There are, however, situations in which parents do clearly contribute to their child's abnormal reaction to being in or around water. A parent is their child's most important role model, therefore, if the parent models avoidance or fearful behavior around water, in many cases this behavior is consciously passed on to their children. Even a child, who would not normally feel uncomfortable about water, quickly learns to fear it as a result of either observing their parents fear of water or by their parent's direct actions intended to pass on their abnormal "respect" of water.
So then the question becomes how best to help these silent suffering children overcome their abnormal fear of water. The answer does not lie in the traditional format of instructional swim lessons. The solution is to provide that child with an aqua phobic specific treatment. One that combines emotional support, both in and out of the water, behavior modification techniques, interesting and fun aquatic games and activities, along with a patient plan to introduce the child to water readiness skills and then respond to their feelings surrounding that experience. After that process has begun and the child learns to unconditionally trust their mentor, the child will become much more receptive to basic and advanced learn to swim techniques. The bond between the child and the mentor must be based on empathy, trust and rapport, very similar to a counseling relationship. As I stated before the technical component of teaching a child to swim is not difficult. Helping them to overcome their unhealthy fear of the water requires creativity, determination and tremendous instincts. Knowing what buttons to push and when, remains the single most important factor in any successful approach towards helping children overcome this fear. Motivating, challenging, rewarding, guiding and nurturing the child through this process requires a mentor that can set realistic goals and then have the knowledge, experience and resources to adapt and modify the strategy when personal issues arise.
