My kids have been taking swim lessons at Goldfish Swim School for several weeks now, and it’s become a part of our weekend routine. Each week, they put on their goggles, slip into the 90-degree pool water, and learn new skills from their amazingly patient and kind swim instructor. And I get to relax and observe all this from my comfortable chair behind the glass walls (sometimes with a cup of coffee in hand), where all the other parents sit. Swim lessons have become a relaxing, fun part of our weekend, and I can’t even believe I just typed those words, because I never would have believed we would have gotten this far with lessons.
During the first few swim lessons, there were tears — sometimes lots of tears! There was also lots of “I don’t want to go!” and “I don’t like swimming!” With time, and as my kids slowly progressed, those tears became fewer and fewer, until finally, the crying was replaced with smiles and waves from the pool. The protestations stopped and were replaced with, “Mom, look what I can do!” Slowly but surely, my kids were learning how to swim, and enjoying their time doing it.
Knock on wood, but it seems like we’ve crossed past the territory of swim lessons equals fear and nervousness. Now, we’re sitting squarely in the territory of swim lessons equals fun and adventure. Out of curiosity, I asked my kids what their favorite things were about their swim lessons at Goldfish.
Kid 1: “I like looking at the turtle they have in the tank.”
Kid 2: “I like the ice cream.” (They sell frozen fruit bars at the location we attend. Apparently, they made quite an impression!)
Turtles and ice cream — got it. But with a little more prodding, I got a few more answers about their favorite things about Goldfish Swim School.
Their Swim Instructor
My kids’ swim instructor has unending patience, listens to the kids, and doesn’t push our kids too far too fast. She does offer them challenges when she observes that they’re ready, and offers gentle encouragement when she notices that they’re hesitant to try something new. My once-fearful 7-year-old can now swim almost halfway the length of the pool (face underwater!) because of her teaching. And both my boys leave their lessons smiling and proud. When we arrive at Goldfish for our lesson, my kids both look for her to make sure she’s there!
All the Warm Stuff
Did I mention the pool water is heated to 90 degrees? It feels like slipping into a bath. My youngest loves taking baths, so it’s easy to convince him to get into the water at Goldfish Swim School.
Once the lesson is over, they head to the showers, which are also wonderfully, delightfully warm from the moment you turn them on. At one point, my kids said rinsing off in the showers at Goldfish were their favorite-FAVORITE thing, and it’s sometimes hard to pull them away!
Once they’re out of the shower, we dry off and head to the blow-drying station. Again, more warm stuff, in the form of warm air blowing in their face (whoops) and in their hair. They never get to use the blow dryer at home (that’s for mom), so it’s a special thrill to use one at Goldfish. I love how my kids are so easily amused!
Wearing Goggles
My kids have graduated from hating goggles on their face to loving them, all thanks to our swim lessons. Once they realized that wearing goggles means that you can see cool stuff underwater, and once they became comfortable with putting their faces in the water, then they were sold. We’ve since bought a couple of new pairs, and my oldest is eyeing a pair of goggles that look like lizard eyes!
These are just a few of my kids’ favorite things about our swim lessons at Goldfish Swim School. My favorite thing? Seeing the smiles on my kids’ faces as they gain more confidence around water and learn more skills each week is definitely my favorite thing.
