Swimming Widths At School

This term I was invited to join Ethan’s school to help him with his swimming lessons again. Last term I really felt Ethan made progress with his swimming during these lessons. I have been hoping to push Ethan a little more during these lessons and before his half term holiday he actually swam a width of the pool without any support. It was done under lots of protest and with lots of screaming but Ethan proved to me that he can swim unaided. The thing is we just have to make him aware that he can do it.

Yesterday was our first time back in the swimming pool together after a few weeks break. I managed to persuade Ethan to let go of the wall and swim towards me of his own accord without the woggle. The time before Ethan had to be placed, dare I say pushed, into the water by the swimming teacher. We are going down the tough love route to get Ethan moving.

As Ethan swam towards me, still screaming but not as loudly as before, I kept moving back out of his arms reach. He managed to swim the whole width of the swimming pool without any help at all. I made a huge fuss of him and as he was so tired I carried him back across to the other side of the pool.

Knowing that he had made his way across the pool once I wanted to try it again. This time Ethan wasn’t easily fooled but the promise of a Happy Meal for dinner helped him to let go of the side of the swimming pool. Ethan managed to swim another width of the pool unaided. I made another huge fuss of him before making him try it again.

I pushed Ethan to do five unaided widths across the swimming pool before the swimming teacher wanted us to try something else. I still have a long way to go to build up Ethan’s confidence. I hope this lesson has helped him to understand that he swam without his woggle. Ethan still isn’t ready to go into the swimming pool without any support but we are moving in the right direction. I’m so proud of my little water baby.