When I was a kid, my parents completely neglected to get me swim lessons. I wouldn't say that they were bad parents. In most respects, they were outstanding ones, as a matter of fact. They took us to sports games, bought us art supplies, encouraged us to read – you name it and they did it. The swim lessons for kids, however, Were lacking. As a matter of fact, I never had a single swim lesson until I was an adult.
By then, the damage was done. I was terrified of the water. I couldn't figure out how anyone could swim. I didn't want to go, and I would make up any excuse to avoid outings to the beach. Adult swim lessons, after all, seemed so demeaning to me. When every 13-year-old that I had ever met knew how to swim, I didn't want to be just beginning to.
Finally, a friend bought me YMCA swim lessons for my birthday. I Was actually a little bit irritated about the swimming classes. I had no desire to take swim lessons, and I thought that it was a bit manipulative to get me a birthday present that I had no intention to use. Nevertheless, I did what he must have predicted that I would do – since I had the swim lessons, I decided to take them.
To tell the truth, I had actually been secretly thinking about swim lessons for a while at that point. Although I didn't consciously wants to, I did watch swim videos whenever I had the chance. Some of these were even swim DVDs that claimed that they would be able to teach you how to swim like a pro. Needless to say, I never actually tried them. Taking swim lessons off of a tape would have been a dangerous choice. With no one to correct you or rescue you if you got into trouble, how could you keep yourself safe?
In the end, the swim lessons were a success. Although it took me a few months – much longer than many of the other students – soon I was out of the beginning class and into an intermediate swimming class. Advanced swim classes followed, and soon I was on a recreational amateur swimming team. Although it is too bad that I never got swimming lessons when I was a kid, I am glad that I finally learned how to swim. I didn't know what I was missing out on all of those years!
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