On Tue, 11 Jul 2006 02:19:36 +0100, Anne Jackson wrote
(in article ):

Sacha said:
How many people don't have that and how many do have ponds?

I am temporarily without a pond, due to the realignment of
my garden path.....but I _have_ successfully brought up five
children without mishap, and of my fourteen grandchildren,
not a single one of them has ever taken a dip in the pond.

Perhaps I pointed out to them how dangerous it could be, in
a way that they understood? Perhaps I made sure that they
were never out of my sight when they were at a vulnerable age?



And one thing no-one seems to have suggested in this thread is the importance
of teaching children to swim from a *very* young age. Of course tiny tots
should be supervised at all times, but they should anyway - not just because
of a pond. A child that can swim will be far safer in any pond situation
than one that can't, and the educational advantage of a pond is huge. We
have had adults staying here who have *never* seen frog spawn before in the
wild - only on television! I find that very sad. Small children are
fascinated by ponds and will learn a lot from them (especially wildlife
ones).



--
Sally in Shropshire, UK
bed and breakfast near Ludlow: http://www.stonybrook-ludlow.co.uk
Burne-Jones/William Morris window in Shropshire church:
http://www.whitton-stmarys.org.uk