For those that don't know how to swim: what has prevented you from learning?

I can swim in that I can keep myself afloat and move around and stuff… just not gracefully or efficiently. My excuse is cold water! I guess it’s because I have almost no body fat, but what most people consider warm water feels cold to me. Getting in an 80 degree pool makes my lips turn blue and my teeth chatter. You can’t motivate me to put my head under the water under those conditions!! My refusal to go underwater caused me to fail swimming lessons over and over again as a child. So I never really learned how to not get water up my nose if I put my head under water without pinching my nose shut, and pinching my nose shut of course occupies an arm, which makes swimming somewhat impossible. So the only form of swimming that I really can do involves keeping the head above water. It’s functional enough – but pathetic to watch!

You do know that you can get wax earplugs for swimming and prescription goggles, right? Not saying that you have to swim, but if those are your only reasons, there are ways around them. (I also used to swim with my glasses on sometimes – they have temple bars that curve around my ears – but I don’t like chlorine in my eyes.)

I’m an excellent swimmer, and I used to swim competitively (I do it for exercise and fun now). Nothing held me back, for I’ve always had an affinity for the water. In contrast, however, my two little daughters (aged 7 and 5) are scared stiff of the water, and everytime we try to get them to learn how to swim, they cry and want to get out of the pool as quickly as possible. They are still very young, so perhaps it’s just a natural fear of the water that’s preventing them from learning, but I thought it would be easier for them that “Daddy” can be with them and teach them how to swim first-hand, rather than learn at school or with swimming lessons. The last time I tried it with my youngest one, she panicked and held onto me for dear life——grasping my poor neck and and balling and balling, pleading with me not to let go of her. Lol…..sigh..! :(

Nice to see you Future Memory! :)

I’m too scared lol. Can’t quite say why though, besides all that drowning business.

It’s pretty sad, considering my Zodiac is Pisces haha.

Not trusting other people enough to teach me. I have a friend who promises she’ll teach me how to swim before I graduate, though.

Age
Stamina
Fear
Not really intrested anymore.

I had a “swimming teacher” who threw me in the deep end of a public pool when I was five years old, and wouldn’t rescue me when I was struggling. Another adult had to help me out. I have been petrified of getting my face under water since. It doesn’t help that I’m also fairly uncoordinated.

It’s pretty sad, considering my Zodiac is Pisces.” Mine, too.
I hate water in my ears and in my eyes, the soggy bottom of lakes, weird things swimming around in the ocean—I just never liked the idea of it. But I sort of like playing in a big pool and riding a raft in the ocean where it’s shallow. I am such a nerd I do wish, though, I had learned and learned early.