Unless they were born in the water and came out swimming, most children develop a healthy fear of the water at a young age. Sure they would give anything for the opportunity to swim every day in the heat of summer, but you better make sure to bring those floaties! At least for the littlest ones, the pool is best experienced while holding on to Mom and Dad.
Then they gain a little confidence. I have been amazed at how my son, who was in beginner swim lessons last summer, now has the confidence to swim like a fish. The only difference is experience.
All our time at the pool the last couple of summers has rekindled fond memories of my own childhood. We didn’t go to the pool often, but when we did, I usually asked my mom to show me what it was like to get baptized. The sheer act of getting dunked under the water mystified me. To be honest, it terrified me a little too! Once I had a few “dunks” under my belt though, I began to realize that it wasn’t really the huge scary deal that I had made it out to be.
Baptism: Getting dunked under the water mystified me. It terrified me a little too. Click To TweetI recall the look on my son’s face when we were talking about baptism a couple years ago. I could see the look of fear on his face and I understood that it was all about the water. He had told me that he might get baptized “when he was a grown up.” I really couldn’t blame him.
Last summer I, like my mom, showed my son what it was like to be baptized in the pool. This summer, I am happy to report, that he has told us he wants to be baptized. I always knew that this would be the best moment of motherhood. I can’t wait to see it. The moment probably would have come whether or not we pretended to baptize him in the pool, but it may not have come if he had been terrified of the water. So get out there and have fun with your kids in the pool this summer. And while you are there, maybe you can do a little spiritual priming…
“We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” Romans 6:4
With so many churches having children’s church during services, many of our kids rarely ever see a baptism. What do you do to help your kids understand baptism?
My daughter had the dual reaction of loving the water and being terrified. It made swimming lessons crazy. But I stopped everything and just said, learn to trust me first. Then we will work on swimming. Happy to say, she is a pretty good swimmer, and mentioned being baptized, but I am waiting until I feel like she really understands it.
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My daughters are terrified of water. Every year we go to the beach but they will not do more than get their feet wet. But when they were baptized they were calm and relaxed.
That’s great!
oh i got a little panicky when i got baptized years ago – thank God there were a LOT of towels around 🙂
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As a Roman Catholic, we typically have the kids baptized as babies. So, the water is just poured over them. However, it is always interesting to see a variety of approaches to the full immersion baptismal font in our parish at Easter time. Every year we have a mixture of adults and children seeking Baptism and the water isn’t always something they eagerly embrace.
I can’t swim, and I have a terrible fear of the water. I was saved when I was 7 but wasn’t baptized until my mid-teens. I always wanted to be., but that fear held me back. My pastor was the one who inspired me to do it by saying following Christ means facing fears! And that convicted me majorly!
I was scared then – we are planning to have baptisms hopefully this summer at our church… 🙂
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Yeah, I have trouble with baptism. I was baptised Catholic but as I got older the concept of original sin didn’t make sense to me. So even if I COULD swim I wouldn’t want the ceremony now that I am adult.
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That’s beautiful! I am so happy to hear that he wants to get baptized. I grew up Catholic, so I was baptized as an infant. Having this done at an early age made me realize how much my parents loved me and wanted the best for me- they wanted me to be a child of God. As I grew older, I knew what it meant to be a “Child of God”, but I did not necessary know how to be one. All I knew was that I was loved by Christ and that He would always be guiding me. Now, as I am older, I more than ever appreciate my baptism. I am a Christian. I am cleansed by Jesus’ blood. And I plan to raise my children in the same light. I hope the best for your son and I know he will feel blessed by God for the rest of his life.
Baptism seems to violent when you think about it! I don’t recall what I thought about it as a child, but reading this helps me think about putting myself in my little one’s shoes.
Oh my gosh that’s awesome! I am very excited for your son. What a huge step in faith!
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congrats to your son for taking that step.
I used to be afraid of water too, but the baptism went great I was grown up when that happened.
That’s great! You do have to make sure kids are really ready when they are baptized. I did a post on that too!
The baptisms of my daughters were such a special momma moment. Telling the world in an outward act what Jesus did in their hearts was an important step in their life with Jesus. Your post has me smiling in remembrance.
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It definitely can be intimidating for kids, even adults, but I think water baptism is one of the most beautiful things to watch.
I heard about this kind of baptism, my sister is a Baptist and she told me about this. I find it a little bit unusual.