Mother helping 10-year-old learn to swim through classes

OWENS CROSS ROADS, Ala. (WHNT) — Learning to swim is an important life skill and one mother in Madison County is helping her child learn that skill despite her not having it herself.

Latonya Cooley is a mom of three who enjoys spending time in the water. She says knowing her limitations is key to staying safe.

“I would always go in the water as long as I could and the water stops here I am good,” Cooley said with a quick gesture to her neckline. “But I have never properly learned how to swim.”

However, Cooley is making sure her son, 10-year-old MJ, learns this important life skill.

He recently had his first lesson with his instructor Shana Howard. She runs the non-profit Swim with Spice.

The organization is dedicated to teaching people of all ages how to swim with confidence and safety.

Howard said swimming skills can be a generational divide in some families.

“We have a generation that can’t swim at all and we have a new generation that is curious about the water and they want to be a part of it,” she said.

A study by the USA Swimming Foundation shows if a parent does not know how to swim, there is only a 13 percent chance that a child in that household will learn how to swim. Howard says she is seeing a spike in parents who are looking to change these statistics.

“I have many moms reaching out saying can you teach my child to swim because I can’t and if my child becomes distressed what am I going to do,” Howard said. “So I need to make sure they understand the water.”

MJ’s first lesson centered on learning proper breathing techniques and the importance of relaxing in the water.

“I am teaching him to be comfortable under the water and then once he becomes comfortable under the water. We can get him to learn to float,” Howard said.

Howard often refers to herself as the water whisperer. It’s a title that comes in handy when teaching her students.

“It doesn’t take long to get comfortable with water once you understand the assignment you just execute,” she said.

It’s an assignment that MJ’s mom may be learning soon as she looks to begin her own lessons.

You can find more information about Swim with Spice here.

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