05/15/2022
This is great information from another ISR instructor.
PSA: This picture should not be a reflection of your expectations regarding your child’s emotions during ISR.
This is a picture of me & my 1 year old son. His lessons are the exact same as your child’s, minus the 500 kisses I give him each time I pick him up. So, why is he happy during lessons compared to many students I teach? Let’s talk about the 3 C’s.
First is COMFORT.
He knows me, he trust me, and I am his safe place. When he gets upset during lessons, which he sometimes does, I snuggle him and kiss him. I shush him and rub his back just like I do when something is truly wrong. I love to love on your babies, but the truth is, they aren’t comfortable with me. I am a stranger making them do something they don’t want to do.
Next is CONFIDENCE.
While we have a little fine tuning, Owen is fully skilled. He has established breath control and he knows how to reach air and sustain his float independently. There were many more tears shed in the beginning of his lessons. Many small children have never gone under water prior to ISR, and while there is a misconception that floating is natural, it’s absolutely not. It is a new skill that has to be taught, & with new skills comes nerves and a lack of confidence. Getting water in your face and eyes is also a new sensory experience. This is why we strongly encourage parents to get children used to this before lessons by doing things such as pouring water on their head in the bath. While it isn’t guaranteed, as your child becomes confident in their skills, a lot of times the tears subside.
Last is CONSISTENCY.
If you have been through lessons or spoke to an instructor, you know that maintaining your child’s skills go beyond their 6 week session. We encourage you to come back to maintenance lessons and refreshers & we speak about interference. Interference includes but is not limited to things such as your child wearing a floatation device in the pool after they are skilled, not allowing them to utilize their skills should they fall in or step off of a ledge or step, catching them every time they jump off of the side, allowing them to swim with their head up above water, & allowing your swimmers to tread water instead of float. If you do not bring your child back after their initial session, you cannot expect their skills to remain intact forever. If you interfere with the skills we have taught them, you cannot expect their skills to be perfect. If you continuously take off and put on your child’s training wheels, not because of your child’s skills but because of your own fears of them falling, not only would your child be confused but they would probably end up falling more often and it would take them substantially longer to gain confidence. While following the “rules” regarding ISR is hard, the payoff is so rewarding, and you can’t put a price on the peace of mind ISR provides knowing that your child can save themself from the number 1 cause of death in children.
While your child is skilled quickly, ISR is a marathon not a sprint. Stick with it first and foremost to keep your babies safe, but also to see their confidence through consistency soar. & the more you bring them to me, the more comfortable they will become.
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