Your Child can Over Come their Fear of Water
Fear of Water
The fear is not really about the water it is about drowning and the unknown. For a young child this is a big chance they are taking and many children don't feel as if they have a safety net. If we were to look at the pool, lake, or river as they do we would see a giant body of deep water that can possibly kill us. Everything in their world is bigger and newer and the unknown is something that many children fear. Eventually your child will grow out of their fears but for a small percentage of kids they maybe embedding their fears in their minds for the rest of their life. This fear can become an anxiety and cause them problems in the future as friends and family will make plans that involve swimming,boating,trips to the lake, beach, and etc.. This becomes a problem as they are exclude from these fun times out or they exclude their own children from enjoying themselves in the water.
Afraid of the Waves
Some children and adults have no problems with swimming or boating but when it comes to that Great Big Ocean and CRASHING WAVES Upon the shore they find they have a fear of the power waves have. So if you can imagine taking your child and his or her friends to the ocean only to see the excitement turn into fear and spending the day alone you can understand why it is important to help them overcome their fear.
Your child is not a baby, a panzy, or a chicken, as they feel real fears and anxieties towards the water and waves. It's in their mind and the fear is strong as it is with even many adults who have the same fears and Phobias. So please refrain from calling names or having other kids make fun of him or her. The best way to beat this fear is to start facing it as much as possible which means frequent trips to the water or ocean. Don't push your child instead slowly lead them to the edge of the water. Let them feel the water on their feet and play at the oceans edge. Eventually they will slowly see other kids having fun, body surfing, swimming, without getting hurt. With time they will become little fishes that are hard to keep out of the water. Soon you will have your own fears as your child goes out in water you think is too deep.(ha ha)
Afraid of the Deep End
Of course their afraid of the deep end as for years you have programmed them to stay away from that side of the pool. Now your telling them its safe and your pushing them into an area they were taught was unsafe. Going into the deep end will be easier if they learn to swim under water more often. Swimming under water takes away that feeling of fear that they may have to deep water. Let them know they can go in the deep area but don't make a big deal out of it if they choose not to. Instead play games going under water and swimming from one side to the other side of the pool as many times as you can without surfacing for air. Then play the coin game where you throw coins into the pool and if they can find them they can keep them. Of course the shiny quarters will be thrown closer and closer to the deep end. Eventually your child will be collecting coins from the bottom of the deep end and his or her fears will have been cured forever.
Afraid of Sharks at the Beach
This is a fear I'm still trying to beat as I never had it until I saw the movie "Jaws". So when people say movies and Tv have no effect on how a child or teen thinks they are totally wrong. For years and even today when I go to the beach I have thoughts about being bitten by a shark. I scan over the ocean before I get into the water and then I refuse to go to far out as my fear grows with the depth of the water. This fear I wish I could overcome and don't have any real suggestions for a cure. Unfortunately many people around the world have been permanently change from watching the most horrific shark movie ever.
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