Splash into a Safe Summer with Swim Lessons | National Learn to Swim Day!

Adding valuable skills to children's toolbox of life is just one of the many jobs we have as parents. Just like needing a screwdriver or pliers, when you desperately need a "tool" or the skill to use one and you don’t have it, you really wished you did. I felt this way about several activities: possessing a drivers license, knowing how to send a proper thank you note, ride a bike, even the basics of dance … not just modern dance that will get you through high school but actual classical dance so that you may attend a wedding, social or charity event and feel capable. I have always looked at swimming as such a skill that should be put in one's toolbox of life.

A solid set of swim skills is critical for your own safety and for the benefit of those around you.

Swimming is an amazing, fun, and healthy activity as well as a great social exercise. I’m a huge proponent that everyone, EVERYONE, should know how to swim - not just doggy paddle, but actually swim! It may not be your favorite skill, but if you like being around the water in any form, going to the beach, hanging out at the pool, canoeing, boating, water ski skiing, fishing, hiking, or hanging out with friends who do any of those sports, or even live where a lot of people have private swimming pools, a solid set of swim skills is critical for your own safety and for the benefit of those around you.

We live near water so from the time our kids were 2 to 3 years old, so they were given annual Red Cross certified swim lessons. As much as they wished I hadn’t made them, I insisted they complete a course every summer until they reached level 6. Then they repeated it a refresher course each and every summer until at age 16 when they could qualify for lifeguard. While not every parent may feel the need for the refresher, we live near water and our children we often in the water all summer long in one form or another: canoeing, boating, fishing, hiking and of course, they went to friends' homes that had pools. So, they needed fresh, solid, swimming and life-saving skills. Accidents do happen, a friend of mine who was an excellent swimmer, drowned my junior year of high school.

My daughter was a level four red-cross swimmer, even though she was just nine, when she was with friends that we had known for a while in their grandparent's pool. I knew they were going to swim and since she was well versed in water safety, I was not concerned since I knew the parents with them. It wasn’t until I got a call from her using our family passcode and passphrase, which meant "No questions. Mom, please come now". I said "I will be there in five minutes".

The parents and grandparents had been drinking a lot and she knew the kids in the pool were totally unsupervised. She was the only one who had had a lot of lessons and actually swam well. She said "Mom, they started talking funny. I knew I needed to go home. It just wasn’t safe here anymore. No one was watching us and their kids don’t even swim very good. So I got us all out and said I needed to check in. What do we do now? We can’t leave the kids in the pool. Someone could drown and those people won’t know."

"Our Red Cross instructor told us in lessons this summer. Being safe meant someone was always watching."

Thankfully, the Red Cross certified instructor had talked extensively about pool safety, water safety, and preparedness. After making sure that I hadn’t made a complete ass of myself making sure the other children were out of the pool for the afternoon and she was home safely, I ask her how she knew it was time to call. Her response was simple. "Our Red Cross instructor told us in lessons this summer. Being safe meant someone was always watching. No one was watching us. We weren’t safe." By morning, they had arrested two of the adults for being drunk and disorderly.

It was one of three times she would use our family passcode and passphrase and all three times I was unbelievably grateful. My mother had taught us to use one and we had taught our children. It saved her and probably the other three children in the pool with her.

There is truth in the phrase, "It takes a village to raise a child." Children listen to other adults differently, even when they say things that we may have repeated 1000 times. This is why a certified swim instructor is so important. It’s not just about learning how to do the strokes well. It’s learning how to do the dead man’s float and how to roll over and extend your swim time in deadly water. It’s how to protect yourself in case of water crisis. These are things a Red Cross certified instructor will begin teaching from the time the children first get in the water and that’s why they’re so important.

You can find out more about Red Cross swim classes in your area. According to the CDC, “Drowning is the leading cause of death in children ages 1-4” and is on the rise. Life jackets and floatation devices are recommended, but not all "floaties" are equal for every situation. See if your family is using the safest life jackets. However at some point all children will say, "I'm done with floaties." Also see "the eleven pool rules for independent swimmers" for insight on when your swimmer may be ready to swim on their own.

As Memorial Day approaches in the US, we celebrate the beginning of summer! In much of the country it's met with pool parties, barbecue, and family time. Now is a great time to schedule summer swim lessons, check your water safety gear and bonus tip: check the expiration date on your sunscreen. With lessons taken, safety equipment acquired, and sunscreen applied, it’s pool time!

Happy swimming!

Until next time,

M. G. Lorraine, Author