Parenting hangover: Who is the right person to teach your child to swim?

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Join hosts Jordan Watson (aka How to Papa) and ZM's Clint Roberts every week. parenting hangover In the podcast, two fathers talk about all things involved in raising their respective families in today's changing world.From tackling big topics like birds and bees to talking about intimacy after kids with a qualified sexologist — 21st century Kiwi dads aren't afraid to go there.

With one of the best Kiwi summers in recent memory, it's more important than ever that children feel competent and confident in and around the water.

On this week's episode of “Parenting Hangover,” hosts Watson and Jordan discuss swimming, safety, and why “How to Dad” won't be rebranding to “How to Swim” anytime soon.

“We live on an island. New Zealand is a big island so there is an expectation that everyone can swim,” Mr Watson said. “But that's not the case.”

In fact, there were 90 preventable drownings in New Zealand last year. If this number isn't worrying enough, the 2022 National Coastal and Coastal Safety Report reveals that nearly three in 10 Kiwis (31%) are unable to swim or float in the ocean for more than a few minutes. I understand that.

In 2022, only 9 per cent of adult Kiwis will have swam more than 50 meters in the ocean, and 30 per cent have never swam this distance in the ocean before.

In light of these figures, Watson and Roberts reveal the steps they have taken to ensure children are safe in the water and answer children's questions about access to appropriate swimming lessons. will do.

One of the big questions they raised was whether the free Learn To Swim program run by the council was fit for purpose. Roberts revealed he was skeptical of a one-size-fits-all approach to swimming instruction.

After about three years of swimming lessons at Auckland City Council, Ms Roberts felt her daughter had “learned very little” and “gained no confidence in the water”.

Mr Roberts claims the classes were so full and busy that teachers were unable to focus on individual children and develop their skills.

So the radio presenter and his wife, Lucy, decided to try something different to get their daughter more confident in the water.

Six months after starting her daughter at a private swimming school in West Auckland, Roberts said her daughter went from being “scared to go in the water” to putting her face in the water without a flotation device. He claimed that he could now swim the width of the pool. water”.

“And that's the difference a really good swim teacher makes,” he added.

Watson and Roberts also felt that parents should not try to teach children to swim if they are not good swimmers themselves.

“It's like a bad driver shouldn't teach his children to drive, because he's just passing on bad habits,” Roberts said. “You'll be teaching them the worst way to swim.”

So, should such parents hire a professional to teach their child to swim, if their financial situation allows?

“That's right,” Roberts said.

Watson said she felt her child's confidence soared just by having access to water, and explained how using the neighborhood pool helped her daughter grow in the water.

“It's incredible how children gain water confidence when they can go to a friend's pool,” he says. “Right now she just wants to jump in the water. She wants to live by the sea.”

But he warned that it was vital to keep a close eye on children in the pool, as that confidence could be “toxic”.

“We don't want her jumping into the pool when no one is around and then panicking, so there has to be a balance.”

of herald Learn To Swim has been contacted for comment.