With a drowning rate almost double that of Australia, what advice do Jordan Watson and Clint Roberts, the hosts of The Parenting Hangover, offer for ensuring the safety of your New Zealand children around water this summer? Tune in to this week’s episode for more insights. Photo / Getty Images
OPINION:
Tune in every week to The Parenting Hangover podcast, hosted by Jordan Watson, known as How to Dad, and ZM’s Clint Roberts, where these two fathers delve into the challenges of raising their families in today’s ever-evolving world. From discussing sensitive topics like sex education to exploring post-children intimacy with a certified sexologist, these modern Kiwi dads cover it all with candor.
In the midst of a spectacular Kiwi summer, ensuring that our children are water-savvy and self-assured is paramount.
In the latest episode of The Parenting Hangover, Jordan and Clint delve into swimming, water safety, and why How to Dad isn’t transitioning to How to Swim anytime soon.
“We reside on an island. New Zealand is a substantial island, and the assumption is that everyone should possess swimming skills,” mentioned Watson. “However, that’s not the reality.”
Shockingly, there were 90 preventable drownings in New Zealand last year. Adding to the concern, the 2022 National Beach and Coastal Safety Report highlighted that nearly 31% of Kiwis struggle to swim or float in the ocean for an extended period.
Merely 9% of Kiwi adults managed to swim over 50m in the ocean in 2022, with 30% never attempting this distance in the ocean.
Given these statistics, Watson and Roberts share their strategies for ensuring their children’s water safety and address concerns about access to quality swimming lessons.
A critical query raised was the adequacy of free council-run Learn To Swim programs. Roberts expressed skepticism about the one-size-fits-all teaching approach for swimming.
After three years of Auckland Council swimming lessons, Roberts felt his daughter made minimal progress and lacked water confidence.
The overcrowded classes hindered teachers from providing personalized attention to enhance the children’s skills.
Consequently, Roberts and his wife opted for a different approach to boost their daughter’s water confidence.
Following six months of attending a privately owned swimming school in West Auckland, Roberts observed a remarkable transformation in his daughter’s swimming abilities—from water apprehension to confidently swimming a pool’s width without floatation aids.
“A competent swimming instructor can make a significant difference,” he emphasized.
Moreover, Watson and Roberts emphasized that parents who are not proficient swimmers themselves should refrain from teaching their kids to swim.
Roberts analogized this scenario to unskilled drivers teaching their children to drive, potentially passing on poor habits.
In cases where finances permit, Roberts recommended engaging a professional swimming instructor for children.
Watson highlighted the confidence boost children experience merely by having access to water, citing his daughter’s remarkable progress in a neighbor’s pool.
Nonetheless, he stressed the critical need for vigilant supervision, as overconfidence in water could pose risks.
The Herald has reached out to Learn To Swim for their input.
- For comprehensive water safety information and expert advice, visit the Water Safety New Zealand and Under5 websites.
- To delve deeper into Watson and Roberts’ strategies for ensuring water safety and boosting their children’s confidence in swimming, listen to the latest episode of The Parenting Hangover below.
- Follow the podcast on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform for weekly episodes every Thursday.
- Connect with the podcast via Instagram or Facebook to stay updated.