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
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.
Ann :) said:my mum wrote excuses claiming I was recovering from a cold or had my period and couldn’t go swimming at school- so I managed to skip almost all classes
Your mum was a God-send in this respect.
I'm glad for the younger you
I know as he’s had weekend lessons before but the teacher stopped doing them
Debbie said: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 every more afraid/wary of water.
God yes. They made me sit in a bath and put my face in the water.
<shudder>
I was lucky - my mum wrote excuses claiming I was recovering from a cold or had my period and couldn’t go swimming at school- so I managed to skip almost all classes (i did know how to swim but just really hated it at school and could barely see without glasses, struggled to get dressed etc after, hate being in water). I did fail sports though one year but my mum didn’t care