Like fish to water

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This post was sponsored by Goldfish Swim School – Dublin and Goldfish Swim School – Westerville, but all the opinions expressed here are totally my own.

swimming

Did you ever have one of those parental moments where you look at your kid and suddenly think to yourself, “Wait. When did this happen?” Like when they start buckling their own seat belts or being able to open their own car door. Or like me recently, when they start swimming in the pool without floaties or a death grip on you. It seems like one minute they are full-on giraffe necking to keep their every inch of their face above water while wearing floaties and clutching a noodle and the next they’re making you stand still in the pool so they can dive between your legs.

I had that moment on our family vacation a few weeks ago. My kids were going down a big water slide into the pool and swimming into our arms several feet away without any assistance. We even had another parent marvel at how well our youngest could navigate the water on his own. We told the dad that we couldn’t take any credit ourselves: It was seriously all thanks to lessons over the past year at Goldfish Swim School in Dublin.

Both of our kids have spent between a year and a year and a half taking lessons and they’ve been wowing me all summer with the progress they’ve made. And I love seeing how proud they are of their accomplishments too.

Here are just a few things I have to rave about when it comes to Goldfish Swim School:

• The staff – the nicest, friendliest, warmest group of people. They remember your kids and greet them by name (even seeing them out of context at a school visit). They are constantly encouraging the kids and really go above and beyond to help them succeed. My oldest was just one skill away from moving up a level and seemed to be stuck, so one week, the deck supervisor hopped in the pool with him to give him extra attention and the boost he needed. I’ve seen them do that for other kids too. And if your kiddo is deathly afraid of the water, they are so kind and patient. I spent a lesson marveling at how miraculously a kid went from death grip on mom to putting his face in the water by the end of the lesson. They know what they’re doing and they do it so so well.

• The facility – bright, cheery and immaculate. They do an amazing job of keeping the place clean and tidy. And the water is warm! They keep it at 90 degrees year round so you don’t have to worry about teeth chattering or blue lips.

• Perpetual lessons – as soon as your kid is ready, he or she moves up to the next level. No need to wait for another session.

• Family swim times – each lesson ends with a recap of the skills your kid is working on or has mastered but if you really want to see what they can do, bring them in for family swim time and have your run of the pool and the toys too. Even if you don’t take lessons there, you can come for family fun for just $5/person ($15 max per family). Times are posted on their website.

So if your kid has been inspired by watching the U.S. swimmers compete recently or if they’ve just outgrown their Puddle Jumper floaties, I highly recommend checking out Goldfish Swim School in Dublin or Westerville.

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