Learning to swim can be a very scary experience for kids. They’re being asked to quite literally dive into the unknown, after all. And the pool is not without its inherent dangers, so it’s perfectly understandable that the fear can be overwhelming.
Luckily, the “mermaid mantra” can help.
Tyler Reed, the owner of Triton Aquatic Training in Tampa, Florida, recently went viral after teaching the mermaid mantra to a toddler student who was clearly having a hard time.
It goes like this: “I’m big. I’m brave. I’m beautiful.”
Reed encourages the little girl to repeat the mantra, and through sobs, we hear the most adorable little voice in the whole world utter, “I’m beeg. I’m bave. I’m boobooball.”
Seriously, that boobooball is pure utter sweetness.
@tritonaquatictraining Yes… swim lessons can sometimes be scary but when we say our motivational mermaid mantras out loud, we can do anything! 🧜♀️🫶 #M#Motivation #m#mobileswimlessonss#swimlessonsp#privateswimlessonss#swiminstructors#southtampat#tampaswimlessonstampasmallbusiness #smallbusiness #smallbusinessowner #survivalswimlessons #survivalswim #fyp #cuteaf #childpsychology #parenting #childeducation #children ♬ original sound – Triton Aquatic Training
Reed’s video quickly went viral online, with folks quick to commend the little one on her bravery.
“It’s so scary as a little person to learn these kinds of things but I’m sure she’s doing great,” one person wrote.
Others were instantly emotional. “I’m boobooful is literally where I lost it. Someone get me the tissue,” wrote another.
Clearly Reed’s approach works, because in a subsequent video he and the same student are back in the water, with her swimming and loving every minute of it. Now she recites the mermaid mantra as a song of victory!
Boobooball is still just as cute though.
@tritonaquatictraining MERMAID UPDATE! Look at this big girl swimming and loving it after just a few weeks! Crazy to think that just a few weeks ago we were in tears and scared! But we kept practicing our motivational mermaid mantra of “I’m Big, I’m Brave, I’m Beautiful!” and look how far we’ve come! I am one proud swim instructor! Thank you all so much for the love & support! 🥰🧜♀️🔱🧜♂️ #swimlessons #privateswimlessons #learntoswim #swimminglessons #survivalswim #survivalswimlessons #childcare #childpsychology #smallbusiness #smallbusinessowner #cutevideo #proudteacher #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #foryoupage #fypシ #viral #trending #fypシ゚viral #fypage ♬ original sound – Triton Aquatic Training
For Reed, the mantra is about instilling power and autonomy back into his students.
“I think a lot of people look at 2-year-olds and babies as children that are incapable of being able to swim or save themselves and I’m trying to kind of erase that psyche from them, that they can they really can do this,” he told Good Morning America.
Not teaching kids to trust themselves, he added, leads to an over-reliance on swim floaties, which develop a “false sense of their ability to swim.” That’s why he believes engaging in swim lessons at an early age is so important.
This kind of wisdom is pretty universal when it comes to raising confident kids. Teaching young ones how to empower themselves through a variety of situations, rather than constantly trying to shield them from discomfort, develops a skill that can last a lifetime. But this can still be done in a loving, gentle way, as Reed so beautifully demonstrated. Sometimes it’s simply allowing kids to experiment and make mistakes. Other times, it might be affirmations that connect kids to their inner sea creatures.
Reed said it best: “When we say our motivational mermaid mantras out loud, we can do anything!”
