ISR

On a beach trip last May, some of my girlfriends showed me a video about ISR - Infant Swim Rescue. The video showed how children (6 months old and older) can learn the skills to survive in the water. Though it was hard to watch, I found it very intriguing. Since my in-laws have a pool, I loved the idea of Jackson being trained in what to do if he accidentally found himself in trouble. I told Wesley about it, but he wasn't as convinced.


Later that summer, a couple at church enrolled their two youngest in the program. One night we were swimming with them, and Wesley and I watched as their 14-month old went into the water, rolled over on his back and floated until his parents picked him up. It was amazing. Barely able to walk, this little guy was able to swim. That's all it took for Wesley to get on board and we looked into ISR lessons for Jackson.


Because of the financial commitment, we decided to wait until our local ISR trainer was offering a small discount. We registered Jackson to start his swim classes this week. The lessons last 15 minutes a day, everyday for 6 weeks. Today was his first day in the water.


I knew that his first day would be taxing on me because to get him accustomed to the water, his instructor, Kim, would have to let him go under, something he hadn't done yet. When we walked into the facility, my heart started beating so fast and it was a little hard to hand him over to the teacher. Kim is wonderful though. She took him into the pool and explained all that she was about to do.


Five minutes and 10 "dunks" later, Jackson - though visible upset - was able to find her hand under water and use it to pull himself up. WOW! Kim kept this first lesson very short for many reasons. When she handed him back to me, I laid him on his side and told him how proud I was of him. He really did such a good job!


Kim was also proud of Jackson and said he did great. She did warn me that tomorrow he won't come into the pool very easily! He will remember what happened today, but that he will slowly start to get accustomed to this daily routine.


So for the next 6 weeks, my life will revolve around our 15 minute lessons. By mid-March, Jackson will be able to swim. He will be able to go into the water fully clothed and find a way out.

It's not going to be easy. Already, I have cried - it's hard to see your baby under the water! - and he has cried, but I know at the end, we will both have a better respect for pools. We will both be able to enjoy this summer at the pool knowing that he has the skills he needs to be safe in the water.

-- To learn more about ISR, check out this Today Show report: http://www.infantswim.com/news-and-events/todayshow.html