Some might be wondering how things are going with Keane and water. When I last posted about it, I was saying that we had decided to just dump the pitcher of water on his head to wash his hair. We came to this realization after we had bouts of screaming whenever he saw a pool or whenever he was in the water, even being held.
We were over at our neighbors house for an awesome dinner (thank you Plumleys), and Noah (their son) referred to the frenzied screaming coming from our house. Well, Keane cries when we spank him, but doesn't scream like he does when he is in the bath. So, I said, "We are trying to help him face his fear of water."
Our Pastor's wife mentioned that it isn't just about being able to have fun with your friends in the water, it's about safety. I could just envision Keane on the sidelines, sitting out of the pool party fun because he was afraid of the water. It's one thing to sit out just because you want to, it's another thing to have never gotten over the fear of it (we still need to maintain a healthy fear), therefore not knowing how to deal with it. I rest in the fact, that if all goes well, he is not going to remember any of this.
I was reading a book once (actually Do Hard Things- excellent book for everyone but it's for teenagers). One of the authors was talking about being an eight year old or something and having never taken a shower, he was still taking baths. One day Dad stepped in. He guided his son to the shower, put him in de-robed, and turned it on. The teenager (who wrote the book) told how he thought his dad was out to get him and he was angry in his eight year old way, but hind sight cleared all that up. He's glad his dad did it.
So it is with Keane. He HAS made progress. He doesn't scream for the duration of the time we are in the pool (when we go). He actually has a little fun. Grant it, he would rather be out playing with a ball, but slowly and surely we are teaching him and challenging him. He actually sits in the kiddie pool voluntarily, I use to have to sit him down. He even says "kick kick kick" when we practice.
The screaming hasn't totally ceased when we wash his hair, but I'm confident he will get use to it, and in the future, when hind sight "kicks" in, I'll be glad I did it.
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