Living in San Diego, swimming is destined to be a major part of our lives. It has always been important to us to teach our children water safety at an early age. We tried the “Y” lessons and even considered some of the other swim schools. Last summer a friend of ours introduced us to Bryan Quattlander from YardSwim. Bryan comes to our friend’s pool and gives them lessons in the back-yard pool with a few other children.
I wish I could find the words to explain the miracles that I have witnessed over the past two summers. As a lifeguard at a community pool in my youth, I saw the normal development of beginning swimmers. Our kids have (no pun intended) “blown that out of the water.” And so have the other swimmers in our little group. Our son moved from the arms-around-the-neck-white-knuckled-death-grip when we started to learning stroke technique this week. Our almost 4-year old daughter approaches most things in life with enthusiasm and passion (read: NO FEAR!). She has never been afraid of the water, which has put her into some very precarious situations. Now she swims to the deep end and touches the bottom with that same enthusiam, just a bit more safely. Last summer, before she was even 3, Bryan had her swimming underwater, by herself…like you see on those 20/20 specials on TV.
Bryan has taught them both the lessons of water safety, proper technique, and respect of others… and the water. He has done all of this while keeping the lessons fun and entertaining for the kids. Meanwhile, the adults sit by the comfort of a friend’s pool chatting about daily life (sometimes even over a beer). Our family is has found this respectful, relaxed, and calm atmosphere to be the best situation for our kids…and for us.
When you look for swim lessons for those you love, contact Bryan and the instructors from YardSwim. http://www.yardswim.com/
by JasonSchafer
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