“Preparation is never lost time”

— Stacia Pierce

Part of having a Pretty Fabulous Home is having a safe and happy home, and that’s what this blog is all about. We're getting close to summer and it's that time of year when the birthday parties go from being trapped indoors to enjoying the great outdoors, which allow your kids to run and play with their friends and enjoy the fresh air. It's also that time when you're more likely to have a pool or lake at the center of the enjoyment. Well, I'm very excited because we now have Reagan in private swim lessons. She's 2 1/2 and I feel like I'm late to the party, but I'm glad we're finally here. Living in Florida learning to swim is a must. But really no matter where you live, the importance of learning to swim is truly a matter of life or death.

Here’s a few statistics according to USA Swimming:

On average, about 10 people die from drowning every day in the U.S.
1 in 5 drowning victims are children under the age of 14
Most children who drown in pools were last seen in the home, had been out of sight less than five minutes, and were in the care of one or both parents at the time
Participation in formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by 88% among kids aged 1 to 4 years old
70% of African-American and 60% of Hispanic/Latino children cannot swim compared to 40% of Caucasians
African-American children drown at a rate nearly 3 times higher than their Caucasian peers

I don't mean to scare you, but it's just that important. I had to face these stats as I continued to put off what really knew needed to happen--swim lessons for my daughter.

Here’s the scenario, there we are at another swimming party and my child is the only one crying because she's afraid of the water. While all the other kids are jumping in full force, my child is held close to me totally hugged up and not wanting to get anywhere near what these other kids are doing. Well I said, “enough is enough”. It’s time to take action now!

My daughter at her first swimming lesson

Besides beating the odds of the statistics above, here’s some great benefits of swim lessons according to USA Swimming:

Swimming is a healthy "lifetime" activity that someone can do from age 1 to 101
Swimming is nearly injury free in comparison to other sports
Swimming provides the opportunity for a youth to deal with winning and losing, how to work with officials, teammates and coaches
Swimming pushes its participants to strive for self improvement and teaches goal orientation
Swimming can prevent drowning

If you’re interested in teaching your baby to swim, according to a Norwegian University study, baby swimmers have better balance and are also better at grasping at things than non-swimmers. The difference persists even when a child is five years old, when babies who have been taught to swim still outperform their peers. Pretty amazing!

Comment below if you have seen the benefits of swimming lessons for your children!

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Present P. Child Drowning study, Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine 2009, National research study by the USA Swimming Foundation and the University of Memphis, Norwegian University of Science and Technology

http://www.usaswimming.org/ViewMiscArticle.aspx?TabId=1664&mid=6563&ItemId=3529

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/187087.php

http://www.usaswimming.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabId=1796

http://www.poolsafely.gov/drowning-deaths-injuries/

Photos: Word swag