Five Ways to Help the Anxious Parent Survive Their Child’s First Swimming Lesson

As a swim instructor, you know that from time to time, you’re going to have to deal with anxious children. A fear of the water is fairly common, and you have the techniques and skills to help a child overcome that fear. But what about the anxious parent? If you haven’t had to deal with one yet, rest assured that eventually you will. When you do, you’ll want to be prepared. Here are five ways to help nervous parents get through their child’s first swimming lesson.

1. Take the Time to Introduce Yourself

If you work at a public pool, chances are you may never have met your student’s parents before. If you’re instructing groups of children, meeting each individual parent can be time-consuming, but it’s still something that should be done. It’s important to a parent that they’re able to see you as someone who knows how to do your job, and with whom they can entrust the safety of their children. A simple, confident handshake and a statement to the effect that you’re pleased to have their child in your class may be sufficient. Other parents may require a bit more chat time.

While you’re at it, make sure to introduce yourself to the child. The parents need to feel that you see their little one as an individual in his or her own right, not just as one of a group of kids.

2. Get to Know Your Student

This is the time to find out if there are any special requirements the child may have. Is he or she afraid of the water? Are they recovering from an illness or an injury? Do they have any special needs? Most of the time, you won’t have to actually ask questions. Parents are typically very forthcoming when it comes to things they might be worrying about. Be open and accepting, and reassure them that you’re able to accommodate a wide range of issues.

3. Don’t Minimize a Parent’s Concerns

You know how to do your job, but the anxious parent doesn’t have any way of gauging your particular level of competence. It might be tempting to brush off parental worries with a simple “Don’t sweat it, I’ll take good care of him/her,” but the better approach would be to empathize. Say something like “It’s hard letting them try new things, isn’t it?” Allow the parent to express their worries, and respond in a calm, reassuring way. Let them know that they’re welcome to observe the swimming lesson, but gently suggest that it might be less distracting to the child if they’re unobtrusive.

4. Be Open to Suggestions

If a parent has a particular concern, and an idea for how to approach the issue, listen. For instance, if the parent feels that their child learns best by observing other children, that’s your cue to suggest that he or she can be the last one to enter the pool. If it might help, and won’t do any harm, there’s nothing wrong with deferring to the parent.

5. Remember that Every Parent is Different

The level of anxiety you may be dealing with will vary from parent to parent. You don’t take a cookie-cutter approach to your students, so don’t do it with their parents.

The most important thing to remember is that if you use your “people” skills, you should be able to calm even the most anxious parent.