"Sally Thompson" wrote in message
al.net...
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
I am with you Sally, but it is hard being a parent and getting the balance
right, some people find getting rid of one more thing to "worry about"
comforting, while I think letting children make supervised mistakes is a
good thing! I am always trying to persuade parents of young children that
come round our garden that having a pond would be fine, but one mum pointed
out that whilst she did not mind teaching her children to be careful etc she
did find it stressful if she had a whole bunch of other peoples children to
keep tabs on, as she said its not that they could drown as she wouldn't
leave them but it was hard to explain why someone else's child is cold and
wet when you hand them back!
--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collection of Clematis viticella (cvs)