SCUBA diving and fear

SCUBA diving is something I've wanted to do for many years, since I was a teenager. I never took the opportunity to learn, but kept it in the back of my mind of desires for "someday". My new husband (read my posts on planning the wedding and changing my name) learned to SCUBA dive when he was stationed in Hawaii several years ago and has been encouraging me to learn. For my birthday, the wonderful man bought me my first diver certification lessons. I have now completed the classroom portion and the first closed water (swimming pool) dive. First, I must say that the initial going under water while breathing is really scary. The survival instinct is so strong that your brain starts screaming, "you can't breathe under water, stop inhaling". Coupled with the loss of control of being suspended in water, it's a scary experience. Fortunately, my instructor is really patient and let me continue at my pace. I can do all of the required skills and had no problems once I got over the "I'm breathing underwater". The loss of control is ok once you realize that all you have to do is inflate your BC and you'll be above water and remembering that as long as you have air in your tank, you're fine.
I have my open water certification dives in a couple of weeks and am still nervous, but I've almost convinced myself that it'll be ok. Check back for the open water post, but the reason I posted this is to say that if you want to do something, GO FOR IT. Don't let your fear stop you. As adults, we know all of the bad things that can happen, but statistically, it won't. Squash the fear and do it anyway. Once you've done it and survived, the next time won't be so scary. My instructor reminded me of learning to drive. The first few months, I drove with my entire body completely stiff, both hands gripping the wheel, scared to death something would happen. Now, I drive laid back, one hand on the wheel, totally and completely relaxed and enjoying controlling a powerful machine. I'm trying to look at diving the same way. The first dives are gonna be scary, but once I get them over with, the rest will all be fun.
I also think that parents should encourage their children to learn really scary stuff early. Once you're a grown up, you are much more fearful of new experiences. Kids aren't. They don't understand mortality or all of the things that can happen to you so they are much more eager to try new things. Let them, encourage them, get them involved in many different activities. When we have children, I plan to teach them to dive when they are very young so they will never be scared. Don't teach your kids to be scared, and they won't be. My mom was always so afraid that I would be hurt that I have always been fearful of anything dangerous. I don't want my children to be the same way because it's hard to overcome. So, if you want to do something, do it. Teach your kids to do it, too. Squash the fear! :)