Terry Pulliam Burd wrote:
>
> On Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:20:59 -0500, Kathleen
> fired up random neurons and synapses to opine:
>
> >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.
>
> We moved to Miami FL when my kids were 2 and 4 and, having a pool in
> the backyard, it only made sense to give them swimming lessons so they
> were at least "pool safe." I had a WSI in those days, but knew enough
> not to try to teach the kids myself, so went to another WSI-certified
> teacher. The older of the two kids took to swimming as if born in a
> pool. The younger one was *terrified* of water, which I blame on a
> sailing accident the family had experienced just before we moved from
> Houston. He was nearly catatonic for hours after we capsized.
>
> The swim teacher tried for 2 months and the kid just let himself
> *sink* rather than even *try* to swim. She was his first failure in 20
> years. After that debacle, I tried teaching him myself, which resulted
> in more trauma, but a kid who knew how to get himself out of a pool if
> he fell in - and every time he espied me coming at him in a bathing
> suit, he ran for the hills, as he knew another lesson was upcoming.
>
> Of course, grown men have been known to take off running since time
> out of mind when I show up in a bathing suit... [drum roll, please]
>
> Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd

Sometimes, some innate fears are so overwhelming, it takes a LOT of
"professional" intervention to overcome, maybe?? And the fear of water
can be so very primal. Why is it many 'critters' can instictively swim,
but humans cannot?

Sky

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