We always knew Grace would love the water. She was due in the middle of summer, and her mom would live on a float if she could. That, and her mom spent most of her final month pregnant in the pool. So yeah, if any child was destined to be a water baby, it was Grace.
Naturally, we enrolled her in the “Parent & Me” classes at Vista Swim Academy when she was 7 months old. We spend as much time near (and in) the water as possible, so it seemed like a good idea to get Grace ready to join us. I’m not sure where I got the idea, but I imagined infant swim lessons involving gently tossing said infant into the pool and helping them learn to make it back to the surface. Don’t they all instinctively swim like the baby on the Nirvana CD?
“There are certain criteria to be a member of the United States Swim School Association, and the method you brought up—we are not able to teach that way,” founder and owner Shiloh Hurst told me, just a little skeptically. “I know plenty of children who have had success learning in that environment, but it's not something that we've taught.” Fair enough. “We truly believe that having the caregiver involved makes it both a positive interaction with the water and a bonding experience for the caregiver and their child.”
And after going to class with Grace for the past five months, I have to say—she’s right. It really has been a lot of fun.
A big part of that positive experience has been thanks to the teacher Grace has had the most: Jennifer Anderson. She was the first to join Shiloh when Vista opened its dedicated space east of Boerne on Highway 46. “I was just like, ‘Wow! Shiloh is so passionate about this,’” Jennifer recalls. “She just really sold me on the job. I really wanted to be a part of this because I love her mission.”
It didn’t take long for Jennifer to get hooked. “It’s genuinely so rewarding to see those kids that you taught as babies go on to become some of our most confident swimmers,” she says. “Teaching the child to have trust in the water... You get to see a lot of parent and child bonding, and that just makes the classes really fun.”
So much fun, in fact, that it literally changed her life. “I was actually a finance major when I started out,” she says. “But [teaching swimming] made me change my major to nursing. I really love growing these relationships with families, helping them learn things, and just caring for people.”
That heart definitely shines through, even in the relatively simple exercises we do in class. A big part of the lessons is teaching impulse control. We sing a song at the start of every session with the kids perched on the edge, clapping along, learning to wait to enter the water until they’re making direct eye contact with their grown-up. We practice splashing, kicking, rolling onto their backs, and making a “balloon face” so they’ll keep their mouths closed when they go underwater (with only mild success so far… right, Adeline, Skylar, and Callen?!).
Still, even slow progress builds a foundation for success, in the pool and out. “Studies show that early swim exposure can support motor skills, coordination, and language development,” Shiloh informs me. Ok, so it wasn’t just my imagination that Grace started crawling and pulling up more after we began swimming. “We see kids grow leaps and bounds in those ways, and it’s even believed that babies who start classes tend to test higher than peers who are not in some sort of social learning setting.” Harvard, here we come!
Regardless of what Grace does later in life, she’s more likely to get there safely. “We spend a lot of time teaching parents how you guys can nurture and develop safe practices around water,” Shiloh emphasizes. “You're not always going to be with a teacher, and we really want you guys to know what to practice with your kids. If you’re informed, your child will be safer.”
We’ve definitely felt that. Her mom and I remain vigilant, but we feel more confident when Grace is near the water. Plus, it’s been fun seeing her get more and more comfortable each week. It’s kind of like watching her become more and more herself.
Shiloh has noticed it too. “I just love that we’ve been able to see her come from not crawling to now, she’s starting to get mobile. She’s really excited to be in class. I don’t think she’s cried once! It’s just been really great to see her happy and to see you and your wife get to interact with her in this way.”
It always feels good when your child gets a chance to shine, and “Parent & Me” classes offer ample opportunity for that. It’s also encouraging when other people see in your child the same things you do. “Grace just got in and she was all smiles right away, and she’s been all smiles since,” Jennifer says, smiling too. “I’ve never seen her shed a tear. She clearly is a water baby! I’ve talked before with the other staff about Grace, and we just agree: she just loves the water, and she is the cutest.”
vistaswimacademy.com | 830-336-4679 | 529 TX-46, Unit D02
“Teaching the child to have trust in the water… You get to see a lot of parent and child bonding, and that just makes the classes really fun. Grace just got in and she was all smiles right away, and she’s been all smiles since!” —Jennifer Anderson