Uncharch re:swimming lessons

[readyin07]

I am curious why you are against isr?  I know a few people who feel that way, mostly bc they think it creates a false sense of security or is too demanding or scares kids. I live in Florida so many many many of my kids' friends  did isr. We did not...both of my kids started more traditional lessons around 2 (ds 2 was a touch younger). They do not do the swim-float method that I know is at isr's foundation. I will say my 4 year old swims as good as or better than the isr kids we know. But my Almost two year old who did great in lessons could definitely not save himself in the water like an isr 2 year old could. He knows to turn for the wall and try to reach out but would not know to get himself into a float.  A friend if a friend recently had a horrible experience leaving her 22 month old in someone else's care during a group workout session.  The woman wasn't paying attention and the little boy ended up in a nearby lake. He had taken isr and praise the lord they found him face up in a float position. Sometimes I question not doing isr so I am just wondering what your position is.

[arch01]

I've been on the flip side of ISR-having to re-teach kids that going under water is OK after having been forced to do it repeatedly when they couldn't voice their opinions themselves. I am adamantly against repeatedly putting a child under water when they don't have the ability to say that it makes them uncomfortable or scares them. I had a 5 year old that it took almost 6 months to get him to not cry every time he went under water-when I asked him why he was so afraid, his response was I went under water a lot when I was little. When I asked the parents what it meant (did he have an accident, dunked by his brother, etc.), the parents both admitted that they would put him under water all the time when he was a baby and young toddler. There's absolutely nothing wrong with putting an infant under water-most programs teach instructors that the general rule of thumb is no more than 3 times in 30 minutes, starting at age 6 months.

Floating is a learned thing for most people. I've had kids as young as 8 months old floating on their own-but at the same time, developmentally, you also have to understand that the sense of security is at its weakest (or, a better way to put it, separation anxiety) between 9 and 18 months. Kids are learning at that point that, hey, someone's not holding me, time to freak out. Their security becomes top priority-not necessarily the learned activity of flipping over and floating.

ISR has worked and has saved lives-but so have other precautions. ISR also hasn't been 100% successful. I just think that there's a lot of psychological downfalls on the other side of this-a lot of which can be prevented by not forcing certain things. I also believe that if you're around a body of water-there should be one adult with that child 100% of the time. Their only focus is that child's safety. Period. No drinking, no sitting back in a chair, etc. I've spent thousands of hours working at pools and I can't tell you how many people think that their kid is "fine" in 1' of water. No, they're not. They trip and fall and freak out? They may not necessarily come up for air. I've made that rescue before. People I'm sure will argue that saving a life is more important than potential psychological downfalls-but I challenge parents and other adults around bodies of water to evaluate what safety mechanisms they have in place. Is there a lock on that exterior door out of reach from a kid (even if they stood on something?)? What about the gate around the pool-is it closed 100% of the time? What child-resistant locks are on it?

Pools aren't as common where I live, but the area I'm in has several lakes. I have had a number of kids in years past that go to the lake regularly-I always encourage them that private swim lessons may be the way to go since they will get much more out of it than group lessons. The youngest kid I've had swim on his own was almost 3-and it was a boy.

ETA: I forgot to say again-each parent has to make the decisions for themselves. I just ask that people do their research and know what they're getting into no matter what route they choose.

[curbsideprophet]

Jul 20, 2013 16:07:31 GMT -5 arch01 said:

I've been on the flip side of ISR-having to re-teach kids that going under water is OK after having been forced to do it repeatedly when they couldn't voice their opinions themselves. I am adamantly against repeatedly putting a child under water when they don't have the ability to say that it makes them uncomfortable or scares them. I had a 5 year old that it took almost 6 months to get him to not cry every time he went under water-when I asked him why he was so afraid, his response was I went under water a lot when I was little. When I asked the parents what it meant (did he have an accident, dunked by his brother, etc.), the parents both admitted that they would put him under water all the time when he was a baby and young toddler. There's absolutely nothing wrong with putting an infant under water-most programs teach instructors that the general rule of thumb is no more than 3 times in 30 minutes, starting at age 6 months.

Just curious, did this child take ISR lessons, or did his parents just put him under on their own?