My son does not swim at a level where I'm comfortable taking him on an extended trip, but swimming lessons are helping with that. My main problem I have is he is scared of boats tipping over. In his mind if it wiggles or tips a little, it can tip over. This fear even goes to small row boats. He's okay with my small fishing boat, when I asked him why he said "because it has a motor".

Any one out there have some ideas to help me calm his fears?

How old is your son? What comes to mind is letting him know that canoes can and DO tip over. Show him it doesn't mean he's going to get hurt or drown. Use this as a teaching tool as to why learning to swim is so important and why wearing a life jacket is important. If he's old enough, take him out to a shallow lake and teach him what to do if the canoe tips. Let him see you dump it a couple of times and show him the proper procedures.

His fears are valid, empower him with the tools to overcome them.

:)
Sandy (my kids WANTED to dump the canoe cuz they thought it would be fun!.... go figure!)

I agree with Sandyki. Be honest and let him know they can tip over. Show him and let him become familar with the process. Also show him that his life jacket will keep him afloat so that he does not have to fear drowning. I will say one thing that I find intersting on my trips to the BW is how many people do not wear life jackets. I consider myself a good to very good swimmer but I insist that all members of our group wear their life jacket if they are on the water. Nobody is yet to complain. As I see it, you can't swim if you get knocked out, which is a possiblity if a canoe tips when least expected, not to mention the mere shock of the ordeal or potentially cold water. Take short outings and get him comfortable with a canoe. Todd

We did the same as the other folks suggested with my sons when they were little. Make it playtime to learn. Especially with the current warm weather, take him out to a lake and let him float around and become comfortable with his life jacket. Swamp the canoe and let him help bring it back to shore with you and emptying it out and getting back in it. If you make it a game it will be fun for him to learn and help lessen his apprehension.

He is 8, and he knows he cannot drown with his life jacket on. Its more the movement of a boat(canoe or row boat) that freaks Him out. I've been working with him slowly, he can now get into my fishing boat, and walk on a floating dock without panicking. He has sat in a canoe before at camp. He told me he grabbed the gunwales and sat very still.

I'm sort of planning a car camping trip next summer to a state park where we can rent a canoe, go fishing in my boat, and swim. I think the making a game out of tipping the canoe might be fun. Dad in it by himself at first, then maybe with my son. Might work.

Thanks

I think the ideas of helping him feel in control by practicing tipping a canoe over, etc. are great. I have a good friend (who went to the BWCA with me this summer) who is an occupational therapist. Some of the kids she works with have gravitational insecurity. I asked her about this boy, because 8 seems pretty old to still feel so worried about these things. She said the things you described would match gravitational insecurity. That's an over emotional response (fear!) to not feeling grounded to earth. She said you see it when kids are younger when they hate moving backwards (tip head back for hair washing), or dislike jumping into a pool, or walking down stairs with gaps between the steps, or escalators - to name a few things.

Regardless, the ideas above are great for compensating. If he has more symptoms it may be good to get professional help (occupational therapy), you can avoid scary situations as one strategy - but usually kids get more and more anxious.

I've spent time with all my children in the canoe. Nice days where getting out and swimming are great. I also put my two oldest children 5&8 last summer the canoe talk them through tipping over and we flip over and swam the canoe to shore.

I'm not 8 years old, but I had a little fear of tipping and such. Everytime the canoe wobbeled I would tense up and freak out, convinced I was going over and all of my stuff was gonna be gone. Anyways, as a way to help with this fear, my boyfriend rented a canoe for a day and took me out on it and showed me how much it could tip without actually capsizing. This really helped me out alot with my fear and perhaps it will help your son.

In teaching Lifesaving and Canoeing merit badges in scouts, counselors have the kids get in canoes and then they swamp them. Canoes will float even when they are full of water. When flipped over there is still air underneath. It would help alot if he could experience this. Of course, always do anything like this while wearing a PFD!

Thanks everyone. I talked with my son about some of the suggestions and he thought playing in the water with a canoe would be fun. He seems to be okay with the idea of a canoe full of water still being able to float, I think its just the tipping over part that he's scared of. I figure we can talk baby steps and work through his fears and get him comfortable with canoes, deep water, and the tippy feel of a canoe.
You've given me hope that maybe next summer he'll be okay with a short BWCA trip with me. Now I just have to convince the wife.

I like the playing idea, too. I grew up canoeing and never really thought about it, but the canoe was our major water "toy". My siblings and I would jump and dive from our old aluminum canoe; two of us would stand on the decks and "teeter-totter"; we'd flip the canoe over and we'd swim up under it and hang out; we'd stand on the gunwales and rock the canoe side-to-side to make it go forward, ....

To us it was playing, but thinking about it now we learned alot about what a canoe is, how it handled, and what its limitations were.

"I think the making a game out of tipping the canoe might be fun."

I do too. But not for any kids. For me. I hope that doesn't mean I am still 8 years old.

Eljer,

It might be a little early in the game for this but I suggest that at some point, place him in the stern and give him control and responsibility.
It may be better than having him sit up front (white-knuckled) wondering if and when you are going to tip the canoe over. Also he may be to busy steering to worry.

TR