King's Crown wrote:
> My husband and I can swim. My kids have had swimming lessons. 2 years ago
> I paid a private instructor to work my kids out for 2 weeks. I wanted to
> make sure they really could swim well after years of lessons. They both
> passed with flying colors.
>
> My cousin was 9 when he drowned in the canal here in Northern California.
> He didn't know how to swim. His parents let his fear of water delay his
> learning how to swim. It was definitely a major survival situation. We
> were told at the time that the slimy sides of the canal and the fact that
> the ladders are usually too high above the water makes it difficult to get
> out. We've often thought if he knew how to float or tread water he might
> have made it.

In my experience, kids who are terrified of water (TOW) invariably have
at least one parent who is also TOW. It can be overcome, but not in the
presence of the fearful parent. Parents who are afraid of water need to
go get a cup of coffee during their kid's swimming lesson. Nothing an
instructor can say to reassure a frightened child can counteract the
effect of an anxious parent in the stands bending the railing into an
S-curve.