Advice and Inspiration from Moms Who Have Learned to Swim as an Adult

I learned to swim before I could walk, but I totally applaud you for taking the plunge now! Yes, pun intended :) Knowing how to swim and learning water safety is SO very important, so good for you for setting a good example for your kids. Don't be scared, YOU CAN DO THIS!! Best wishes and have fun :)

My dad still doesn't know how to swim, at age 76. His brothers tried to "teach" him, by throwing him into the irrigation ditch by their home. A neighbor found him unconscious, floating through the fields.

My dad has big, knotted hands. He's not afraid of spiders, or of heights, or of death. Heck, he's sailed across oceans. He is a strong and stoic Russian, but he's still afraid to swim. He lives in Hawaii and he won't go into the ocean.

My mom taught us kids to swim before we could walk. Swimming, for me, is like being free. I love to swim and there is no other activity that gives me the same feeling. The quiet calm of water, the feeling of being held by the ocean; It's beautiful.

But, I bet I'm afraid to do something that doesn't scare you a bit. In fact, I'll tell you a secret. I'm afraid of the dark - or rather - what could be in the dark. Imagine that, a grown woman with two small children, afraid of the dark!

Courage, is doing something even though we are afraid. For me, that might be investigating a sound in the dark (baseball bat in tow?). For you, that might be putting your head under water. We all have the ability to be brave, but it's hard and it takes practice. Take it slow, try to have fun, go to the pool with people who don't make fun of you and be gentle on yourself. We're all afraid of something. But, we get to choose to accept that fear and live in it, or to work through it and rise above.

I suggest teaching yourself (being taught) in the same way you would a child who felt uncomfortable. Slowly, with a lot of laughter and play, get your head under water and talk yourself through it. Reward yourself for small successes. Once your feeling more comfortable, get help with your technique. I suspect the biggest hurdle will be finding confidence and the rest will follow more easily.

I can help you!!!!

I did not learn to properly learn to swim until I was 40 (now 45). I had a few lessons when young, but we could not afford many. I had several frightening experiences (fell off raft, thrown in pool, white water rafting) but I was not really fearful of water. When I was 40 I developed some neurological problems (now diagnosed as silent migraines and post-viral syndrome). To regain my strength in a way that did not hurt my joints, I learned how to swim by taking beginning lessons three days a week at my gym. It was a great class (taught my a great looking college water polo player!) with other folks like me. It took some time and a lot of effort, but I now can swim laps. Side breathing was really hard to master, but I was so proud of myself when I did it. I also live near the ocean and my kids pretty much spend their entire summer in the water. I figured that if they could swim ridiculous distances in the ocean, the least I could do was to swim a few laps.

Go for it...it is worth it.

Growing up with a pool, I learned very young BUT my husband had a baptism by fire in the Marine Corp. He learned as an adult, and you can too--although I'd probably look into the Y!

I took basic swim classes when I was like 7 years old, and never really did more than learn not to drown. :-( It wasn't until I was 24 that I took actual swim lessons and learned to actually SWIM. I hated going under water. This is going to sound so simple, but what worked for me was wearing goggles. I hated going under water because I didn't want to open my eyes. With goggles, I could do so without getting chlorine in my eyes.

I will admit, though, that I still don't like going under water in natural bodies of water, goggles or no. Just pools! I guess my phobia hasn't entirely gone away.... (and at this point it probably won't, I think, 24 was a looooong time ago)

I took classes at my local public pool one summer (the same pool where my child was taking classes that summer too) - it was a two month course. I was lucky to be in a class with very few people, so I pretty much had an instructor mostly to myself.

Learning to swim properly was one of the most empowering things I ever have done as an adult. That might sound silly, but it's true! I felt a real sense of accomplishment. I'm not the best swimmer, but I enjoy it now and feel good doing it.

Good luck!

I can not relate to not being able to swim since I don't ever remember not being able to.

Have you asked yourself why you fear going under? Is it because you cann't see clearly? Scared you can't get back to the top?

For whatever your reason is there is a way to over come it. From just what little you wrote you have a GREAT start with your doggy paddling. This is a stroke believe it or not. Also, you don't have to put your head underwater to learn how to swim front crawl or any other stroke but butterfly. Butterfly isn't a stoke you need unless you plan on being competitive.

You are on the right track and in a good way! Keep up the good work Mama and you will be able to keep up with your 7 y.o. soon!

I learned how to swim when I was 6-7, so I'm not really in the same situation as you... but my biggest modivator would be knowing you could do something if (heaven forbid) one of your children had some sort of water-related accident. If your kid fell into the water and was sinking, (say, he twisted his ankle and couldn't swim or something) wouldn't you want to be able to dive right in and save him? I'm not sure what the best route to go for adult swimming lessons though... Good luck! Congratulations on trying to overcome this hurdle! I know how hard it can be to overcome a fear... I finally started driving again after about 2 years of refusing to get behind a wheel. (we were in a 4-car collision right before I found out I was preggo, so I have had severe road ainxiety)