Readers — Safety is good. Excess safety can actually undermine itself, as it seems to be doing at this Y, in Philadelphia:. Dear Free-Range Kids: The YMCA where my family has a membership has recently made a change to its free swim policy that made me instantly think of you. As you can imagine, this new policy stinks! Not to mention he is now developing a false sense of security about his own safety in the water, and a complete inability to float on his own. The Y, of course, claims the new policy is safer.
But I disagree. They can practice during swim lessons, of course—but those cost money in addition to the membership. What do you think? Any advice you have for her is welcome. What irks me most about this policy is that is crippling. Adds my buddy Ben Miller, policy analyst at Common Good :.
Their decision has nothing to do with safety but everything to do with taking more money from the parents. W It sounds to me the same. They use safety is as excuse to collect more money from parents. The rule is designed to make it impossible to teach basic water movements to parents.
What is even worst, kids will likely get ton of bad habits and wrong expectations about water if they go to swim with parents often. Which means even more money for YMCA. Simple cover our ass so we do not get sued ruling. Was a NLS cert. We had two town pools at the time, and never had a swim test for anyone coming in for public swimming. Lawyers and administrators are sucking the life out of life. I really feel sorry for the generations to come, and how little life they will actually be allowed to experience.
Be persistent. Point out that swimming is done horizontally and life jackets hold children vertically. It self-defeats to require this. Have everyone writing the same basic thing.
