Recently Emmy was moved up from her swimming class, she had progressed enough to pass the next stages, gain her stage 2 badge and also her 5m badge. This meant she was now a Yellow hat in her swimming lessons.
My clever girl had progresses from swimming with me and her Dad for her early lessons, to a Red hat aged 3 and then onto an Orange Hat aged 4. Now at 4 and 3/4 she has moved again and is a Yellow hat.
With this new progression comes a HUGE change for her.
She is no longer in the learner pool where she can touch the floor, she is in the big pool. Even in the shallow end she can’t touch the floor.
However this isn’t the only change for her.
The teacher used to be in the pool with her in her previous lessons, now the new teacher stands at the side of the pool giving them instructions.
My little girl doesn’t cope well with change, she never has done. Coupled with the fact she was ill for the beginning of this new term, new class and it’s rather disastrous.
Emmy has taken this particular change very badly, she doesn’t like that she can’t touch the floor, she doesn’t like the fact she has a new teacher, she doesn’t like that teacher not being in the pool. She is tired after school and there are tears – lots of tears.
It’s breaking my heart to see her this way.
She adores swimming and is so good at it.
We were away this weekend and she swam loads, she wasn’t fazed by not touching the bottom, she was happy.
Now she has swimming again today after school and I know there will be a battle.
“The water is too cold”
“I need a wee”
“My tummy hurts”
Just a few of the excuses I hear on the lead up to swimming, before we have even arrived.
I am so torn currently as she loves to swim but I don’t want her too traumatised that she hates it.
I’ve had a word with the teacher and we have agreed on small steps at a time, No jumping in for a while, She can use a woggle to swim if she likes. The teacher is going with the flow currently but there are so many tears.
I hate it, hate seeing her like this.
I’ve set a goal to the end of this swimming term to see how she gets on. Her lessons are paid Direct Debit monthly currently but after this term I may reassess.
Another option I am debating is private one-on-one lessons for a term or two. Of course these are more expensive however I think a few terms worth will help build her confidence in the big pool. I would be paying the teacher to get into the pool with her – this should help reassure her that it’s not scary at all and there is nothing to be frightened of.
I’m almost 90% sure this is what I will be doing in a few weeks time and I feel it will do her the world of good.
Now if only I could win the lottery I could give her permanent one-on-one lessons.
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Clare
Hi, I'm Clare (Emmy's Mummy). A former Nanny and Mother of 2 - Emmy (born February 2010) and Harry (born October 2012). We are Essex based and share our adventures and misadventures of a busy crazy life.
Comments (8)
My son has ADHD and he has HUGE problems with change. It is scary and hard, and he really needs someone there to make him see that he can do it.
Isaac has just moved classes and his confidence has shot up as he was being held back in his last class. Persevere, she will get there xx
I hope she will get used to a new situation soon. What about going swimming to a big pool with her over the weekend?… maybe once she can see that this isn't such a big deal she will be more eager to go back to classes?
Oh no I am sorry to heard she is a tad anxious, to be honest it is how I felt when I had lessons as a child in a group, but that is all there was and I hated it. I think in the end I had private lessons x
That's a tough one, I'm note sure what I'd do. I might be inclined to stop the lessons for a term and then try again. good luck with whichever path you choose.
It's tough I totally agree, my girls had lessons and it was always the same thing, rush rush rush, and then lots of moaning! We decided to give them some private lessons just with the two of them and this has worked a lot better as it's not so stressful, glad to hear I'm not the only one though! 🙂
My middle boy finds change really anxiety ridden and went through the same with his swimming lessons. Luckily a few sessions into the new group and that became the new normal and he would relax again, but it was always a tricky few weeks until we got to that point.
It sounds like maybe too many changes have happened for Emmy all at the same time. I think her current teacher is right by going with the flow for a bit until she gets used to the new routine of her new style lessons. Hopefully, after a bit of time, she will be full of confidence with her new lessons.
My son has ADHD and he has HUGE problems with change. It is scary and hard, and he really needs someone there to make him see that he can do it.
Isaac has just moved classes and his confidence has shot up as he was being held back in his last class. Persevere, she will get there xx
I hope she will get used to a new situation soon.
What about going swimming to a big pool with her over the weekend?… maybe once she can see that this isn't such a big deal she will be more eager to go back to classes?
Oh no I am sorry to heard she is a tad anxious, to be honest it is how I felt when I had lessons as a child in a group, but that is all there was and I hated it. I think in the end I had private lessons x
That's a tough one, I'm note sure what I'd do. I might be inclined to stop the lessons for a term and then try again. good luck with whichever path you choose.
It's tough I totally agree, my girls had lessons and it was always the same thing, rush rush rush, and then lots of moaning! We decided to give them some private lessons just with the two of them and this has worked a lot better as it's not so stressful, glad to hear I'm not the only one though! 🙂
My middle boy finds change really anxiety ridden and went through the same with his swimming lessons. Luckily a few sessions into the new group and that became the new normal and he would relax again, but it was always a tricky few weeks until we got to that point.
It sounds like maybe too many changes have happened for Emmy all at the same time. I think her current teacher is right by going with the flow for a bit until she gets used to the new routine of her new style lessons. Hopefully, after a bit of time, she will be full of confidence with her new lessons.