How old were you/your children when you/they learnt to swim?

[Maza]

Just out of interest how old were you when you learnt to swim? How old were your children when they learnt to swim? I was seven and remember to this day how extatic I was! Until that point it elt like it was never going to happen. My dad gave me one of those big red sugar dummy sweets to celebrate. Made the day even better!

[Kelly]

I honestly cannot remember learning, I never had swimming lessons, but lots of people had pools in the village I grew up in and we just used to knock on doors and ask to go in their pools!

My son started lessons at 3, he is now 8 (and small for his age) and in level 7 in his lessons, it's really funny seeing him in the same class as children in secondary school, he looks tiny compared to them.

[rickysmiths]

My first memory of swimming was when I was about 2.5yrs. I clearly remember a day by an open air pool and my Dad in the water with me. We lived in Germany at the time (1957) and it was a pool on the RAF station were my Dad was at the time. I never looked back from then and have always been a real water baby. I belonged to a swimming club all through my teenage years and did all the Personal Survival Exams and Life Saving ones.

I lived in Bath from the age of 10 and then, the mind sixties they were hot on all school children having swimming lessons and learning life saving skills. With a large river running through the city and a canal it was so important. We all used to swim in the river and canoe on the canal.

With both of my own children I took them in the water from six months old and they both love the water as well. They went to a swimming and Life saving Club from the age of 5. They have both been Sea Scouts and still sail and canoe. We live in a small town with three rivers and the Grand Union Canal running through it.

[desiderata]

I learnt to swim when I was about 7 and I remember then trying to jump in the pool at my lesson and slipping in the deep water and my mom standing up in the balcony shouting "Save me Babi " She had made us learn because she couldnt swim as her brother had tried to drown her when she was young and she was scared of the water. My eldest was born with hydrocephalus and a left hemi so I made him have lessons and tho it took a long time he was about 9 before he mastered it with the help of a very good teacher, he then went on to become a swimming teacher and a lifeguard. !! My daughter I threw in (yes really) when she was 4 months old and she never looked back ! she did a 25 metre badge swimming correctly just before she was 4 and swam a mile just on her 7th birthday. she still swims like a fish. xx

[Demonjill]

I cant remember the age I learned to swim but used to do a bit of club swimming once or twice a week. only stay in breaststroke now - cant believe I used to be able to do butterfly

Both DD and DS were in the pool from few months old and started lessons when they were 5 ish - DS has just turned 8 and is on level 7 of his Kellogs levels - He is best at back crawl and free
DD does serious club swimming and swims in National Events across the country and further - she is just back from Nationals in Sunderland- she is a breast stroker and flyer

Its so good for them - DD also learns the theory side from her coach knowing what to eat , when and how her body works - none of her fellow club swimmers smoke,drink or have any interest (for now) so all good and healthy

[missymood]

I learnt when I was about 18 after nearly drowning at a pool! Very embarrassing but hunky lifeguard saved me,

[peanuts]

damonjill- whats your dd's name - my dd was in nationals and made the 10-14 years finals for 100 breast.

my lot have always been swimming, ds was in from 6 months, other 2 from 3 years in lessons, out of my 3 only have one still swimming now. well chuffed with her achievements at the nationals this year although annoyed they were so far away and she went with her team travel, so didnt see any of it.

[SYLVIA]

My daughters learnt to swim when they were 7 and 6 respectively. The eldest wouldn't have lessons and the youngest one did. In the space of 4 weeks she went from being scared to be in the water to jumping in the deep end! I however didn't learn until I was 34! I used to take my girls every sunday to the local shallow pool and I finally managed to swim across myself. I felt so proud. I still wont go out of my depth though

[onceinabluemoon]

I was about 11

I'd had countless swimming lessons that my family could ill afford and they got me nowhere.

Then I went to summer school (the 70s equivalent to holidays club) and they had a shallow pool which began to give me some confidence. Finally I taught myself in a beachside pool in a place in Devon called Teignmouth, the pool was open air and freezing but I loved it. My mum bought me a bikini (the bribe that got me there, lol)

I taught my now 16 year old to swim when he was about 5 or 6, he had lessons as a teenager to refine his style. My youngest can't really swim, he has dyspraxia and finds it hard to do all the movements, also hates water on his face.

[kellib]

I don't ever remember learning to swim, it's just something I can always remember being able to do My family used to go swimming together a lot, my Granny is a real stickler for everyone being able to swim as she isn't the best swimmer! Even now I love swimming and will go up to 3 times a week if time allows.

My 6 year old son started swimming lessons when he was 5, though I used to take him every week he wouldn't let me take it arm bands off so put him in lessons to get the confidence he needed, within 2 terms he had his arm bands off and now 18 months later he can swim with ease at deep end, dive in etc

[sillysausage]

My sons were both about 4 when they got rid of arm bands. My hubby took them swimming every Saturday morning from being about a year old, whilst I did the cleaning. I think he got the better deal, but it was time spent just him and the boys, whereas I was at home with them all the time,

[Zoomie]

I grew up in South Africa and it was important for children to learn to swim as there was invariably a pool in every single garden.

I know I had lessons from about 4, and just after my 7th birthday we had our own swimming pool filled (it had been built about a year before, but my parents were also having the garden landscaped, and didn't want all the soil going into the pool).

We did swimming in the school pool too, and was in the school swimming team from 8. In my 5th school year, I were also allowed to have swimming lessons in the morning before school and I loved arriving late in class with dripping wet hair, but I also became the fastest breastroker, eventhough there were two years above me.

I hardly swim at all now, tend to paddle lots with LOs but not much swimming

[suez]

i dont remember when i learnt .......but i wanna big up my son if i may

he's 5, been havin lesson just under a yr, hes ace at back stroke , on his front he swims with his face under water.

well 2 wks ago we turned up for lessons and got told they not done badges for a while and everyone has to see how many badges they can achieve.......

kyle swam 522 METRES.....thats 29 lengths of the pool

he was shattered bless.

this is the same little boy a yr ago that cried when washing his hair

[PixiePetal]

DD was about 8 after many lessons she got to a point where it was on to lengths and she just wanted to swim about and have fun. DS (2 years younger) had lessons too but it just never worked for him, he had to keep redoing the season again and hated it, especially as DD moved up the levels. we stopped. I didn't want to force him in tears to go.

DH has a fear of water and I am not a good swimmer - like my feet near the floor and head out! prefer a paddle

I grew up at the seaside and spent days in the sea with big rubber rings/armbands but never learnt there. Learnt at school at 11, swam 2 lengths (not a big pool) and had to be dragged out exhausted not a natural swimming family

[PixiePetal]

i dont remember when i learnt .......but i wanna big up my son if i may

he's 5, been havin lesson just under a yr, hes ace at back stroke , on his front he swims with his face under water.

well 2 wks ago we turned up for lessons and got told they not done badges for a while and everyone has to see how many badges they can achieve.......

kyle swam 522 METRES.....thats 29 lengths of the pool

he was shattered bless.

this is the same little boy a yr ago that cried when washing his hair

big up your son as much as you like - what a star!

[WibbleWobble]

i was 6....i learned in Hyde baths (a town south east of manchester- think harold shipman)

My dad was 26 and learned with me! he had burst eardrums as a child and was told never to swim...but they had healed by the time he was in his 20 so me and dad used to swim up and down with our floats together in the same class!

But not being able to swim didnt put dad off taking an old door onto the "resi" (reservoir) at the back of his house and play Pirates!


its a wonder i was ever conceived.....its a wonder he didnt drown the naughty boy!

[tulip0803]

Myself and both my daughters were about 7.

DS had all kinds of swimming lessons - group weekly, group intensive, individual intensive and weekly and he sort of got it at 11 but he is not a strong swimmer and really hates it but he gets that from his father!

[mushpea]

My parents took me from very young but I dont remeber how long, my daughter went swimming from 11 weeks old but my son didnt go in untill he was about 9months old as he suffered bad with excema and I didnt want to make it worse, my daughter is now an exclllant swimmer and my son can swim in his own style which is a mix between doggy paddle and breast stroke but he gets there and he loves it.