Am i being over protective???

[starshaker]

I am not putting this in AIBU as i need you to be gentle with me.

DD has just started swimming lessons again after a 6 month break. Before she had no confidence, didnt really listen and just didnt seem to be getting any better. 3 weeks ago she started at a new pool and has been making fantastic progress.

Today it was a different teacher and he had all the kids in the pool without armbands. I got very nervous as did 2 other mothers who asked to have bands put on their children. I waited to see how she did (she had the big long float tube thing). She didnt seem bothered so i let it go. He then had them jumping in without any float or anything. She started to drift out her depth and i freaked out abit. I went down to ask that they put arm floats on her. When i got back up to the veiwing bit the parents there said she had managed to get back into the side.
She got the floats on and was still more than happy to do everything she had been.

So what i want to know is, should i have just left her without bands on or was i right to have them put on. Shes just turned 5 not that that really makes a differance.

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Most of me thinks yes - your dd is gaining confidence in the water and is happy to try jumping in the pool without a float, she will be swimming by herself in no time. But where you say 'she had managed to get back to the side,' would worry me a little. Was the teacher there encouraging her? What do you think would have happened if you hadn't been there and she hadn't got back to the side by herself?

So basically, if you feel the lesson is adequately supervised, I think you're being a little over-protective. If not then you're not.

If she hadnt managed to get back to the side he would have had to jump in and get her. Its not a training pool its a normal pool with a rope sectioning off the shallow part. Shes not very tall and i saw she was getting out her depth.

Did she have a woggle when she was jumping in and floating off" or nothing at all, but still got to the edge?

Was the teacher supervising the children carefully enough?

Was there not also a lfe guard watching the pool?

What happened when she "floated foff"; did the teacher see her and do anything?

At the place DD goes they often use just woggles or the fin floats (go on backs) without arm floats/bands, right from the first lessons.

TBH, unless the teacher was showing lack of supervision and it looked dangerous, I would have taken a step back and let the teacher take the lesson in his own way.

Even in early classes the children at DD's swim place spend some time in the pool (only just within their depths) without any floats at all, but thy are supervisd and the instructor is in the pool with them.

I dont know if he noticed to be honest i freaked out and went to ask for her to have bands put on. She didnt have anything when she was jumping in.

Im 24 weeks pg and its quite possible im being totally paranoid about my PFB lol

yes you are being overprotective!

She is 5 yrs old, not a baby. She's with a qualified swimming teacher in a pool with life guards. She needs to get out of her depth and out of her comfort zone if she is going to actually try to swim, and progress.

Try not to worry so much, having a panicky mummy is more likely to shatter her confidence than getting a bit of water up her nose.

But she was jumping in at her own depth?

I would have been happier had he been in the water with them - this is what our place does.

And I would be happy if he was carefully supervising them so they were not out of depth.

It is defficult without being there maybe.

But IMO it is important to allow children to go in the wter without swim aids, even as non-swimmers.

I would trust the teacher to do what he is trained to do.

A little bit over protective.....arm bands shouldn't be used when being taught to swim as they encourage the wrong body position in the water....let the swimming teacher do their job

my dd has never used arm bands at swimming lessons and she started them at age 4. Our pool also does a pre-school class from age 3 and they dont wear arm bands either.

I would have felt/done the same as you.

I know I am overprotective about some things with my PFB though, so guess I'm not much help, just another perspective.

Next week i will let them just get on with it and try not to watch/panic lol

I think we all have moments where we feel like you, but the fact you are aware you might be a bit overprotective shows you know when to back off?

It's like when my DH has the kids standing near cliff edges for a nice photo with a view, my lioness instinct comes out and I want shout at them to move away from the edge, but I know that will only make them more likely to fall over the edge!

But you were there, too, you could have jumped in and grabbed her if needed. It sounds like there were heaps of supervising adults to fetch them out if needed.

So yes, I think you were overprotective.
Now, if you want to complain that you don't want to have to risk jumping in yourself, that's a different problem.

I was in the veiwing bit which is upstairs and behind glass. Im also 24 weeks preg with twins so would have worried they would get the harpoons out if i were to get in the pool.
Next week i will step back and let them get on with it.
Although after last night (dd had a seizure) im probably gonna be even more paranoid about her being in the pool

Tbh I wouldn't let a child who was at risk of having seizures go swimming until the seizures were controlled by medication.

Did the swimming teacher know your DD has seizures?

Thought she had grown out of them (hasnt had 1 since july). They cant be controlled by medication it seems like its her response to pain.

At 5 they don't normally have armbands at our swimming lessons, unless they are really nervous.