![Photo: Getty Images](http://web.archive.org./web/20200920082213im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/h/1/p/g/g/y/image.related.landscape.380x253.h1pgh2.png/1595133535117.jpg)
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![Telah Fitzgerald, 5 gets swimming lessons from big sister Meika, 8 of Richmond.](http://web.archive.org./web/20200920082213im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/1/3/4/0/n/v/image.related.landscape.300x200.p4z6b7.png/1522111302118.jpg)
'I hated everything about taking young kids to swimming lessons'
It is time to acknowledge that swimming lessons are hard work - for parents.
![Katelyn and Jane Fountain do weekly swimming lessons at the Aquatic Safety Training Academy at Seven Hills.](http://web.archive.org./web/20200920082213im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/h/0/x/w/1/v/image.related.landscape.300x200.p4z5vz.png/1522016463106.jpg)
Majority of children quit swim classes before they're safe in water
Three out of four Australian children attending swimming lessons dropped out before most had learned lifesaving skills.
![Photo: Shutterstock](http://web.archive.org./web/20200920082213im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/h/0/x/p/u/3/image.related.landscape.300x200.h0xpv6.png/1574135875793.jpg)
My daughter came last at the swimming carnival and I've never been prouder
All the kids were excited about the swimming carnival. A day at the pool, instead of a day at school? Amazing! A day at the pool, with all their friends? Even better. My kids started preparing as soon as the date was set. We had to find red zinc ("It's got to be house colours!") and practice swimming laps. It was all they talked about.
![Photo: Shutterstock](http://web.archive.org./web/20200920082213im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/h/0/x/b/s/d/image.related.landscape.300x200.h0x9gr.png/1520841731867.jpg)
The argument for an end to mandatory bike helmet laws
Today's children wear helmets when riding their bikes without giving it a moment's thought as they have never known any different.
![Photo: Scouts Australia](http://web.archive.org./web/20200920082213im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/h/0/w/p/e/m/image.related.landscape.300x200.h0wpdm.png/1522119712701.jpg)
Is there a place for Girl Guides and Scouts in 2018?
Membership numbers might be down, but today's Girl Guides and Scouts meetings might surprise you.
![Photo: Shutterstock](http://web.archive.org./web/20200920082213im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/h/0/w/e/b/j/image.related.landscape.300x200.h0we9y.png/1537226906976.jpg)
What you should do if your child is a 'quitter'
Bella was going out of her mind. Her 9-year-old daughter, Angie, would agree to sign up for an activity with great enthusiasm. Swim team? Yes, please! Book club? You bet! Ballet? Sign me up! Then something would happen that made the activity, well, hard.
![Come and join me on the sideline.](http://web.archive.org./web/20200920082213im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/h/0/w/d/m/c/image.related.landscape.300x200.h0wdn8.png/1519943207361.jpg)
Five reasons why I'm a bad sports parent
Yeah, sport is about more than winning. Said no winner ever.
![New era: Junior rugby will have changes enacted around the size of players this season.](http://web.archive.org./web/20200920082213im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/h/0/w/5/w/2/image.related.landscape.300x200.h0w4v1.png/1518751097806.jpg)
Rugby tackles weight-for-age debate head on
A two-year study of junior competitions in Canberra and Sydney found weight alone was not enough to determine what age grade a player should be playing in.
![Codie Walton lost three front teeth in an accident at a trampoline park.](http://web.archive.org./web/20200920082213im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/h/0/w/2/z/5/image.related.landscape.300x200.p4z0c5.png/1518741858290.jpg)
Jump in trampoline park injuries sparks calls for mandatory standard
Hundreds of children across Australia are ending up in hospital emergency departments after sustaining injuries, including broken necks, at trampoline parks.
![Shutterstock](http://web.archive.org./web/20200920082213im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/h/0/v/x/d/c/image.related.landscape.300x200.h0vxfx.png/1518423184276.jpg)
Why specialising in one sport could harm your child
Variety is the key.
![Photo: Shutterstock](http://web.archive.org./web/20200920082213im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/h/0/r/q/l/z/image.related.landscape.300x200.h0rq3g.png/1517649728682.jpg)
Kids born in later months of the year can still excel in sport
The month that kids are born should not affect long-term prospects in high-level sport.
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