08/07/2026
Fostering unearned confidence without teaching actual survival skills is dangerous, especially if there is a lapse in supervision.
I’m a firm believer in “you don’t know what you don’t know” and when I hear parents say “but I just want them to be comfortable in the water, will lessons make them hate the water?” I see it as an opportunity to educate.
Drowning is the leading cause of death for kiddos ages 1-4, your kiddo being comfortable is not my number 1 priority but having taught hundreds of kiddos I know that with proper instruction they WILL eventually be comfortable—confident but more importantly SAFE! Does this mean I’m just going to throw them in or make their experience intentionally uncomfortable? Absolutely not. I will always meet your kiddo where they are with a big smile, high fives and water claps, and a ton of positive reinforcement. I want to see every kiddo comfortable in the water just not at the expense of their safety.
