Mommy and Me Swim Class

J has been in swim class since he was less than two years old. I felt strongly that he should know how to be safe in or near a pool. Drowning is one of my top mommy fears http://wp.me/p1AbH5-7y. Now that he is also enjoying the social interaction with children his age, I thought it would be great for Mayhem to give it a try. The problem is that Mayhem is too young to do solo swim class, so I have to swim with him.

Sunday morning was our first attempt. My husband filmed the entire ordeal. I just might have to download some clips to share (even though it is footage of me in a bathing suit). Mayhem was happy during the first part of our class. We bounced around in a circle with all the happy babies and parents, singing and splashing. And then the instructor told us to put the kids on their backs. Mayhem did NOT want to do this. He fought me like we were in a wrestling match. He flipped himself over, and started a death roll. OK, I know what we need to work on!

[caption id="attachment_653" align="aligncenter" width="328"] This is what we were SUPPOSED to be doing...
Image source: http://www.dolfinswimschool.com/blog/[/caption]

Next, we moved onto grabbing the side of the pool and having the babies pull themselves out of the water. Great manuever, I thought, very 'water safety' focused. Mayhem wanted none of that. He did not want to get out of the pool! He squealed like a kittle piglet as I tried desperately to follow the instructions, "Elbow, elbow, tummy, legs!" Oh, if only it was that easy...

Waiting in line for our turn was another major issue. There were maybe 8 kids in the class, and each child 'swam' to the teacher and back to their parent. Mayhem wanted to just swim around the pool. It was like he thought he could do it by himself. He was kicking, and waving his arms around- and trying to push me away. "I got it, Mom!" Waiting our turn was a constant struggle.

Next, we stood on the stairs and had the kids reach for pool toys. This required them to put their faces into the water, and theoretically hold their breath. Mayhem's version- dunk your face in and freak mom out, grab the toy, have a look of shock on your face... and then do it again and again until you're nearly choking and mom has to pick you up and wrestle you away from the toys.

 It felt like the longest 30 minutes of my life. Have you tried Mommy and Me Swim Class? Was it nearly as painful as my experience?!