Swimming Lessons

I remember swimming lessons that I took when I was a kid and I have to say I think we have become soft on our kids. I was scared to death of the deep end. Now I have to clarify why I was afraid of the deep end of the pool. I was 6 when Jaws came out and I was sure that he lived in the deep end of the pool. Knowing this irrational fear what did my instructor do? Slowly and gradually work me into the end of the pool? Logically explain that a great white couldn't fit in the pool? NO - she THREW me into the deep end.

Really - I mean threw me - she (wrongly) thought I would just get over it or see that there was no shark there. I swam furiously to the edge of the pool, scrambled out and walked straight over to her and promptly called her a beee-atch. To which my mom made me apologize to her. The indignity of it all - she tried to get me eaten by a shark the size of Manhattan and I had to apologize to her.

Yesterday I went to lessons with my son and they practiced getting in the water. I repeat they practiced just getting into the water. Then they got to voice an opinion as to whether they wanted to do something. The instructor asked them: "Do you want to blow bubbles in the water?" To which both boys said resoundingly "NO!" Since when did you get a choice? If this was 1978 the instructor would have just shoved their heads into the water, let them up for a gasp of air and then plunged them back down.

What, I mean what, has our world come to? A world where we allow kids to dictate the pace of their own learning? Where we allow them to voice a concern or a fear without reprisal. Where we shell out good money for them to refuse to do something the teacher asks? Where the teacher offers alternatives and patiently explains the things she is asking them to do?

I am half tempted to call my son's instructor a bee-atch.

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