Korean Job Discussion Forums

Lekker · Joined: 09 Feb 2008 Location: Seoul

At first after watching this I was shocked. But then, It makes me want to do the same thing for my kids, when I have them of course. Any parents out there? What do you think?

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=4226712&cl=8679600&src=news

blaseblasphemener · Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 3:04 pm Post subject:

Thanks for that Lekker. Really amazing to see the 8 month old floating, and the baby in the training video calling for help. I doubt if they have anything like that in Korea though, with so many adults and kids unable to swim here.

Cheonmunka · Joined: 04 Jun 2004

Sometimes learning the hard way is best.

I saw just two seconds of this vid, with a child in the water. So commenting merely on that:

One thing my mom said to me which rings true every time, children are resilient. A little failure in the water, with mother close by, is not going to ruin a child's life.
I wish my kids could swim. My son is seven and I still haven't taken him to learn - apart from at the mokyoktang. Makes me feel like a useless dad.
Good on people who help their kids learn.

OneWayTraffic · Joined: 14 Mar 2005

Funnily enough I took my kids to Lotte swimming at Lotte World yesterday. Son 16mths, daughter 4years. I got her to go down the slide with Daddy, jump into the pool so I could catch her and float holding on to my outstretched arm. She gained a lot of confidence in the water in just one afternoon.

Bit expensive compared to back home, but well worth it (about 10,000-12,000 per head including young children. Under 12mths free.)

Also quite a few parents there with their children. Many Koreans can't swim but still many can. Not bad considering how hard it is to access water in Seoul.

Lekker · Joined: 09 Feb 2008 Location: Seoul

I learned to swim the hard way as well (older brother would push me into the pool all the time), I had no choice, but this is hard core. Still amazing to watch the kid kicking like mad and rolling over onto her back. I looked this up on Youtube as well. It's amazing. That's all I can say about that.

schwa · Joined: 18 Jan 2003 Location: Yap

I introduced my son to swimming when he was about 3 months old -- a community pool offered the course. He loved it.

A lot of people are aquaphobic because of early water-swallowing incidents. A simple trick with infants is to blow in their face, which causes them to instinctively hold their breath, then plunge them under.