Most of you are aware that both of my kids are adopted and that each of those children had their own challenges. My boy came to us at about two weeks old addicted to drugs thanks to his birth mother. He has had some issues (mostly physical) but he has overcome those and is now an accomplished athlete with an incredible intellect. My daughter, on the other hand, suffered for over four years at the hands of her biological family and was as close to a feral child as I had ever seen when she came to us at about 52 months. She has sustained major psychological trauma that was finally correctly diagnosed as PTSD about a year and a half ago. Since that time her treatment has made much progress, but she still has a long way to go.

Anyway, we took a cruise over the Thanksgiving holiday and one of the excursions we took was a private island swim with rescue dolphins. The effect these creatures had on her in the short 1/2 hour we were in the water with them is astounding. That is not to say that everything was perfect since then as the overstimulazation of the cruise and the dolphins caused some issue later that night, but... that right there is an honest to goodness REAL smile. Those are few and far between...

Beautiful. Congrats.

As a parent of (one biological and) two adopted kids from foster care... I’m very happy to see your post. What you do is not easy, and most people probably couldn’t deal with it.

Thank you for being someone this girl can depend on... because she doesn’t know anything else but to make it as hard as possible for you to do that... and she’s still a kid that needs you.

Other than that I can’t say much except to feel free to message me. Things get tough for all of us. We had 13 foster kids and (obviously) adopted two of them. I don’t know a lot because my wife is the expert one on this subject, but I experienced and messed up enough to at least maybe get where you are coming from.

I get that smiles can be rare and fleeting, The one in the picture is beautiful and awesome and because of what you have done for her.

You should be very proud of what you have done and what you are doing.

quote:

The effect these creatures had on her in the short 1/2 hour we were in the water with them is astounding.

I second that. I have made dives and have been blessed with the occasional visit from Porpoises. When I was in the water with the porpoises i remember thinking these animals made me feel like a better person. I have felt that way every time I have encountered them. They are amazing.

Most excellent.

Question, if I may: Is the arms crossed thing a safety issue with the porpoises?

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Originally posted by gw3971:

quote:

The effect these creatures had on her in the short 1/2 hour we were in the water with them is astounding.

I second that. I have made dives and have been blessed with the occasional visit from Porpoises. When I was in the water with the porpoises i remember thinking these animals made me feel like a better person. I have felt that way every time I have encountered them. They are amazing.

There is something magical about them. Even when they are stealing the fish I caught! Parallel I am glad that your daughter was touched in such a positive way. Hoping for a positive future for her.

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:
Most excellent.

Question, if I may: Is the arms crossed thing a safety issue with the porpoises?

As recall, their eyes and skin can be easily damaged if inadvertently poked or scratched. Hence the request to cross your arms when they are that close to you. The trainers do not want you to reach out to them.

It's about connection with someone who understands. Thanks for posting. "Someone" can refer to a dolphin; we have no idea how then process human emotions, but they certainly are smart. A lot nicer, I'd bet, that many of my neighbors. With stronger herring breath than some. In the same way someone might say, "My pets are people too". Animals can provide connections some people cannot seem to find with other humans.

A very very best friend, schizophrenic, wanted to visit the dolphins. Logistics prevented the trip, and now she is no longer (physically) with us. It was becoming increasingly hard to keep her safe. Her chief stimulation in life was environment (as opposed to books, movies, food, conversation). Visiting the dolphins might have been one more tool in her therapy.

I'm glad you and her got a chance to make the trip.

Saving someone's life is no small thing, congratulations to Parallel for accomplishing this (at least) twice.

As far as swimming with the dolphins goes...it looks to me like there's a little girl out there that needs a puppy for Christmas!

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Originally posted by steve495:

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:
Most excellent.

Question, if I may: Is the arms crossed thing a safety issue with the porpoises?

As recall, their eyes and skin can be easily damaged if inadvertently poked or scratched. Hence the request to cross your arms when they are that close to you. The trainers do not want you to reach out to them.

That makes sense, Thank You.

Fantastic story, thank you for sharing.

I saw a news article recently about a female veteran with PTSD from her time serving in Afghanistan (?) and she said that as long as she had a dog to take care of and was able to SCUBA dive weekly, she didn't require much at all in the way of counseling or meds. Amazing story about the healing power of being immersed or exposed to nature on a regular basis.

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Originally posted by architect:
Saving someone's life is no small thing, congratulations to Parallel for accomplishing this (at least) twice.

As far as swimming with the dolphins goes...it looks to me like there's a little girl out there that needs a puppy for Christmas!

Thank you all for the supportive replies.

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Originally posted by San Francisquito Bill:
***snip***

Thank you for being someone this girl can depend on... because she doesn’t know anything else but to make it as hard as possible for you to do that... and she’s still a kid that needs you.

***snip***

A big thank you to San Francisquito Bill for reminding me of this. It has been a rough couple of weeks with her since this day and I was losing sight of this important fact.

quote:

Originally posted by steve495:

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:
Most excellent.

Question, if I may: Is the arms crossed thing a safety issue with the porpoises?

As recall, their eyes and skin can be easily damaged if inadvertently poked or scratched. Hence the request to cross your arms when they are that close to you. The trainers do not want you to reach out to them.

I believe that the arms crossed was the signal to the dolphin that it was time to pucker up... LOL.

We were instructed that we could touch them gently at will but to avoid the areas around there head and other "openings" In fact, we even got to dance with them.





Link to original video: https://youtu.be/-yFdBHRg8PE