One of the things I think we bring into play when discussing children and potentially dangerous activities is that children have not fully developed the sense of "risk assessment". I know I did a lot of things when I was a kid that I would not consider attempting now. Back then, "danger" was an abstract concept and I considered myself darn-near invulnerable.
Honestly, this even extends to teen years, especially for us boys. When I was a sophomore in High School, I decided to see how high I could jump my 10 speed bike. My friend tells me I achieved around 6 feet of altitude, and I have to take his word for it. The last thing I remember before the jump was turning around up the street to get a good run at the "ramp" we'd chosen. The next thing I remember is waking up in the ambulance with a mild concussion. My friend tells me I came down on the front wheel, went over the handlebars and landed flat on my back. He said I laid there laughing (probably at my own stupidity) for a moment or two before passing out. Helmets? In those days, bike helmets were almost unheard of.
Teen drivers are statistically more likely to have accidents than adult drivers. Part of this is experience, but based on my own youthful follies, part of it was from not thinking in terms of real risks and potential dangers. I rarely thought of anything I was trying to do as hazardous, or that it could result in a situation I couldn't handle.
Motorcycle statistics have taken a spike, on the numbers of young men that jump right in to riding by buying a high-powered crotch rocket, ride it like they're on the cafe racing circuit, and act like the only thing on this earth that can hurt them is kryptonite. We affectionately call those guys "organ donors".
It might be nothing short of a miracle that many of us manage to survive to adulthood.
When I watched that video, I could see two sides of the issue. One was the side many have decried; the apparent deficiencies in the man's training methods with his son. The other side that I saw was that the man was training his son on some of the important skills in diving. While it would seem certain aspects, such as keeping the airway open by blowing bubbles, was absent, it did seem the boy was able to remain calm and in control of himself during the exercises.
There are a lot of parents who don't do nearly as much to train and prepare their children for riding bicycles or driving cars. Heck; you might not believe the number of young kids I've seen turned loose in this neighborhood on gasoline powered cycles, and from their riding habits, if they were given any safety training at all, they were never compelled to follow it. It's amazing we haven't had one of those kids injured or killed, the way they speed around the streets, blow stop signs, and generally act like our roads are their own private tracks.
Yeah, I'm not real crazy about the way dad is training his son in that video, but at least he IS training his son. He didn't just buy the kid scuba gear and turn him loose.
Honestly, this even extends to teen years, especially for us boys. When I was a sophomore in High School, I decided to see how high I could jump my 10 speed bike. My friend tells me I achieved around 6 feet of altitude, and I have to take his word for it. The last thing I remember before the jump was turning around up the street to get a good run at the "ramp" we'd chosen. The next thing I remember is waking up in the ambulance with a mild concussion. My friend tells me I came down on the front wheel, went over the handlebars and landed flat on my back. He said I laid there laughing (probably at my own stupidity) for a moment or two before passing out. Helmets? In those days, bike helmets were almost unheard of.
Teen drivers are statistically more likely to have accidents than adult drivers. Part of this is experience, but based on my own youthful follies, part of it was from not thinking in terms of real risks and potential dangers. I rarely thought of anything I was trying to do as hazardous, or that it could result in a situation I couldn't handle.
Motorcycle statistics have taken a spike, on the numbers of young men that jump right in to riding by buying a high-powered crotch rocket, ride it like they're on the cafe racing circuit, and act like the only thing on this earth that can hurt them is kryptonite. We affectionately call those guys "organ donors".
It might be nothing short of a miracle that many of us manage to survive to adulthood.
When I watched that video, I could see two sides of the issue. One was the side many have decried; the apparent deficiencies in the man's training methods with his son. The other side that I saw was that the man was training his son on some of the important skills in diving. While it would seem certain aspects, such as keeping the airway open by blowing bubbles, was absent, it did seem the boy was able to remain calm and in control of himself during the exercises.
There are a lot of parents who don't do nearly as much to train and prepare their children for riding bicycles or driving cars. Heck; you might not believe the number of young kids I've seen turned loose in this neighborhood on gasoline powered cycles, and from their riding habits, if they were given any safety training at all, they were never compelled to follow it. It's amazing we haven't had one of those kids injured or killed, the way they speed around the streets, blow stop signs, and generally act like our roads are their own private tracks.
Yeah, I'm not real crazy about the way dad is training his son in that video, but at least he IS training his son. He didn't just buy the kid scuba gear and turn him loose.
