Published on 12, July, 2020
My Son who’s seven was due to have his first swimming lesson after school today. He’s had lessons before but always weekends. This is the first time he’s gone out after school, he rarely has before. Despite me preparing him that he was going swimming after school, he got anxious and refused to go. Should we have made him go or would it just create anxiety in the future?
Right, this is close to my heart.
My parents took me to swimming lessons when I was around seven and the sounds, smells and sensations completely overwhelmed me and scared the crap out of me.
My folks gave up after a few weeks.
But then in year 6 and 7 the school had mandatory swimming lessons that they wouldn’t let me out of. It caused me immense stress and anxiety and eventually a kindly teacher tried to 121 me, even just getting me to sit under a shower to get used to the sensation of water. I was repeatedly in trouble with the headmaster because of my non-compliance.
More than 40 years later I still will not get in the water never mind swim. The school caused me real trauma. if I had a Time Machine I’d go back and flatten everyone involved.
TLDR: do not force him
This school policy must be robustly challenged and defeated by every means possible, including in the media and in the courts - in actuality it is bullying of children by the school and is child torture under the guise of school “discipline” and this is the very kind of corruption in the education system that must be exposed and opposed at every level - it comes from a point blank refusal to understand mental health issues and disabilities and in this instance, ignorance from an education provider (who should know better) is not an excuse - this kind of cruelty must be exposed - the only way to educate these people is by exposing their corruption, their dishonesty and their hypocrisy and their actions must carry severe consequences
Thanks. If it was a weekend lesson he’d be fine, I know it
Amerantin said:mandatory swimming lessons that they wouldn’t let me out of.
Your experience mirrors mine - I was told by my swimming teacher to put my head in a bucket of water each night to familiarise myself with the water on my face which then led to me being even more afraid/wary of water.
As I had very thick glasses by then, you'd have thought someone might have caught onto the fact that not being able to see anything didn't help either - in fact, it made me a lot more panicky.
Amerantin said:if I had a Time Machine I’d go back and flatten everyone involved.
LOL.
Me too.