Little Fishes Swim School captured a great picture of Elliot while she swam under water.

My eldest daughter Elliot is not what one might call “adventurous”, or “not absolutely terrified to try anything new.” Slides, bounce houses, sippy cups in any color but pink or purple…all out of the question.

So I wasn’t terribly surprised when I had to remove tiny little bits of toddler fingernail from my shoulder this summer after we dared to venture into the deep end of the swimming pool.

For the most part I take her timidness in stride, probably because the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I spent the better part of my childhood safely at the bottom of said proverbial tree yelling things like “Be careful! That branch doesn’t look sturdy enough to hold you!” as my friends raced to the top.

So I totally appreciate the desire to do things in your own time…or never at all.

However, swimming is one of those life skills that is non-negotiable with me. I mean, what the heck am I going to do all summer if I can’t drop my kids off at the pool and spend my days shopping clearance sales? And how are my children supposed to realize my childhood dream of becoming a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model if they’re terrified of the water?

Oh yeah, and there’s that whole “you need to know how to avoid dying if you ever accidentally fall into a pool or lake” thing.

I knew we had to nip this fear sooner rather than later, so when I had the opportunity to enroll her in the Little Fishes Swim School I jumped at the chance.

The first few minutes of our initial session went about as I expected – her little fingernails quickly found their way back to the old familiar scars on my shoulder as I waded through the pool, wearing her as a scarf around my neck.

A few water games later and it was time for the moment of truth – she would actually have to go under water. Of course the coach left it up to me, and ultimately her, to decide whether or not she was ready.

There comes a time when every parent has to let go in the best interest of their child. And my mind immediately conjured an image of me finding an awesome outfit for her on the summer clearance rack while she splashed away at the pool.

We both held our breath and under she went. She came up, wiped her eyes and said: (cough cough), “It’s so much fun!”

What.

Really?

It was that easy?

In the car on the way home after our first session, I saw something in her that I’d never seen before. A sense of accomplishment. She knew that going under water was a big deal, and she had successfully overcome a fear. She was proud of herself.

And it was really cool.

With every session she’s become more and more comfortable with the water, and now it’s almost as if she’s a little Michael Phelps.

The earlier a child becomes comfortable in & under the water, the earlier they will swim,” said founder, Ruthie Zarren. “We have children who started with us at six months who were swimming independently at age three.”

And with small class sizes (five children max) the environment is extremely conducive for the more experienced children to motivate those who, like my daughter, start out intimidated.

Zarren explained, “Very young children benefit from the peer interaction that occurs in group lessons. They see other children trying new activities and are motivated to try themselves. In addition, experienced teachers provide the reassurance and motivation to help reluctant or fearful children try new things.”

And speaking of intimidation, perhaps my favorite part about the experience is the private dressing rooms. When Ellie was 9 months old we did swimming lessons at an area community center, and let me assure you that running wet and naked through a public locker room while chasing a wet and naked 9-month-old is enough to make you question your life choices.

Another plus is that the water is warm (90 degrees) and naturally hygienic salt water, which is nice because Ellie has eczema that’s really exacerbated by chlorine.

Now the trick is just to keep up with the lessons until it’s pool time next summer. Zarren has found that for every month kids are out of the pool, it takes 1-2 classes to relearn those skills. Which explains why we had to start from scratch although she had lessons a year and a half ago.

Next summer she’ll be three – not quite ready for the drop and shop just yet – but I’m keeping my eye on the prize.

Little Fishes Swim School is located at 8200 Brentwood Industrial Drive, (right off Manchester Road in between Hanley and Brentwood Blvd.). The winter session begins January 2 and runs through March 11, and gift certificates in any increment make a great holiday gift!

For more information on class schedules you can visit their website, call 314-647-SWIM (7946) or shoot them an email.  You can also keep up with the latest from the school on Facebook.

Hannah Mayer is author of the award-winning blog sKIDmarks and is currently working on her first novel, Cute Little Bundle of Crazy.  Her famous macaroni and cheese was just named “Best Lunch Ever” by her 2-year-old and 13-month-old daughters, even though it was straight from a box and she merely followed the package instructions.

You can hang out with her on Facebook, Twitter, or just randomly drop by her house.  She loves that.

Disclosure: The author of this post was provided with free product or services in order to evaluate and review. The acceptance of this product or service in no way influenced the opinions of the reviewer and was provided simply as a means of evaluation, and the opinions and thoughts expressed in this post are strictly those of the author.