Swim Lessons

We've been attending "Mommy & Me" swim lessons through Portland Parks and Rec since Flora was 18 months old.  Not continuously but on and off.  The classes are fun.  There are songs and splashing but Flora has never been very daring.  Instead, she chooses to cling to me like a baby monkey.  I've always kinda assumed that she was scared of the pool, even though she loves the bath and is brave little girl.  It was only recently that I realized the pool water is just WAY too cold for her and she's not clinging to me because she's scared, she's just trying to get warm.  


I realized this after having a play date in the soaking pool at The Kennedy School.  The water there is warm (probably too warm for little babies) and Flora loved it.  She was all over the place.  She wanted me to dunk her under the water.  She wanted to jump off the side of the pool back into the water whether I was ready to catch her or not.  She was a completely different girl.  


The clues were there all along.  I guess the shivering and blue lips should have given it away but none of the other kids seem to mind the pool temperature. I grew up swimming in cold water and it never bothered me. I guess Flora's just more sensitive.  


I talked to my grandmother, JJ, about my desire to switch pools because she is kind enough to send Flora to swim lessons and all other pools in the area are more expensive.  After telling her how cold Flora is she insisted that I pull Flora out of her current class right now and wait for a new session at the warmer pool.  Her Flora should not have blue lips. 


Against JJ's strong objections we'll finish up our current session through Parks and Rec because even though she's cold she still enjoys herself.  She'll never learn to swim if she won't let go of me but she does have fun.  Once this session is up we will join the DolFUN Swim Academy.  It was recommended to me by a neighborhood mom because the instructors are great and the pool is warm.  


We'll be taking a few month off from swimming but I'll keep you updated when we start up again in January.  

Feeling a little less chilly with her dad last February. 

When did you start swim lessons with your kids?  Did they enjoy it from the start or was it a little scary?  Do you think JJ is right, should we stop going to the cold pool and wait for the new session?