

Isn't the point a danger thing ? If you can't swim you are more likely to drown?

IMO - totally different than going down a slide, going dancing.

I would do teach them as soon as possible.

fbf - but if you dislike it and don't feel it is important before 4 or 5, then why would you go? If I thought it was important enough before 4 or 5, I'd go even though it would be inconvenient and difficult (although the asthma thing would be enough to put me off separately).

I mean it's so obvious it goes without saying that parenting involves doing things we dislike when we feel they are important. We all do that. People not taking kids swimming aren't showing they haven't understood that, they're showing they don't think the swimming when very young is as important as you do, that's all.