Broward County Photographer | Swimming Lessons with Mr. Blue

For as long as I can remember, Lex loved the water. There were times he would walk right into the ocean or try to push away from us while we were holding him in the pool. So when I brought up swimming lessons, my husband figured we didn’t really need to enroll him.   Since Lex was already comfortable in the water Yodi figured that we would just teach him how to swim ourselves. Fast forward to last summer when Lex was 3 years old.  I spent multiple days a week in the pool with him, trying to get him to go under the water, or let go of the ledge, or come off the stairs. No matter how I approached it I could not teach my son how to swim. What’s worse was that by the end of last summer he no longer enjoyed going in the pool at all. But I was shocked 6 months later when my husband suggested our first pool day this year and Lex had a fit! He said no, he didn’t want to go in the pool, he didn’t want to go under the water and he didn’t want to swim. It was then that I knew we needed to hire a professional.

After calling around to a few swim schools in the area and learning about our options, it was easy to make our decision. We immediately enrolled Lex in swimming lessons with Mr. Blue. The Mr Blue 5 day swim program guarantees that by the 5th day your child will have the skills necessary to swim to the edge of the pool and get themselves safely out of the water.  Of course, after unsuccessfully spending a whole summer trying to teach Lex how to swim, I wasn’t 100% convinced that this would work, but I felt as though a one on one, 5 consecutive day program was our best option. And they do guarantee results. Now, let me tell you, halfway through day one I was convinced I made the right choice and no longer had any reservations at all about the success of this program.

But let me backtrack a bit.

On my website, my blog and through email communication with my clients I try my hardest to answer any questions that may come up – before my client even has the chance to think of it. Ms. Julie, the owner of Swim With Mr. Blue has done the exact same thing, giving you all the information you’ll need and some information you didn’t even know you’d need. After enrolling him in the course, we got this awesome little package in the mail. Parents are encouraged to read the book and watch the DVD with their child a few times before their first lesson. She even leaves a little personalized note to your child in the book. It is important to her that your child succeed, and she has found a way to make it fun and it works.

In the book your children will be introduced to Mr. Blue and his crew. The DVD also features Ms. Julie and Mr. Blue and all his friends who sing catchy songs throughout the story. Now here is where it all ties together. Mr. Blue, all his friends, the story and the songs they sing on the DVD are all tools used during your child’s swimming lessons in the pool. Your kids already know the songs and they are already familiar with the characters, this is a brilliant way to get children excited to participate! In the past we have had little luck finding activities that Lex would participate in. He is shy, and stubborn and when he’s put in a new environment it can take a very long time for him to warm up, if ever at all. So needless to say I was really nervous about bringing him to his first swimming lesson. I talked to Coach Mark (who, by the way, called to check in the day before our first lesson) and explained that it would probably be best if I just stay out of sight and let him do his thing. None of that even mattered though. Lex took to Coach Mark right away and he happily followed him right into the pool. Lex had a blast that first day, then this happened. on. day. one. I was shocked.

After that first day Lex was really excited about his swimming lesson every day. He loved working with “his coach” and even asked to go to our pool to swim. On day 3 he spent 2 hours jumping into the pool and swimming back to the wall on his own, as well as diving down to the bottom of the pool for toys. Like a pro. I was so proud of him and everything he was able to accomplish in just 3 days. If not for the combination of Mr. Blue and his crew, the book, the DVD, the songs, the program and Coach Mark himself, I don’t think we would have had the same outcome.

On the last day of his lesson my husband got in the pool with Lex & Coach Mark. Coach Mark took the time to show us ways we can reinforce what Lex has learned and showed us how to help him practice his newly acquired skills. He also talked to us about water safety, and what our job is when we bring Lex to the pool. Miss Julie takes it a step further and helps to educate parents on water safety in the back of the book and at the end of the DVD. Now that Lex graduated the five day course and can swim on his own to the wall, it was an easy decision to enroll him in a group class to continue to build on the skills he now has. Luckily for Lex we were able to get him in Coach Mark’s classes. He is really excited about it! I can’t say enough good things about Coach Mark. He is so good with kids, and really knows what he is doing in the water, best of all you can see he loves what he does and that makes all the difference. If you can’t tell by my glowing review so far – I highly recommend Swim With Mr Blue. Putting aside all the wonderful things I have already said about this company I want to point out how great it feels to support a small locally owned business. As a business owner myself I know what one client, one booking, one more family signing up for your services can mean. When I book my desired number of monthly sessions and meet my sales goals, it means that not only will my business survive for another month, but that I can continue to contribute to my family, put food on the table, take care of my child and enroll him in necessary swimming lessons. I feel really good that by choosing to support other small businesses, I am helping other mothers to do the same for their family.

If you are reading my blog there is a good chance you are pregnant or just had a baby. If that is the case I’m begging you not to wait. Sign up for Mr. Blues Mommy & Me class TODAY. Tell them I sent you and ask about a free trial class. We have had such a wonderful experience in the week that we’ve been here and are very excited to continue, I am also so thankful to have this platform in which to share this with other moms.

Now as a special thank you for reading all of that ^^^ I am going to share with you how you can SAVE $40! If you live in Broward County Florida, and your child is 4 years old or younger, you can apply for a swim voucher from Broward County Parks and Recreation. It is really easy too. Simply send an email to SwimCoupon@broward.org with your child’s full name, birthdate and the city in which you live (must live in Broward County.) They’ll email you back a $40 voucher that you can use to offset the cost of your child’s swimming lessons with Mr. Blue! I don’t know how many vouchers they have to give out this year, so don’t wait too long. As Ms. Julie says “Until the whole world swims!”