OP, I really think that the core of the problem is precisely here:
FooserX said:
He's just a baby
If your son feels that this is how he is perceived, why would he even TRY to do something scary or difficult?
If you think about it, swimming really IS scary.
You can die in water.
If you breath water, even just a little, you start coughing and suffocate.
Nasty stuff.
Any child who has had a bad experience, even once, with breathing while underwater, will be scared of trying again.
So if you want him to <I>
try</I>, you need to help him feel confident about himself. And that is going to be reflected from your own attitude with him.
So here is what you could try:
Go back to the pool with him, and wait until he complains.
Then, REALLY LISTEN to him.
Use your own words to reflect back the original emotion and show that you truly <I>
understand:</I>
FooserX said:
"I don't like the water to get in my ears"
"Yeah... I know what you mean. You can feel the pressure of the water, and this weird sound in your ears, and then it gets clogged in there for a while, isn't it? Is this how you feel?"
and you ask him to describe more, until it all gets out and he really feels understood. Then you can offer a different perspective:
"I feel it too. It does feel weird in my ears too, when I am underwater... But I like it. Sometimes, it's like being in another world... all is so different, calm.. did you notice how the sound are distorted and different? Look, I'll make a noise and you can hear it underwater and tell me how it sounded!"
FooserX said:
"The water hurts my eyes"
You can respond:
"Yeah, I really don't like it when it happens to me either. It's the chlorine in the water. Does it burn?"
then
"How about we get you a nice, cool pair of water-glasses? They help you see super well underwater. Have you tried it before? It's like being in a submarine. You can spy on what is going on under the surface!"
and finally, when you hear :
FooserX said:
Don't mock him!
Instead, you can name the underlying emotion:
"Aww... you REALLY don't like to put your head underwater... "
And let him develop more.
You need to get the fear out, OP.
THEN, once he will feel fully understood, will he be open to learn more from you.
Hoping this helps!
Nicolas, Family Life Educator