Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Observation 4

This week, I did my observation at the swimming pool in the SUU PE building.  There was a family of five at the pool and by the looks of it; they had just gotten there.  The parents were blowing up floaties for the little kids and the oldest sister just jumped in and started playing.  I noticed two of the kids had “flashbulb eyes,” suggesting a positive reaction to the water and the fun they are going to have.  The youngest child was a boy as appeared to be quite nervous to get in.  He was biting his nails in a hunched position and would occasionally take a step toward the pool and then he would step back.

One of the biggest things that caught the attention of myself and another woman, who was swimming, was the fact that the family seemed to violate a social norm.  To my understanding, if a child has floaties on, it suggests that the child has not fully grasped the concept of swimming and may still require some assistance.  The parents did not seem to panic that the kid jumped into the deepest part of the pool.  I was shocked that the parents did not tell him to swim in the shallow end.  I’m pretty sure the look on my face was panic, worry, and then confusion.  I would not allow my child to be in the deep end unless he was a fairly good swimmer.
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2 comments:

  1. KayJune 22, 2016 at 5:43 PM

    sn't it interesting the different reactions of the children within the same family. My question for you was either one of the parents in the pool with the child when they jumped in? If not, I would have been like you and freaked out. Not instructing your child to swim where they are safer and taking those precautions, in our society is going against the norms. Some people may take this to the extreme and think they parents were endangering their child, while others may look at it as a good experience for the child to have freedom and learn. Sometimes I wonder are the social norms that we have congruent with those around us. It is confusing to say the least at times. Had I been in the pool observing this behavior and the parents weren't in the deep end with that child, I would have swam there for security. At least that is my instincts as a mother. Does that make me go against the norm? Or am I normal? I don't know but either way this defiantly was a scary experience.

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  2. UnknownJune 24, 2016 at 2:31 PM

    Well some parents might look at the floaties as knowing the child will be safe. Parents in today's society, especially with multiple small kids, simply want to relax and anything that can distract the kids for a little while will allow the parents to take advantage of that. These parents probably looked at their kids in the pool and unless their was an immediate emergency, didn't care what their kids were doing. This allows the kids to learn on their own. Something to leave you with also is how a mother will teach you experience, but a father makes you earn it.

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