nc_mom wrote:I think Bonnie is always instilling unnecessary fear in her children. They would have been looking forward to swim lessons if she had said how much fun they were going to have. Instead she kept asking them if they were going to be "brave"? What nonsense is that? I've seen other videos of hers where she repeatedly asks the kids if they are "scared" of this or that. By using negative terms such as "being brave" or are you "scared" she is already telling them to predict something scary was going to happen. She certainly is no child psychologist lol! I think on the other hand C&K do the opposite in telling Gaines how much fun it's going to be and to keep the attitude upbeat and positive...but Katie is a child psychologist and it definitely shows in how she interacts with Gaines while Bonnie's kids are often fearful, negative and whiny.
I'm a Certified WSI (Water Safety Instructor) and taught lessons to a wide age range while I was in college. The children that start in the baby classes with their parents, tend to be less fearful than the older children. It actually isn't uncommon for children to fear swimming lessons, so while I certainly agree with the assessment that Katie's approach is better, I don't believe we can fault Bonnie for her kids being apprehensive.
I noticed Boston was fearful and insecure around the water in HI, and I'm sure he wasn't too happy when he heard Bonnie was signing him up for lessons. I think in his case the apprehension and resistance was already there, and Bonnie was just reacting to it. She could have used more positive terms, but its possible she started with that and Boston just wasn't having it.
But for a child Boston's age, it isn't unusual for them to have anxiety about lessons. This is why so many children fail to progress past the first few levels. Most overprotective parents will pull their kids and I was glad to see that Bonnie was firm and made him ride it out.