[blparent] swimming lessons

[Robert Shelton]

If you're comfortable yourself in the water, then just work with her for a
little while.  The most important thing is that your kids understand how to
handle themselves in the water.  If you are comfortable working with them,
then that's the way to go.  If not, find someone who is.  Yes, anyone can
drown, even the best swimmers, but learning to overcome fear is so very
important.  panic is a huge factor in drowning accidents.

-----Original Message-----
From: Jo Elizabeth Pinto [mailto:jopinto at msn.com] 
Sent: Monday, April 09, 2012 11:03 PM
To: Blind Parents Mailing List
Subject: Re: [blparent] swimming lessons

I fell off a diving board when I was a little kid because I wanted to run
out to the end and jump off like all the sighted ones were doing, only I
didn't run straight.  I hit my head on the side of the pool and went
unconscious, would have drowned except my dad was watching and pulled me
out.  I've been scared of diving boards to this day.  I've tried to face my
fears and jump off, and I've done it, but it didn't lessen the fears.

My stepson is afraid of water.  He never had swimming lessons, and I've
tried to encourage him to learn at least enough to save himself if he had
to.  I think maybe if you wait till you're too old, it's harder to learn. 
I'm thinking of getting Sarah into lessons this summer, but I wonder if it
would be better to go for actual classes or just keep working with her
myself.  I haven't really decided.

Jo Elizabeth

"How far you go in life depends on you being tender with the young,
compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of
the weak and the strong.  Because someday in life you will have been all of
these."--George Washington Carver, 1864-1943, American scientist

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Veronica Smith" <madison_tewe at spinn.net>
Sent: Monday, April 09, 2012 9:52 PM
To: "'Blind Parents Mailing List'" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [blparent] swimming lessons

> Sheesh, I really don't blame her.  I'm really surprised Gab will.  I 
> think it is because her friends do and last summer I took her to a 
> swimming party with the student division of NFB and all the blind kids 
> were jumping off the diving board.  She watched from the edge of the 
> pool and then finally got up enough nerve and said she was going to 
> jump off.  She wanted me to do the same, but I said no thanks. V
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] 
> On Behalf Of Jo Elizabeth Pinto
> Sent: Monday, April 09, 2012 1:00 PM
> To: Blind Parents Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [blparent] swimming lessons
>
> My mom won't go near water to this day because some jackwagon did the 
> same thing to her when she was a little kid.
>
>
> Jo Elizabeth
>
> "How far you go in life depends on you being tender with the young, 
> compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and 
> tolerant of the weak and the strong.  Because someday in life you will 
> have been all of these."--George Washington Carver, 1864-1943, 
> American scientist
>
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: "Veronica Smith" <madison_tewe at spinn.net>
> Sent: Monday, April 09, 2012 12:44 PM
> To: "'Blind Parents Mailing List'" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: [blparent] swimming lessons
>
>> When gab was young, probably about 6, we had her in swimming lessons. 
>> She
>> was a bit afraid of the water and didn't want to jump into the deep 
>> like the other kids, so the instructor went right over to her and 
>> threw her in.
>> He said, that kids learn better that way.  So for the next 4 years or 
>> so, she would not go near the deep water.  always wanted to stay 
>> where her feet could touch the bottom.
>> I was so angry and gave him a piece of my mind.  He kept trying to 
>> convince me that would teach her to be a better swimmer.  It taught 
>> her nothing and he failed her.
>> She is a good swimmer now and will jump off the high dive into deep 
>> water, but she had to figure that part out on her own, we just kept 
>> going to the pool and getting a little deeper and now, though 
>> cautious at first. V
>>
>>
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