This year, my 5-year old daughter Valentina is attending kindergarten. Normal enough right? Not so much. Although having a 5-year old cry on her first day of school is nothing out of the ordinary and sure, her crying makes it super difficult for mom and I to let go, we understand that it is part of life and ultimately, we let go. Although she is still having a hard time adjusting, it has been much easier knowing that the school system offers a service that allows for someone to work with her each day, 1:1, to help her in adjusting to her new environment. I am grateful for the school system and that they still offer that service.
So I reflect now and consider how important her education is and how we are programmed to “tough it out” and allow our kids to go, even when crying hysterically, into the hands of a perfect stranger/educator because we know it’s the right thing to do. When considering this situation that many parents are faced with each year, I wonder why it becomes so hard to make the same decision when it comes to the aquatic education that every child must have. I’ve heard it all. My child is not ready. My child is too young. My child is too old and will not learn. At the end of the day, aquatic education is just as important to your child as attending school.
The simple truth is, when your child can crawl your child can drown. Harsh, I know, but true. So here is where we come in. I have setup our “school system” to accommodate all comers, ages 3 months and up. Parent & Me lessons and Safety lessons are not just about signing songs and blowing bubbles. These classes are made to acclimate and provide life saving safety skills that a child can learn at a very young age. Sure, we sing, but so do kids in kinder right? It’s true. We teach children that water would much rather hold you up than weigh you down. We often see children in more advanced lessons put their face in the water and suspend themselves because they understand this concept. If you have a child in a level 3 or 4, watch them during lessons and at one point or another, they will go underwater to explore this new found skill. A child in a back float position will not sink to the bottom of the pool unless he/she gets into a position that would give water no option but to assist in submersion. So we teach, at a very early age, how to properly positon a child for success, if ever caught in a compromising position. I believe that Parent & Me lessons are important because parents learn as much as children and parents will get a better idea of how the process works if they experience the process themselves.
So let’s go back to the kindergarten story. When I found out that my Valentina was assisted by someone to ease her fears and ultimately put her back in the classroom setting faster, it made me think about our Accelerator program and how important this program is to kids having a hard time acclimating to semi-private or group lessons. For more info on this program, click HERE. It was my “aha” moment when I realized that the school system uses a system very similar to ours when trying to get a child to acclimate to new and sometimes scary surroundings. Bottom line, get them acclimated quickly and everyone is better off for it.
Have a great October, enjoy Halloween and be safe!
See you soon.
Felipe Delgado