August 17, 2011
-
New Eyes
“The greenhorn is the ultimate victor in everything; it is he that gets the most out of life.”
– G.K. Chesterton
Someone posted this quote on another website that I frequent, and it definitely applies to sailing as well as my other hobbies. I realized that most of the time I learn a lot very early on, when starting something. There’s always a steep learning curve, after which, things are mostly refined rather than learned.
I wish I could say I went sailing this weekend. I got called in to work just before I was about to leave for the lake. I had to admit a patient, and s/he really did need to be in the hospital. I’m happy to say s/he is better. However, that put me behind. And then, when I got back home, things deteriorated. All the wonderful planning I did in the weeks prior, plus the prep work I did the night before — all for nada.
This kind of upset happens quite frequently. As a result, I have not really been sailing in any of my boats since before I was pregnant.
Ah well.
I look forward to sometime sailing with the kiddo. So far, he has helped me clean the boat. I love setting him in the cockpit while I do repairs and maintenance. He likes being in there, and when it comes time to go back inside, he screams bloody murder now. He’d rather stay outside and play. I’m glad! He loves to wander around the yard, and I try to teach him the names of plants and bugs. I don’t want him to be ignorant of the difference between grass and flowers — as his daddy is. I’m hoping that this knowledge will help him, when I set him to work with the weedwhacker!!!
Anyway, we have a pool in our local community college. I am hoping that we’ll have a little free time this weekend, to bring him to the pool and I can start doing some swimming lessons with him. He’s too young to enroll in the community classes, which require that one be 5 years old or older. I personally think that’s too late! I learned to swim when I was about 7. I wish I’d learned earlier. It is a useful thing to know. Even if it only means knowing how to stay afloat without panicking, that’s all I’m hoping for at the moment. ‘Still, I’d never leave him unattended until I know he can stand up in the pool himself. (It’s 5′ deep at its shallowest as it’s an Olympic size pool, mostly for training purposes, not recreational.)
I am a member of another website for mothers. Some of the women there have taught their children to not panic, when in the water, and wearing a PFD. I think that is a very important skill. When my cousins were little, I suggested once to my aunt that she enroll her children in swimming lessons. She actually got upset, and she told me she nearly drowned when she was little. So she didn’t want her daughters anywhere near water. I understand her fear of something dangerous happening to her daughters, but sometimes ignorance is not bliss. Ignorance can kill. Although one should never let a child swim alone, (even if one knows how to swim, one can get a cramp and drown even being an Olympic swimmer) knowledge of swimming is not a bad thing.
I think the American Academy of Pediatrics is silly for their previous recommendations that one not teach children to swim. They have since changed that, thank goodness. I really do not like sending my dues to an organization that promotes things I disagree with (which is a reason I’m a member of the AAP, but not the AMA). Their new recommendations are more reasonable, which are
1) Teach your kids to swim.
2) Don’t rely on their knowledge of swimming. Maintain supervision when in the water.
Anyway, I don’t see why my aunt wanted to deny my cousins the opportunity to learn an important skill. It was her fear that was keeping her back. Fear is a big obstacle for so many people. It keeps them from learning new things, trying new things, and even from helping others. Sometimes, fear is necessary to keep us out of trouble. We learn from past experiences, and the fear of something that has been tried and hasn’t worked will keep us from repeating those actions. But, fear of the unknown is often simply an obstacle to progress.
I hope that I can teach my child to know the difference.
Here’s another cool quote. I dunno where I found it.
“A person needs new experiences… they jar something deep inside, allowing him to grow.
Without change, something sleeps inside us… and seldom awakens… The sleeper must awaken.”
– Frank Herbert
