My Story

I grew up in Vancouver, Canada. My summers from childhood to young adulthood filled with trips to the beach or the pool with friends and or family. It seemed like every day; I was in the water participating in multiple aquatic activities. Everything from swimming to water skiing, sailing, river rafting, snorkeling and scuba diving to name a few. Tessa Rhodes

During those formative years, I never crossed paths with anyone that didn’t enjoy the water as much as I did. Therefore I was completely unaware of the fact that there were people out there of all ages that feared the water. This widespread presence of aquaphobia is a relatively new realization. Tessa Rhodes

I now live in the Palm Springs area, in California where everybody and their dog has a swimming pool. While training to become a swim instructor; my eyes were opened up to the statistics of drowning in America. It’s the number one cause of accidental death among children ages 1-4. And almost 4000 people die from drowning each year in America.

I remember thinking back… Tessa Rhodes

to when my son was about three years old before I became a swim instructor. My husband and our son and I went to a dinner party when we were still living in Vancouver. The host family had a swimming pool, which in Vancouver is relatively rare. So the responsibilities that go along with owning a pool and the statistics of drownings in private pools are unknown to the average person. There is an average of 525 water-related fatalities each year in Canada, and about 22 of those happen in backyard pools. It didn’t even cross my mind that the pool posed any danger. In conclusion.Tessa Rhodes

There were three other children at the dinner party that night between the ages of 4 and 10. After dinner, the kids went out to play, and the adults sat around the dining room table socializing. When suddenly the 8-year-old came running in to tell us that Ethan had walked out onto the pool cover. The 4-year-old had thrown rocks onto it, and my son didn’t think that that was the right thing to do. So he took it upon himself to clean up the mess. We ran out to save the day. Sure enough, there he was standing in the middle of the pool. Luckily he got back to safety without a scratch. Tessa Rhodes

Flash forward to Tessa Rhodes

Tessa Rhodes – newly certified swim instructor. First of all, there should have been at least one adult, who can swim, to supervise the children.

Secondly and most noteworthy, the pool should have had a fence around it with a locked gate equipped with an alarm. There need to be multiple layers of protection in place to prevent accidents from happening. There wasn’t even one layer except for a flimsy pool cover not designed for safety. Tessa Rhodes

It’s so scary to think about what might have happened. I’m one of the lucky ones. Unfortunately, there are way too many unlucky parents out there who have lost their children to drowning. Tessa Rhodes

So let’s help your kids Tessa Rhodes

Four years and older to become comfortable and most of all safe in the water. My blog provides you with step by step instructions to help conquer your child’s fear of water. Click here to get started.  In conclusion.Tessa Rhodes

Before swimming lessons, we must address the fear first. Most swim instructors don’t realize this, and if they do, they don’t know the best way to deal with it. I was one of those swim instructors. So after much research and years of experience, I discovered how to help children overcome their fear of water. Tessa Rhodes

Love the water but fence it in,
Tessa Rhodes

P.S. Get the FREE water safety app to help ensure your family stays safe in, on and around the water. It includes kid-friendly videos and quizzes. Search the iTunes app store for Swim by American Red Cross or click here. For Google Play you can use the same search parameters or click here. It provides the latest in water safety guidance to help ensure your family stays safe in, on and around the water.

P.P.S. To start your child on the path to becoming water safe, click here. so