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Old 09-17-2007, 07:23 PM   #175
CanisLupusArctos
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Quote:
Originally Posted by salukigirl
I am curious to know if any other parents out there have spoken with thier kids about how to handle a situation with a boat going down...is there a good way to do this without freaking out the kids next time they step on a boat?
When I was a career EMT earlier in life I discovered something (in general):

Parents who freak out have children who freak out. Parents who stay calm have children who stay calm.

Of course there are exceptions. There are children who make their parents wonder where the genes came from (the milkman?) but in general, when parents stay calm and think, the kids follow the example.

Strange thing is, on a lot of calls I went to that involved kids, the kids were calm and level-headed while the parents weren't.

The best thing for kids (and adults) to do is get lots of knowledge and hands-on experience with things that frighten them. You never know - they might even find those things interesting. When I was a child there was an approaching hurricane that totally freaked me out. By the time it passed I'd learned all kinds of things about hurricanes and I thought meteorology was the coolest subject ever (I still do.)

Have the kids ever floated in the middle of the lake while wearing a life jacket, just to get the feel of it? Swim lessons are vital.

We live in a world that seems to be freaking out more and more easily every day - it is not to our advantage. Any baseball fan can attest: Even the best Cy Young Award-winning pitcher is completely worthless when the other team's batters have undermined his ability to think calmly.
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