Mytime Active Stories - Florence, Oliver & Oscar
Triple the Fun: Florence, Oliver and Oscar Found Confidence in the Water with Mytime Active
When your children are triplets, everything comes in threes - the love, the laundry and the logistics! For one Bromley family, it also meant triple the splashing, as Florence, Oliver and Oscar began their swimming journey at Mytime Active’s Spa at Beckenham.
For their Mum, Cheryl, swimming was a crucial life skill, and so the trio, now nearly eight years old, started lessons not long after they began school. They have been attending lessons for more than two and a half years but, as the triplets have autism, the path hasn’t always been straightforward.
Cheryl explains: “Learning to swim was really important to us. If they ever fell in, we wanted them to be confident in water. Swimming’s something we learned as children and we always hoped they would too. For autistic children, safety and confidence around water are absolutely essential – they don’t always sense danger in the same way, so it brings real peace of mind.”
The Calm in the Pool
Their journey began with some trial and error. The Spa accommodated all three triplets in the same class, at the same time on a Tuesday evening – a game-changer for busy parents. But for both boys, the environment of the mainstream classes wasn’t progressive. The instructor mentioned that Mytime Active runs classes for children with additional needs, where the environment, small class size and teaching style might suit them better.
When the family was introduced to Tim, an experienced instructor with more than 40 years under his belt, a calm, patient presence and a deep understanding of working with children of all abilities, everything started to click for the boys. “It wasn’t always easy; especially with their emotional connection as brothers. The boys feed off each other, so if one was distracted or wasn’t feeling it, the other wouldn’t join in either,” says Cheryl. “But Tim, their instructor in the additional needs class, understood them straight away. He never put them under pressure. He knows how to get the best out of each of them, and they trust him. Trust is everything.”
At Tim’s suggestion, each of the boys now has a lesson every other week, so they don’t become distracted by each other. “With Tim’s support, they’ve gone from kids who wouldn’t even put their heads under to wearing hats and goggles and swimming under water. That’s the kind of transformation you don’t forget,” says Cheryl. “Oliver recently had his best session yet. He was working so hard and came out beaming with pride; he was so pleased with himself. Seeing how far they’ve come is amazing.”
Oliver and Oscar have been working through Stage 1 and 2, and are now nicely progressing towards Stage 3, whilst Florence was able to remain in a regular class, and has now moved up to Stage 3 – proudly swimming in the main pool.
Why Mytime Active Made All the Difference
But it wasn’t just Tim. From the moment Cheryl picked up the phone and spoke to a friendly staff member, Mytime made the family feel supported.
She explains: “I rang a lot of swim schools before I enrolled them at Mytime Active, who were the only ones to get back to me straight away. Many didn’t call back at all! I spoke to their contact centre on the phone, who explained how it all works and set everything up for me. They were so helpful.
“The flexibility to pay as you go, the ease of booking online, the welcoming staff, who know us by name, all help to make the centre feel like a second home. Not many people have triplets, so we’re easy to spot and everyone knows us! The lifeguards, reception team and the instructors are all really friendly and supportive.”
Beyond the Pool
Outside of swimming, the family uses Mytime Active’s soft play area during school holidays, but the pool remains the centrepiece of their weekly routine.
“We do a lot,” says Cheryl. “Half an hour a week – every other week for the boys – isn’t enough; they’d stay in longer if they could! So their Dad also takes them swimming at the weekends. They’re really happy. They enjoy it, and that’s what matters.
“I’d say to anyone thinking about lessons for their children to just do it. The additional needs class has made such a difference for the boys.”