ponds and kids

If she's afraid of snakes and there are snakes in the pond..telling her so is not a lie. If she's not so afraid of snakes..well...it might raise her curiousity. I know that all little girls aren't afraid of creepy crawlies. My girls used too get afraid if I would look at something and in a very low scary tone say oooohhhhhh. If they asked what..I would just shake my head and walk away..LOL..I know it sounds crazy but I would only do it when there was something I wanted them to stay away from. It worked too. Different thing work for different kids and the snake thing may be a good way to keep her away from the pond.

I would, but i am recoving from a child that just drowned so maybe I am not the best commenter on this. I just think a child should be afraid. Fear keeps us safe.

Some kids might be scared for a while but their curiosity might prove us wrong. We cannot rely too much on these kids, as they have short memory span. They might wonder on their own just to get a closer glimpse of what is being told to them.

If there really are snakes then I think it's o.k. to tell her. Just suggest to her the dangers and that she needs to stand back. I'm sure it will be o.k.

Hey pat! I do know how concerned you are about your grandchild coming to live there. And as much as it would be scary, since there really are snakes in the pond she probably would be scared if she did see them anyway! So I think that is a good way to get her to stay away from the pond! It can't hurt! She may be curious to wander off, but if she knows that there are snakes in the pond it might stop her!

Build a fence until she is old enough to understand the dangers of drowning. Take her out on the pond with a life jacket and teach her that she always has to be with a parent and have a life jacket on. Fear doesn't always work because sometime we thrive on fear. I know my 4 year old has no fear it seems and if I seem scared it intrigues him even more.