Ask @DadandBuried: How Can I Help My Child Get the Courage to Dunk His Head When Swimming?
Kids can sometimes be hesitant to dunk their heads under water when swimming, so how can you encourage kids without constantly trying to convince them?
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Of course, the more I begged, the more he resisted, and the more he resisted, the more frustrated I got. What should have been a fun milestone had turned into a vendetta, and suddenly our visits to Grandma and Pop-pop’s house were fraught with stress for both of us. Eventually, I realized he needed to work at his own pace, and he would come to it on his own.
I loosened my grip as best I could, stopped chirping at him every time he got in the pool, and tried to pretend I didn’t care. When he finally did it, I showered him (there I go again!) with praise. He realized that I had been right all along, that it wasn’t a big deal, and it was a lot more fun that way. It was a great moment for both of us, and he’s never looked back.
One of the hardest things to do as a parent is to convince your kids to try something new. Kids are stubborn and getting them to try a new food, a new bedtime story, even a new movie can often be like pulling teeth. Even if you know for a fact that they’re gonna love it once they get their feet wet (I can’t stop!), convincing them of that fact can be just about impossible.
Sometimes letting go is the best thing you can do. That’s also really hard to do, but if you can manage, it will probably pay off. And then you get to do the absolute hardest thing in parenting: not screaming “I TOLD YOU SO!” in your kid’s face.
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