Parents have their own ways of doing things when it comes to raising their children that not everyone agrees on. Teaching kids how to do things where they could potentially get hurt always draws some criticism. From teaching them to ride a bike or ride a scooter, to even learning how to swim, everyone has their way of doing things. Sometimes people think that the way parents do things is “totally wrong.”
Teaching your child to swim is no easy task.
Babies aren’t naturally born knowing how to swim in water. So, it’s often difficult to get them into a pool and swimming away. Many young children are also scared to jump in the pool and get going.
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Studies suggest that the earlier you teach kids to swim, the less likely they will be to drown.
Much like anything your kids learn in life, the earlier you start the better. The more they are in the water and learning the techniques, the more likely they can avoid a terrible accident. Research shows a reduced risk of drowning deaths in preschoolers who had taken swimming lessons.
Recently, one video on TikTok has gone viral and gotten the attention of many parents online.
The video showcases a young baby learning to swim using a controversial technique for infants. While many parents teach their children how to swim, the video was definitely different than anything we’ve ever seen before.
The eight-month-old featured in the video has now become a topic of discussion.
The video on TikTok has been viewed more than 51-million times. The video also made its way to Twitter and has been seen over 20-million times — even making its way into the meme world.
Krysta Meyer, the 27-year-old mom of Oliver, the baby in the video, is the one who shared the TikTok back in February.
The video shows her son, Oliver, being tossed into the pool like a ball — no floaties or anything. Of course, an adult jumps in immediately after. However, the force in which Oliver was thrown in is what alarmed parents online.
The mom said that Oliver had been swimming for about two months at the time the video was filmed.
Her caption read :
“Oliver amazes me every week! I can’t believe he is barely 2 months in and is catching on so fast. He is a little fish.”
Many parents were alarmed at how a parent could allow their baby to be thrown into the pool like this.
With little swimming experience or even a life jacket, many parents said this was traumatic to watch. Many argued that it was terrible to do this to a baby and totally dangerous, too.
However, this swimming program specializes in teaching eight-month-old babies — and babies even younger than that — how to swim.
Meyer told BuzzFeed News that the program was excellent and that she trusted them. However, many disagreed.
“A lot of people are seeing a kid being thrown into the water and thinking, ‘That’s not good! You shouldn’t be doing that!’ I’ve gotten death threats. I’ve had people tell me I’m the worst kind of mom, that I’m endangering my children, that I’m traumatizing them,” she said.
The program, called Little Fins, teaches babies to “assess their situation,” especially when they are in danger in the water.
“The whole premise behind what we do is safety. We teach 8-month-olds to assess their situation and find an exit strategy [in water]. I know it seems crazy,” said co-owner, Lauri Armstrong.
And, despite the backlash, Meyer said she is happy with her choice.
“I have them in swim classes in a controlled environment and with certified instructors. I feel so much more comfortable about my kids being around water and they can have that fighting chance to survive,” she said.
h/t: Buzzfeed News
