Guba
Contributor
I might have been swayed to the "it's their kids, so it's their right to play scuba instructor" mindset until the part about the asthma. Unless that parent was a diving MD, they had no idea what the ramifications of diving with a respiratory disease might be. Taking a kid down on an octo to the bottom of the pool? Maybe. Diving to 2 atm with improper equipment and no training...I don't care how much "life" is being lived there, it's a really, really bad idea. It might not be criminal (unless the child is injured or killed...then let's see whether charges are filed), but I certainly can't respect the parent or any of the other adults in the group, simply because they are showing such bad judgement.
No, I'm not a fan of hiding from the world and sequestering oneself from all dangers. But when my kids and I climbed rock, they had harnesses and were belayed; when we canoed, we had PFD's; in karate, there was ample training and if full contact was to be practiced, they had headgear. In short, we managed to live life but with prudence as well as boldness. There is a pragmatic balance in all activities. That adult didn't exemplify that balance. (But still...this is just my opinion. While I have a right to it, I do not foster it upon others, except for perhaps the children for which I am responsible...hehehe).
No, I'm not a fan of hiding from the world and sequestering oneself from all dangers. But when my kids and I climbed rock, they had harnesses and were belayed; when we canoed, we had PFD's; in karate, there was ample training and if full contact was to be practiced, they had headgear. In short, we managed to live life but with prudence as well as boldness. There is a pragmatic balance in all activities. That adult didn't exemplify that balance. (But still...this is just my opinion. While I have a right to it, I do not foster it upon others, except for perhaps the children for which I am responsible...hehehe).