Fears Conquered: at Least Momentarily

After making it up the climbing tower with some help, Dexy was ready to try it all by himself.

 He figured out where to put his hands and his feet,

 and hoisted himself up and up.

He had a look of concentration on his face but not fear.

Facing Fears: Slow Progress

Defeated by the rock wall, we decided to have Dexy try the climbing tower.  Again, he resisted. He asked Daddy to hold him so he didn't fall. We stood firm and told him he could do this all by himself.

We finally said Daddy would keep a hand on him to make sure he doesn't get hurt if he falls. Ben showed him where to put his hands and feet.

I encouraged him to keep looking up to where he wanted to go. Dexy's face is priceless - he's worried, not sure he can do it. But we kept encouraging him and he kept going.

Before he knew it he had reached the top and was very proud of himself!

Facing Fears: A Flop

Dexy is the only kid in his swimming class unable to get out of the pool by himself. It's hard to watch him struggle and eventually get help from the instructor. It's more a mental problem than a physical one: he's afraid he'll fall. Ben and I decided to try to help him over his fears by taking him to a park to tackle the climbing wall.



Unfortunately, we didn't get very far. Dexy didn't want to do it and when we insisted, he threw himself off the wall without even getting both feet off the ground. Ben's face says it all: it's going to be a long afternoon.