Kill My Kid

[scarefaceDM]

Kids under the age of 12 should not dive. Reason, they do not fully understand what the risks are..even if the diver/parent is around...they still do not know better. Now...there are some kids that can react well in an emergency...but they are still KIDS. Putting that kind of responsibilty on them is not a good idea at such a young age. But you parents know better. Right. It is not like driving a motorcycle or a go-kart or something like that. where you can still walk away from a crash. Where as in scuba...you can die in 4 feet of water. NAd if you parents do not think about that aspect. where you thing it is impossible to DIE in 4 feet...I think you should take a few steps back and re-evalute your diving knowedge or lack there-of

Snorkleing is a good start. let the kids do that as they watch daddy scuba around. But does daddy have a buddy...a good start to a bad habit for a young diver...

There are parents out there that are excellent divers, with many years of experience that CAN show their kids how to dive. Them parents have a very good understanding of dive physiology etc. Now take the Newly certified parent diver...THEY HAVE NO business teaching anyone..let alone kids, how to dive. They are learing themselves. Even if you havebeen diving for several years...but look at how the diving was done and how many dives were logged.. Some of these parents are resport divers and only go once or twice a year. Maybe do 10 dives a year...BUT they are experienced divers....um..no. They are not.

They will pass on the bad habits or poor skills to their kids. IS that an example in which to teach kids...by a bad example of themselves. I am alittle hard with this point...but I seen some parents with VERY poor skills to only yell at thir kids becasue they did not do it right. But that is how they were shown.. think about it.

This debat can go on and on.

Bottom line. In experienced parents in scuba...should leave the teachings of scuba to the qualified. They will do more harm than good.

 

[superstar]

Maturity might occur in a few rare 9 years old. But for most of us, it doesn't occur until after 26 .

I'm 46 and I am still waiting for maturity to happen.

 

[Guba]

I tend to be with you, ScarefaceDM. I'm all right with young divers (twelve or so) AS LONG AS they're part of a two adult team. What scares me is when adults (usually "Dad") groom their children in order to make readily available "dive buddies" out of them. What the well-meaning adult fails to realize is that their 90 pound child is most likely physically unable to be a full buddy. Think about it...is that child fully able to perform a rescue from depth on an unconsious adult? Can they tow that big guy to shore, get help, render assistance, and cope with the psychological aftermath should something really terrible happen to their parent? If the unthinkable should happen, is the parent ready to leave a child alone in the water?
There's a lot to consider before a parent makes the decision to let their child be a diver.
I'm being redundant. All this has been said before.

 

[waynel]

Maturity might occur in a few rare 9 years old. But for most of us, it doesn't occur until after 26 - find a first job, maintaining good credit rating, etc.

I almost think, a C card for most kids under 18 is a learner's permit.

Well said. Think about it. We don't allow children to drive a car on their own until they are 16. I'm the Exec. Dir. of a safety training academy. Do you know why the age requirement is 16? Because studies show that is the benchmark age when they should have developed emotionally and mentally to the point of finally being able to process emergency data without supervision while operating a vehicle. Notice that is not an absolute, but rather a benchmark. Some can do so earlier and some (unfortunately) much later.

Why would anyone let an 11 or 12 year old dive? They will still cry out and run for Mom when they take a terrible spill. And that's only natural. I know we are in the age of enabling our children to the point to where nothing is denied to them. But at what potential cost? Fisherdvm hits the nail right on the head.

 

[Berdman]

In this months dive training about possum kingdom texas the owner of the dive shop in 1961 had his 3 year old daughter diving and now she runs the dive shop.


Oh how times change

 

[fishb0y]

There are parents out there that are excellent divers, with many years of experience that CAN show their kids how to dive. Them parents have a very good understanding of dive physiology etc. Now take the Newly certified parent diver...THEY HAVE NO business teaching anyone..let alone kids, how to dive. They are learing themselves. Even if you havebeen diving for several years...but look at how the diving was done and how many dives were logged.. Some of these parents are resport divers and only go once or twice a year. Maybe do 10 dives a year...BUT they are experienced divers....um..no. They are not.

I agree...

Bottom line. In experienced parents in scuba...should leave the teachings of scuba to the qualified. They will do more harm than good.

I'll even take this one step further... as a former instructor... I consider myself an experienced diver... but I did not teach my kid's course. While I did help him study his classroom work, he did it all himself. I would consider my kid a better diver than most adults on this board (Not only do I make him carry his tanks, but mine also!)

Should a parent just certified BOW be taking their kid out to dive without a DM or someone a little more experienced... heck no. Do I think that a 10 y/o should be doing 90 foot wreck dives... of course not. But under safe conditions with proper training I think scuba is a great hobby for a kid.

 

[neil]

barrio trauma

That happens to me every time I drive through East LA by mistake.

 

[Charlie99]

BARRIO TRAUMA

That happens to me every time I drive through East LA by mistake.

Maybe the guy teaching his kid had never been to E. LA, and that's why he didn't understand barrio trauma.

I'll bet that he remembers and trains his child to "never hold your breath".

Training: teaching somebody how to do something.

Education: learning how to do something and the WHY behind it.

On a more serious note, IIRC one of the concerns about very young children diving is that they are still growing and there is concern about damage to the long bones of the body. Perhaps one of the medical people on the board can address the issue.

 

[bfw]

I have no problems with this guy removing *himself* from the gene pool, but I have considerable problem if its a 9 year old boy that gets removed....
-j-

Effective removal from the gene pool by definition includes removal of all one's progeny.

 

[bfw]

As somebody else said, if he hurts his child I'd take it personally. It's one thing to remove yourself from the gene pool, quite another to take an innocent.

If you're going to use the term "remove [oneself] from the gene pool, then know what it means. By definition, it means either dying childless or taking all your descendents with you. Words have meaning.