I was fortunate that I grew up in a town that made it mandatory for every kid to learn how to swim. Seriously! As eighth graders we were all shipped off to the local indoor pool and evaluated to see where we were on the swimming skills ‘food chain’. I think I landed somewhere between shipwreck and anchor. I wasn’t even an accomplished doggy-paddler based on the fact that I was placed in the beginner’s class. I was a splash above drowning. So, for a whole semester I learned how to swim, dive and even snorkel. By the time I completed my freshmen swim class I was asked to consider the swim team (I had been promoted to driftwood).
Knowing what I had to go through to learn how to swim, it’s easier to encourage my boys to learn this skill when they are young. While our oldest is a level four, I don’t think our youngest has made it past level two. Neither one of them will drown if they are in the water, but there’s a certain comfort level knowing that your kids are accomplished swimmers. We tend to keep a closer eye on them both when they’re in the pool, but I’m proud to say that my youngest is a much better doggy-paddler than I was at his age.