Can your child ,grandclild or great grandchild SWIM ??
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Since we live on a river
and putting up a fence isn't realistic we got the kids into swimming lessons as soon as we could. Knock on wood they are both pretty good swimmers but the bottom line is that if they fell in after a storm I don't think it would help much. We are just trying to teach them to respect the water and to never ever go near it when we aren't around. Hopefully they are listening!
and putting up a fence isn't realistic we got the kids into swimming lessons as soon as we could. Knock on wood they are both pretty good swimmers but the bottom line is that if they fell in after a storm I don't think it would help much. We are just trying to teach them to respect the water and to never ever go near it when we aren't around. Hopefully they are listening!
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craigkoproski wrote:
and putting up a fence isn't realistic we got the kids into swimming lessons as soon as we could. Knock on wood they are both pretty good swimmers but the bottom line is that if they fell in after a storm I don't think it would help much. We are just trying to teach them to respect the water and to never ever go near it when we aren't around. Hopefully they are listening!
My kids swim, but I think the important thing is to teach em to resepct the water. A raging river is not the same as a pool, they need to learn that.
and putting up a fence isn't realistic we got the kids into swimming lessons as soon as we could. Knock on wood they are both pretty good swimmers but the bottom line is that if they fell in after a storm I don't think it would help much. We are just trying to teach them to respect the water and to never ever go near it when we aren't around. Hopefully they are listening!
My kids swim, but I think the important thing is to teach em to resepct the water. A raging river is not the same as a pool, they need to learn that.
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billy262 wrote:
When my kids were little and we were around the docks they always had pfd on. Kids don't make alot of noise as they slip in and if they bang their heads.....
agreed
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2 of my 3 are old enough were they dont have to wear them by law but I still make them, I know, I'm the bad guy. They all swim like fish though, we sent them to swim lessons and theyve been playing down at the lake since they could walk. They were pretty cute with thier little water wings on
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now their just a pita
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When my kids were little and we were around the docks they always had pfd on. Kids don't make alot of noise as they slip in and if they bang their heads.....
agreed
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My kids can swim but I've tried to teach them to respect water...
that means have a fear of its power.
As much as I love water I've always had a deep seated fear of it.A healthy respect so to speak but deep down it scares me.
I've seen its power as I'm sure all of us who fish have.
We lost a neighbor a year ago to a river accident.He was in Yellowstone and tried crossing a small river that looked fairly mello.
Foot caught in rocks and the river took him.
Moving water has unseen power.
Moving water carves the earth...
This post edited by PaddleOn 10:20 AM 02/18/2008
that means have a fear of its power.
As much as I love water I've always had a deep seated fear of it.A healthy respect so to speak but deep down it scares me.
I've seen its power as I'm sure all of us who fish have.
We lost a neighbor a year ago to a river accident.He was in Yellowstone and tried crossing a small river that looked fairly mello.
Foot caught in rocks and the river took him.
Moving water has unseen power.
Moving water carves the earth...
This post edited by PaddleOn 10:20 AM 02/18/2008
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Safety swim
I put my kids in safety swim when they were a couple of months old. Granted, they learned basic pool skills and that was fine since we have one. The bay and ocean is a whole different extreme that my wife and I addressed each summer. One of my happiest moments were when my son cried as an infant when the sound of the pounding surf scared him to tears every wave. My daughter on the other hand is relaxed and surfs with total respect of it's power. I think the fun part might take her off her guard at times. My wife and I shared the same belief that the children needed to learn about water the same way they learn about fire. Fear=Respect. My son at age 7 is still terrified if I take him out in 2ft + surf and I like that! They wear their PFD's even when they surf most of the time. Teach them while their young.
I put my kids in safety swim when they were a couple of months old. Granted, they learned basic pool skills and that was fine since we have one. The bay and ocean is a whole different extreme that my wife and I addressed each summer. One of my happiest moments were when my son cried as an infant when the sound of the pounding surf scared him to tears every wave. My daughter on the other hand is relaxed and surfs with total respect of it's power. I think the fun part might take her off her guard at times. My wife and I shared the same belief that the children needed to learn about water the same way they learn about fire. Fear=Respect. My son at age 7 is still terrified if I take him out in 2ft + surf and I like that! They wear their PFD's even when they surf most of the time. Teach them while their young.
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my kids
ware there PDF's whenever we are on in or near the water, yjey used to complain, but thats the rule if they want to enjoy the water so it is no longer a issue with them.They all can swim, and they all rspect the water and know how fast it can pull you away.Last summer we were on the beach and a balloon landed just a few feet from the shore I stopped my kids from trying to catch it and to just watch how fast the current took it away from us and that could have been one of them, after that they really have a better understanding of the power of water, even when it seems nice and calm.
ware there PDF's whenever we are on in or near the water, yjey used to complain, but thats the rule if they want to enjoy the water so it is no longer a issue with them.They all can swim, and they all rspect the water and know how fast it can pull you away.Last summer we were on the beach and a balloon landed just a few feet from the shore I stopped my kids from trying to catch it and to just watch how fast the current took it away from us and that could have been one of them, after that they really have a better understanding of the power of water, even when it seems nice and calm.
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Don, Great post!! It is so tragic hearing of kids drowning. All of us parents who live near the water are responsible for teaching our kids how to swim. I started taking my daughter/son to the local pool at the age of around 9 months. At first it is just to have fun - not really trying to teach them much. Both kids loved the water and little by little they began to learn how to swim. You just have to keep taking them as often as you can. My daughter really loved swimming, at age 6 she became a member of our local swim team. We became swimming parents travelled all over to meets. She stayed with it through high school and then swam for a division 1 college team. She was also an ocean life guard for many summers. She is now still at it and is involved with Masters Swimming. My son never really took to competitive swimming, but loves the ocean. He is a great surfer. Nothing is more fun for me than to surf with my son and daughter and knowing they can handle themselves in the water. Now I have grandkids and I try to get them in the water as much as I can. My 2 grandaughters know how to swim - are not interested in competing, but can swim pretty well. I will be working on teaching them how to surf hopefully this summer.
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ihavegills-Great pic of your daughter
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PaddleOn wrote:
As much as I love water I've always had a deep seated fear of it.A healthy respect so to speak but deep down it scares me.
I've seen its power as I'm sure all of us who fish have.
Jay, I feel the same way. I'm all full of false bravado about how seaworthy my boat is and act like I'm some kind of ancient mariner, but deep inside weather & water scare the chit out of me.
I had that feeling last November when I was out in waders at low tide, screwing around with my ground tackle and my waders filled with water. At one point I was pretty panicked but knew I had to stay frosty to get back in.
I had it again after Thanksgiving when I was taking the boat to the marina, heading west into small-craft warnings. The engine started coughing and missing (NO, I wasn't out of fuel) and I started to wonder what it would be like to put the hook out and bob in 4-5' seas while someone came to my rescue (NOBODY was out that day). Visceral fear starts creeping up from your sphincter and the difference between an adult and a child is that an adult can fight it and stay level-headed.
Good post, brother Don. Here's my bottom line: this year I'm going to wear my PFD more religiously. Kids, whether or not they can swim, are REQUIRED to wear PFDs while on board -- why shouldn't we?
It would be a serious bummer to learn that a fellow Noreaster drowned.
As much as I love water I've always had a deep seated fear of it.A healthy respect so to speak but deep down it scares me.
I've seen its power as I'm sure all of us who fish have.
Jay, I feel the same way. I'm all full of false bravado about how seaworthy my boat is and act like I'm some kind of ancient mariner, but deep inside weather & water scare the chit out of me.
I had that feeling last November when I was out in waders at low tide, screwing around with my ground tackle and my waders filled with water. At one point I was pretty panicked but knew I had to stay frosty to get back in.
I had it again after Thanksgiving when I was taking the boat to the marina, heading west into small-craft warnings. The engine started coughing and missing (NO, I wasn't out of fuel) and I started to wonder what it would be like to put the hook out and bob in 4-5' seas while someone came to my rescue (NOBODY was out that day). Visceral fear starts creeping up from your sphincter and the difference between an adult and a child is that an adult can fight it and stay level-headed.
Good post, brother Don. Here's my bottom line: this year I'm going to wear my PFD more religiously. Kids, whether or not they can swim, are REQUIRED to wear PFDs while on board -- why shouldn't we?
It would be a serious bummer to learn that a fellow Noreaster drowned.
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Great post...
I learned to swim at a young age and I am working with my 18 month old now. I think the last post says it all... I was a life guard and could swim like a fish and I still have most of my skills... but I'm not in the same condition I was in, when I was in college 20 yrs ago.
I'm also a paramedic/firefighter. I used to scramble up roofs and didnt think a whole lot about my above/ off the ground safety. Thats changed in the last couple of years. I'm not afraid, but I've given up over-estimating my abilities. The same goes for my respect of water.
Great post and discussion.
I learned to swim at a young age and I am working with my 18 month old now. I think the last post says it all... I was a life guard and could swim like a fish and I still have most of my skills... but I'm not in the same condition I was in, when I was in college 20 yrs ago.
I'm also a paramedic/firefighter. I used to scramble up roofs and didnt think a whole lot about my above/ off the ground safety. Thats changed in the last couple of years. I'm not afraid, but I've given up over-estimating my abilities. The same goes for my respect of water.
Great post and discussion.
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I spent more than ten years as a water safety instructor teaching swimming, advanced lifesaving and water rescue. I have taught and assisted in teaching well more than 10,000 children and adults to swim from working at the boys and girls club, running pools during the summer and teaching in the Boston school department for three and a half years.
My instructor used to cut out the drowning and near drownings every year and use them for the parents to see the following year when they were signing the children up for swimming. A lot of times we ended up signing the parents up for adult swim classes and water safety instruction.
Even though everything posted here is great make sure any infants are wearing the right waterproof swim wear. There is an bacteria that can make them very ill or even kill infants if they ingest water contaminated with the feces of another child. If my memory is good (more than 20 years ago) it is the same reason you don't feed honey to infants and toddlers.
Make sure they have the proper chlorine levels in the pool and are checked as scheduled (there supposed to be posted). You should ask if they will test the water for you before getting in just to make sure.
I happened to find this info when the boys and girls club was going to run an infant and toddler swim. I had a list of equipment that I was ordering such as a platform that you put in the water so that the water was 1' instead of 3' (over ten thousand dollars), leak resistant swim wear. When I called the American Red Cross and asked them about any videos that I could rent they told me about the bacteria.
We ended up not doing it when the insurance was found to be way too much as they were only insured for ages 6 and over.
My instructor used to cut out the drowning and near drownings every year and use them for the parents to see the following year when they were signing the children up for swimming. A lot of times we ended up signing the parents up for adult swim classes and water safety instruction.
Even though everything posted here is great make sure any infants are wearing the right waterproof swim wear. There is an bacteria that can make them very ill or even kill infants if they ingest water contaminated with the feces of another child. If my memory is good (more than 20 years ago) it is the same reason you don't feed honey to infants and toddlers.
Make sure they have the proper chlorine levels in the pool and are checked as scheduled (there supposed to be posted). You should ask if they will test the water for you before getting in just to make sure.
I happened to find this info when the boys and girls club was going to run an infant and toddler swim. I had a list of equipment that I was ordering such as a platform that you put in the water so that the water was 1' instead of 3' (over ten thousand dollars), leak resistant swim wear. When I called the American Red Cross and asked them about any videos that I could rent they told me about the bacteria.
We ended up not doing it when the insurance was found to be way too much as they were only insured for ages 6 and over.
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