tazdev3225
<font color=darkorchid>I sucked my thumb up with t
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2008
I'm another grandma who can't swim but my grandkids all can.I'm probably the only grandma whose grandchildren can swim, but I can't.
When I was about 1 my parents took me to the Cedar Lakes that were in New Jersey. No real swimming pools in South Philly. A woman drowned while we were there that was about my mom's age and height wearing the same bathing suit. Every time I wandered near the edge of the water My parents, aunt or grandmom grabbed me away from the water in a total panic. Then when I was about 6 I fell into the local creek and went under. My dad got to me quickly but I developed a rather bad phobia of the water. They gave lessons in school when I was about 10 but the fear was deep and the instructor threatened to throw me in the 16 foot end off of the platform boards. I came up with a ton of excuses after that to avoid the lessons. My teacher realized what was going on and really let the instructor have it but she realized that I wasn't going to get over this fear easily.
When my husband and I bought our house it came with an above ground pool. I made sure my kids learned to swim. We joined a swim club when the pool came down and my kids and grandkids were on the swim team. I didn't want them to have the same debilitating fear that I lived with. I can get about in the pool now, but I always have a "Float noodle" with me and I never go beyond the 6-foot end of the pool. Ironically, I have never been afraid of the ocean and even wanted to learn to surf in my teens although I couldn't swim.