I got all the way to the Lifeguard lesson and we had to jump in the pool in all of our clothes and then take them off and use our pants as a flotation device by blowing the pants legs up, knotting them etc etc as well as being able to tred (sp) water for a certain amount of time and some other life saving procedures.My only biological uncle drowned at 13. My mom, his sister watched it happen and was powerless to do anything because she couldn't swim. She made sure all her children learned to swim and enrolled us in summer lessons early. I started when I was 4. Some of my best early childhood memories are going to summer school in the morning and then playing around until teachers would walk us to the pool a couple blocks away, especially on days we had free swim before lessons. I took lessons until just before HS and I trained for months and got a swim trophy at the end after diving in a 13 foot pool and bringing a brick up to the surface. I was so nervous because diving was something I really struggled with.
I know what you're saying, but poor ppl stay affording cable. They stay affording the latest cellphones and video game consoles. PPl don't prioritize and don't want to sacrifice. So to answer your questions:
You have 4 kids, then each year a different kid takes swim lessons enough to try swimming on their own.
You live an hour away from the nearest pool? Catch a bus. Unless you live out in rural country, there's usually a bus somewhere. Or round up a carpool in your neighborhood or hook your kid up with some classmates. These options aren't just accessible to soccer moms in the 'burbs.
Tennis was a luxury, yet the Williams sisters prevailed.
Yes, there are times when things are just too impossible...BUT those who want it bad enough find a way.
But none of this has anything to do with the original post blaming what went on in 1950 for the lack of swimming among blacks today.Buses are not a thing unfortunately. When I was at school in philly I could catch a bus, the trolley, the sub, taxis, Amtrak anything. Moved to SC? If you don't have a car you are screwed. Even something as simple as a Bi-Lo or Winn Dixie can be a good hour walk.
Charleston has a public transportation system but it is inadequate. Hilton Head? You're looking at $20+ one way for a taxi ride, forget public transportation all together. The little towns out in the middle of nowhere? Please. Some parents worked two hours away from home and had to take the commuter bus to and from work. Four hours everyday on a bus. There are very few 9-5 Monday to Friday jobs in a tourist trap. Hotels are 24/7, restaurants are open 7 days, even banks are no longer 9-5. I'm not going to begrudge the poor and/or working class in rural areas who would rather an iPad over swimming lessons their kids will probably never use. That's a simple cost benefit analysis. If you live closer to a metro area something's are not impossible to access but when you live in Tumbleweed, USA? Nah.
In the county I live now if someone tells me they can't swim, they'd get an IMMEDIATE side eye from hell. Swim coupons are issued for kids 4 and under and every single town has a community center with a pool. Plus not only does the county have public transportation but most of the towns have shuttle services. Every child in kindergarten has to take swimming lessons mandated through the district. If the school doesn't have a pool, they bus them to the town's pool to learn.
That reminds me of this Inside Edition story about what to do if you see someone drowning, and how easy it is to not notice that someone is drowning because people drown quietly in real life instead of yelling and splashing like they do in the movies and on TV.
And this story showing 3 kids who were drowning (it's okay to watch - the video also shows all 3 kids being rescued by lifeguards) and how the other people in the water didn't notice.
I didn't know this!Swimming lessons for me and my four-year old daughter is a must this summer. I hated that I went to Jamaica and just posed in the water but didn't get in it! Lmao! My daughter is mild on the autism spectrum so it's doubly important since the drowning rates are so high amongst autistic children.
You went from to trying to get back in the deep end like and the lifeguard was like .I almost drowned in a wave pool I'd just had some lessons and decided I was doing well enough to go into the deep area. My friend, who took swim lessons with me, said she saw my head bobbing up and down and reached out to me, but couldn't reach me. She said the lifeguards were signaling each other and almost jumped in to get me, when I managed to struggle my way back to the shallow end After that, I told my friend that I needed to get back in the deep end because my fear would be too great if I didn't. She gave me the side eye right before the life guard saw me heading to the deep end and blew his whistle at me
I have 2 girls and I get it. We went to the beach 2 weekends in a row and my mom was like wth are you going to do about their hair? Wash, brush and go. They are kids, not porcelain dolls. On the flip side my oldest has her "moving up ceremony" this week then a class pool party 2 hrs later. Clearly there was no black women involved in the planning of this party. Swimming and special events on the same day are a black girl no no. So she will be wearing 2 french braids to the ceremony and pool party, THEN we will go get her hair braided for real later in the week.I can swim. I remember I was the only girl in my troop that got a swimmers badge. The rest of the mother's declined to let their girls participate because they didn't want to have to redo their hair. And, no, I'm not joking.
Would you care to elaborate? Don't think I've ever heard of a spiritual reason keeping black people from water.ETA: I'm surprised no one mentioned a possible spiritual reason for black people and water. I'm just saying.
My sister is the only person that I knew growing up that did not know how to swim. My brothers and I have known how to swim since age 4. There was nothing else to do in my hood growing up but swim. I swam everyday all day long except when it was thundering and lighting. We even climbed the fence at night and swam. All of our kids/grandkids including my sisters how to swim. We were project kids with a pool right around the corner. No one taught us, we were thrown in and had to figure it out. I lived in an all black neighborhood.
I'm putting my 3 year old in it. Its expensive....like--car payment expensive...and the hours are not jiving with my work schedule. I gotta figure something out... and Yep... Its the kind of class where if the baby falls in the water by accident, they can kick and float themselves to the top. Its a REALLY specific certification and hard to find someone local. We are in Florida so it is a must. The local class that's like $35/class ain't ISH. A baby we watched grow from 6 days old to 3 years old drowned the other summer. My whole office was BROKEN. That mama brought her son to us every day to learn to nurse. She loved that boy to pieces and her family was giving her a hard time about being a single mom...UGH...I like the concept of those specialized swimming classes for drowning prevention in toddlers. I forget the exact name of it but by the end of these specific lessons they are able to swim and be able to float wearing their clothes, shoes, and diaper. Its so freaking cool, adorbs, and fascinating at the same time.
I learned to swim when i was 3 thanks to my stepmother.
My bother is 26 cant swim. mom also can't swim.
Being from Florida everyone knew that you rocked small box braids that lasted 8-10 weeks in the summer. That way mama didn't have to worry about that. We ALL knew---hey....over the summer we going to the pool in so and so community or this community to learn to swim. Or headed to Orlando for the theme parks or the local water parks. At-home braiders STAYED busy in May and June. Extra bonus cause everyone had a hair growth spurt when school started in August.Ya'll I'm not saying that a lot of black people DONT know how to swim. I think it's been observed before that LHCF is not the average in a lot of areas.
Anecdotal evidence aside, the fact is that a higher rate of black (and Hispanic) kids drown than white kids.
My own anecdotal evidence where girls are concerned: A lot of moms don't want the kids hair getting wet, which I can totally understand. When I ran my hair blog, a lot of people didn't want to swim for exercise because their hair would be a wreck afterwards. I have to admit even now I will avoid swimming if my hair has just been done.
In my area if your family receives food stamps or Medicaid, all the local community sports are FREE. Cheerleading too. You can get assistance with uniforms to a point. In HS we fundraised all the time. I attended a predominately black HS and many of the very talented kids in all area were poor. So we fundraised. Our little community came out. We raised thousands a year.Unfortunately Cities got rid of community pools. The kids need something to do over the summer. The adults need to give the kids safe spaces-free of violence,drugs, and sexual intimidation.
I work in an inner city. Cost is a factor for a lot of parents. They don't know how to swim. They don't know anyone who knows how to swim. Lessons at the Y can get expensive for people on a budget or with more than 1 kid.
Off topic: in general a lot of activities that we took part in as youngsters are so much more expensive. I understand things will go up in price over the years. But I know people who spent $1000 for high school sports