When my son Luke was born it wasn’t an option. I was adamant he would learn how to swim. That opinion never changed as time went by and we added two more children to our nest. We’ve always been water lovers. All of my children love the ocean, lake and swimming pools, yet they had never learned how to swim.
My past life in the news business is what really set the tone for the urgency of learning how to swim. Every summer, I would report on horror stories of small children and teens who drown. Be it at a friend’s house, on a local lake or even in the parent’s own backyards…simply because the victim did not know how to swim.
Did you know Ohio is one of the worst states for drowning deaths? Children are no exception. According to the Columbus Dispatch, during the month of May, 7 people drowned in Central Ohio and two were children. Another one of those deaths was a teenager. From 2012 to 2016, more than 500 people drown in Ohio. If this doesn’t scream the need for more attention on water safety, I’m not sure what does.
My oldest son is a real shark in the water and he has no fear. It would have been impossible to frequent our local pool again this summer if it wasn’t for his swim lessons at Goldfish.
He is now swimming on his own with little to no help, and he’s able to venture out of the kid’s swimming area without me fearing the worst.
Parents, this article isn’t meant to invoke fear, it’s to help raise awareness. Please put your children in swim lessons. Please stay on top of the lessons. If you have time, please practice with them. The swim skills can be easily forgotten, which is why it’s important to stay consistent.
I cannot rave enough about what Goldfish has done for our family and for our children’s confidence level in the water. That’s why learning to swim isn’t an option in our family, it’s a requirement so they will never become one of those statistics.
** Here is another great article about some Potential Water Hazards you may face as a parent this summer.
