This is the point in time when a large percentage of children become part of "The Forgotten Ones," youngsters whose parents make the difficult decision to withdraw their children from swim lessons and change family activities all in an effort to help their child avoid water and the painful consequences that result from their aqua phobia. Sadly, the issue then becomes the elephant in the room that nobody wants to acknowledge and the family begins to explore and focus on alternate recreational and fitness activities for their children and family that do not involve water. Unlike other phobias that can really prevent a person from pursuing an education or result in serious and severe short and long term emotional and physical health problems, a child can avoid an aquatic lifestyle and still lead a productive and healthy life without spending time in a pool, a lake or the ocean. As unfortunate as this path is, the real unfortunate aspect is that it is unnecessary.
It remains unfair those with hydrophobia that effective resources that can help them are few and far between. Major aquatic organizations, as well as community swim programs, seem to ignore this situation, consistently arguing that either their learn to swim programs are equipped to handle children fighting this phobia or that there is just not a big enough population of aquaphobics to justify dedicating pool time and expenses for that group. This results in these phobic youngsters becoming part of "The Forgotten Ones." Their fear of the water remains somewhat dormant - until they become parents themselves and then this monster rears its ugly head and, as a parent, that aquaphobic must decide how they will handle it. As parents, they hope that their own children will not demonstrate and develop an abnormal fear of water. As parents they want their children to enjoy the wide range of benefits that result from participating in an aquatic lifestyle. Yet, most importantly, they wish that they could get in the water with their child, help them to learn how to swim and enjoy aquatic activities as a family.
Understandably, parents who are aqua phobic, not only must again revisit the bad feelings and moments throughout their childhood that involved their phobia, but they often share concerns that their own fears will impede their responsibilities as a parent. Naturally, it is at this point in their lives, that they make an effort to confront and overcome their fear of water. However, all to many of them come to find that the lack of effective resources that prevented their parents from finding help for them as children, are even more difficult to find for themselves as adults. As adults, the fact that they have overcome other obstacles and challenges in their lives, yet they still remain unable to understand the whys, where and when surrounding their aquatic phobia. Why, although I never was involved in or witnessed a near drowning or suffered an injury as a result of being in or around water, am I afraid of water? Where does this fear come from and when can I get help to overcome my overwhelming feeling of fear when in or around water?
Although many swim programs offer adult learn to swim classes, they are more designed to help adults who do not fear water, but who never learned proper stroke technique. As a matter of fact, adult aquaphobics are less likely to even explore the possibility of finding an adult learn to swim program, but if they come across a Health and Wellness Aquatic Program, specifically designed to help adults overcome their fear of water, then they are more likely to investigate it and find the courage and interest to join.
Adult aquaphobics who begins swim lessons without first dealing with the internal emotional struggle that their fear generates, will most probably be unsuccessful in their efforts to learn how to swim. Although, now as adults they may be more prepared to handle the disappointment, anger and frustration that they experienced as children, the fact remains that they may not reach their goals of conquering their fear of water, learning how to swim and ultimately joining their family in an aquatic lifestyle. This is again unfortunate and the result of many aquatic organizations and professionals remaining content with the traditional swim lessons that they offer and the population that are successful within that format and unwilling to learn more about aquatic phobias and to provide resources that have proven to be successful in helping that population overcome their fear.
It is time that the Aquatic Community stop ignoring "The Forgotten Ones" who, as a result of their hydrophobia, are unable to enjoy the many experiences and benefits that are a direct result, not only of their fear, but equally the result of the lack of concern and empathy, as well as the specific resources necessary for this diverse population to join the millions of people who consistently participate and benefit from an aquatic lifestyle. For those of us who share a passion for water, aqua phobia may be a very foreign concept to truly understand, but that does not exempt us from accepting part of the blame for this problem because we could play a much larger role in helping to solve the problem and eliminating the growing number of "The Forgotten Men, Woman and Children" who suffer from aqua phobia.
