Dear Mindy, Marlene, and Staci, I just wanted to thank you once again for the phenomenal swim instruction that our daughters received through the Baby Otter Swim School. As we wrap up another South Florida summer, I wanted to let you know how much they both LOVE the pool and are so incredibly adept at swimming, retrieving toys (from the bottom of the pool), and finding their way out (“Turn-Kick-Reach”) whether they jump in or are “accidentally” pushed in unexpectedly. What is also so important though is that they have a very healthy respect for the water. In fact, on any given day, you can hear either Meital (6) or Ilanit (3) reminding one of their friends to be careful by reminding them of safety rules such as not jumping in the shallow end, not swimming at the bottom near the drain, etc.
Not only as a parent, but as a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with specialized training and experience in the treatment of Anxiety Disorders, I have always been so impressed with the approaches utilized in your instruction. So many children are fearful of the water (or, at least, of having their head under the water) but the life-saving importance of swimming skills is an absolute necessity — particularly in South Florida. So many children and parents tell “horror stories” about the negative experiences they’ve had with previous swimming lessons which ultimately resulted in extreme levels of anxiety (and, of course, the inability to be safe around water). Your abilities to be warm and loving while remaining firm and steadfast are outstanding and your astute application of general behavior-modification techniques is to be commended.
Not only has my family had the opportunity to proudly watch our daughters overcome their fears and blossom into the wonderful swimmers that they are today, but I have also always enjoyed the opportunity to observe the lessons of other children (of all ages) across the week of “Level One” instruction and to watch the metamorphosis from a nervous, scared, resistant child into an eager, enthusiastic swimmer who can’t wait to do it all “three more times.” I am confident that many families have also enjoyed the added benefits of learning to address other difficult parenting situations with warmth, strong guidance and boundaries, consistency, and positive reinforcement by generalizing the techniques modeled in your program.
I look forward to enrolling our girls in the more advanced levels of instruction in the near future and to watching their continued skill development. For now, I wish you all continued success in your honorable endeavors to keep children (and others) safe around water and look forward to continued opportunities to refer friends, acquaintances, and patients to the Baby Otter Swim School and Turn, Kick and Reach Academy!
Most sincerely, Sherri B. Abraham, Psy.D. Licensed Psychologist (and Meital & Ilanit’s “Mommy”) Feiner & Associates
