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Safe in the Pool for Two Year Olds
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Pete worked with my two year old twins in September 2012 for five days. He was incredibly gentle and loving with them throughout the entire process. Not having much pool experience, they didn't enjoy being let go in the water, but even when upset, Pete's expertise won over, and they quickly learned to swim to the edge of the pool. They did move past the crying, for the most part, and it was incredibly heartwarming to see them give Pete hugs and high fives every time they got out of the pool.
The first couple of days were rough on mom, and the boys, but this is just because it's hard to see your children upset. Knowing and understanding the value in having my children know what to do if they ever fall in a pool, knowing instinctively to get themselves to the side and NOT PANIC, is far more important than feeling a bit of stress for a few days. Pete was very thorough in explaining to me beforehand that the process may be difficult, which I found extremely helpful in preparing myself.
After the course was complete, we did some practice drills with the boys in our community pool, and they remembered everything and responded immediately to being dropped in the water, facing away from the pool edge. We even had strangers comment how impressive it was to watch two year olds able to swim to the edge and climb out. The results speak for themselves. Working with Pete was definitely worth the money spent. We look forward to continuing lessons with him next summer, and advancing to teaching our boys how to be safe in the surf.
It remains to be seen how the boys respond in the pool this spring, since we haven't been in the pool since the temperature has dropped. Hopefully the skills learned will still be automatic, but if not, I know Pete is committed to ensuring the long term benefits of his program and will provide a refresher class for the boys.
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