Ugh, do I cancel swim lessons?

[charlestonmom03]

I have 3 of my boys starting swim lessons tomorrow, the lessons run Mon-Thur for two weeks. Friday night I came down with a stomach virus/fever, and last night it hit my 7 yr old. He is clearly down for the day today, and if he feels at all like I do, he won't be doing much tomorrow either.

 

So, here are my options:

1. Keep them all in lessons but have the 7y.o. sit it out on Monday and start on the 2nd day (and pray that the other boys don't come down with the virus and that is doesn't get spread to anyone else).

 

2. Switch them to a week night session that is one night a week starting in October.

 

3. Drop it altogether, pay a $15 admin fee (but get the rest of my $162 back).

 

Here is the thing that is making this tough for me. My kids are terrible swimmers. The younger two are in a class together and they are the only two registered right now. So basically I am getting private lessons at a fraction of the cost. The older one is in a class of only 3 kids. The October evening sessions will probably have 6 kids (which is the max) in the class as it looks like 3 kids are already registered in each class.

 

Also, I was thinking going every day for two weeks would help us to actually make progress. We've done once a week lessons in the past and no one has ever moved up a level. They are wimps when it comes to submerging their head.

 

Maybe I should try to find private lessons during the day this fall, but I have no idea how to even go about that? The private lessons offered by this particular pool are out of my budget ($135 per child, whereas lessons are $54 per child).

 

Anyone else had wimpy swimmers? What worked to push them past their fears? I feel swimming is a very important skill to have - they don't have to ever join a swim team or anything, but they need basic skills.

[Anne Rittenhouse]

Please pay either the $15 or start in October. The other mothers in the swim class will thank you for not spreading the germs. Your children are still very young, delaying lessons won't hurt them a bit.

[Gwenhwyfar]

Well... in our house we don't keep the people who are NOT sick from doing things, on the chance that they MIGHT get sick sometime in the future... (many times one or two of us catch a bug and the others don't get it.)

 

I'd probably keep the sick one home until he feels better and let the others go.

[Anne Rittenhouse]

Normally, I would agree with you. But this is a stomach virus and the pool and small children, please until your sure your family is finished with said virus consider keeping everyone home.

[In The Great White North]

Are you better yet (no fever?) If you're better (ie. it's a 24 hour bug), I'd keep at least the 7 yo because he'd be better Monday. Check their policy on missed classes. If you still have any symptons, I'd cancel - somebody will be sick all week.

 

Also, I was thinking going every day for two weeks would help us to actually make progress. We've done once a week lessons in the past and no one has ever moved up a level. They are wimps when it comes to submerging their head.

 

I would not expect the 3yo and 5 yo to suddenly start putting their heads in the water even with a two week session. What will help is spending a lot of time in the water (open swim) and goggles that work. Pool toys on the bottom (shallow), blowing bubbles humming underwater, bouncing off the bottom, etc. They will put their heads in the water when they are comfortable in the water.

[Catherine]

Those GI bugs are SO contagious, and SO unpleasant.

 

My kids all learned to swim without lessons-we are members of a community pool and swim almost daily all summer-constant exposure is what

is needed. We played in the pool with them as they learned, and supported their growing skills. Is there any way you can swim frequently with them? Knowing how to swim is so important.

[nmoira]

Normally, I would agree with you. But this is a stomach virus and the pool and small children, please until your sure your family is finished with said virus consider keeping everyone home.

:iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree:

[oldskool]

First, I would keep the sick child out but let the others go if they are well. Your 7 yr old may be fine by Tuesday depending on how bad the virus is. I always figure that my kids can pick up germs going anywhere outside of the house, and IMO swimming in a pool is no different than holding onto a cart at the grocery store. Otherwise, I would find another session for the kids to join and would not drop it all together. I started my kids in a similar program this spring and the progress they have made has been unbelievable. We did the two week M-Th lessons and/or the 4 wk T-Th lessons, and once they moved to level 2, I went to once a week lessons. I really regret not pushing it for my now 13 year old because it is much harder to get her into beginner lessons as a teenager. Even though she can swim okay from going to the pool almost everyday in the summer, she never learned the proper strokes. I would not feel comfortable that she could save herself if needed. The younger kids swim much better after only 5 months of lessons. I see you are in MN, is it Foss that you are taking lessons at?

 

Lesley

[HayesW]

We have a very strict personla policy of three days with no vomit before going out or letting people in. If we got a stomach flu with 4 or 5 or 6 people puking at once, it would be horrific. It happened once while DH was out of town. PLEASE skip lessons at least for tomorrow.

[charlestonmom03]

This morning it was really a toss up for me, but as the day has progressed, it has become clear that we are not in shape to attend lessons this week.

 

Two more boys are sick this afternoon, and the 7y.o. has been asleep all day (when not in bathroom), so swim lessons are officially off for us this week. I called the pool this afternoon and requested to have us transferred to the October session. It is probably less than ideal, but as someone else said, the boys are young enough that it isn't a huge deal.

 

I would like to take them swimming more often, but it is hard to do with the baby. I think we may try to have one of us take them to open swim on Friday nights this school year. I guess maybe we should just commit to this and teach them ourselves. I swam US club swimming for years. Funny that this never occurred to me -- I homeschool but never considered myself "qualified" to teach my own kids how to swim!!!

[Teachin'Mine]

Good decision! And by all means - start teaching them too!!! :)

[KIN]

My boys have had swimming lessons in the past. It wasn't until we were able to go swimming once a week this summer that they became more confident. Even my 6 year old is jumping off the diving board!