Infant swimming lessons are officially over.
HURRAY!
Okay, it wasn't that bad.
But it wasn't that great either.
It was like any experience in a "new" activity.
There were highs & lows.
In one lesson we could go from "the best day EVER!" to "get me the HELL OUT OF HERE!"
So here are my gripes with infant swimming lessons.
1) Preparation
Lessons start at 6pm, which is actually a "plus" because then they are done by 6:30 with plenty of time to make it home & change before MD's bedtime.
The downside, that means from when I pick him up at day care (around 4pm) we have approx 1.5 hrs to play, prepare & eat dinner, and get dressed and out the door to make it to swimming.
It's a HUGE rush. Every time.
2) Locker Rooms
I have NEVER liked swimming locker rooms. The floor is perpetually wet which makes me think of athletes foot and all other sorts of nasty bacteria. It's always cold (WHY?!) and it's always full (at 6pm) with the high school swim team girls yelling & gossiping and changing. MD stands frozen in fear at all of the noise & running around.
3) THE POOL IS FUCKING FREEZING!!!
This is one of the reasons MD is not the biggest fan of lessons. He LOVES baths. Baths are warm. The pool is like the arctic ocean (minus the iceburgs). I'm cold, he's freezing. His lips turn blue, his teeth chatter, he cries (sometimes). It's annoying.
4) Sucking the Fun out of Swimming
Let me reiterate, this is an INFANT swim class. So imagine my surprise when week 4 we take a detour from "monkey crawling" along the pool wall and circle games to try dunking.
DUNKING.
Yes, your baby.
Dunk them.
Under the water.
All the way.
"It's harder for you the it is for them", the teacher said.
Weird...cuz MD hasn't learned how to hold is breath yet, so it was pretty damn traumatic for him.
My worrying husband spent the whole car ride home, after that lesson, asking me if MD could get pneumonia from the pool water in his lungs.
Last night's lesson we were unprepared for.
Literally.
We skipped last week's lesson and so we didn't know we had to bring "props".
MD and I unassumingly walked into lessons and realized it was life jacket day.
We didn't bring MD's.
We didn't know.
But that wasn't the problem.
The problem was that MD HATES lifejackets.
He wore his this summer when we'd go out on the boat...and it was always a disaster.
The pool had extras to borrow, so I put one on him.
We went in the frigid water and he screamed.
We took the life jacket off and didn't wear it for the rest of the lesson.
Fuck the system...we do what we want.
After that he actually had a great lesson.
When we practiced "jumping in"....
Yes, I swear this is an infant class
...He actually responded to my 1,2,3 countdown by leaning forward on 3 to get in the pool.
Then he would cry because he had momentarily forgotten the water was freezing.
"Jumping in" reminded him...and he was mad.
Then we tried the kickboard (for the hundreth time) and he actually held onto and kicked his legs.
I was SO proud.
Usually he would just try to chew on it and then push it away.
We've come a long way.
So swimming was over.
Was it worth it?
Yes.
I think it was good for MD to try something outside of his comfort zone.
He definitely held me tight for most of the lessons, but towards the end was more independent about wanting to "swim" and not have Mommy holding on so tightly the whole time.
Will I do it again?
HELL NO!
Okay, maybe.
But not for a while.
I need to forget about the cold water, locker room, dunking & life jackets, and smelly cold locker room before then.
Until then...we're sticking to baths :)
HURRAY!
Okay, it wasn't that bad.
But it wasn't that great either.
It was like any experience in a "new" activity.
There were highs & lows.
In one lesson we could go from "the best day EVER!" to "get me the HELL OUT OF HERE!"
So here are my gripes with infant swimming lessons.
1) Preparation
Lessons start at 6pm, which is actually a "plus" because then they are done by 6:30 with plenty of time to make it home & change before MD's bedtime.
The downside, that means from when I pick him up at day care (around 4pm) we have approx 1.5 hrs to play, prepare & eat dinner, and get dressed and out the door to make it to swimming.
It's a HUGE rush. Every time.
2) Locker Rooms
I have NEVER liked swimming locker rooms. The floor is perpetually wet which makes me think of athletes foot and all other sorts of nasty bacteria. It's always cold (WHY?!) and it's always full (at 6pm) with the high school swim team girls yelling & gossiping and changing. MD stands frozen in fear at all of the noise & running around.
3) THE POOL IS FUCKING FREEZING!!!
This is one of the reasons MD is not the biggest fan of lessons. He LOVES baths. Baths are warm. The pool is like the arctic ocean (minus the iceburgs). I'm cold, he's freezing. His lips turn blue, his teeth chatter, he cries (sometimes). It's annoying.
4) Sucking the Fun out of Swimming
Let me reiterate, this is an INFANT swim class. So imagine my surprise when week 4 we take a detour from "monkey crawling" along the pool wall and circle games to try dunking.
DUNKING.
Yes, your baby.
Dunk them.
Under the water.
All the way.
"It's harder for you the it is for them", the teacher said.
Weird...cuz MD hasn't learned how to hold is breath yet, so it was pretty damn traumatic for him.
My worrying husband spent the whole car ride home, after that lesson, asking me if MD could get pneumonia from the pool water in his lungs.
Last night's lesson we were unprepared for.
Literally.
We skipped last week's lesson and so we didn't know we had to bring "props".
MD and I unassumingly walked into lessons and realized it was life jacket day.
We didn't bring MD's.
We didn't know.
But that wasn't the problem.
The problem was that MD HATES lifejackets.
He wore his this summer when we'd go out on the boat...and it was always a disaster.
The pool had extras to borrow, so I put one on him.
We went in the frigid water and he screamed.
We took the life jacket off and didn't wear it for the rest of the lesson.
Fuck the system...we do what we want.
After that he actually had a great lesson.
When we practiced "jumping in"....
Yes, I swear this is an infant class
...He actually responded to my 1,2,3 countdown by leaning forward on 3 to get in the pool.
Then he would cry because he had momentarily forgotten the water was freezing.
"Jumping in" reminded him...and he was mad.
Then we tried the kickboard (for the hundreth time) and he actually held onto and kicked his legs.
I was SO proud.
Usually he would just try to chew on it and then push it away.
We've come a long way.
So swimming was over.
Was it worth it?
Yes.
I think it was good for MD to try something outside of his comfort zone.
He definitely held me tight for most of the lessons, but towards the end was more independent about wanting to "swim" and not have Mommy holding on so tightly the whole time.
Will I do it again?
HELL NO!
Okay, maybe.
But not for a while.
I need to forget about the cold water, locker room, dunking & life jackets, and smelly cold locker room before then.
Until then...we're sticking to baths :)