What’s the Most Dangerous Thing You’ve Ever Done?
I once nearly drowned in Lake Windermere.
Back in 1998, I was working at a residential school in Cumbria and had agreed to act as caretaker and security for the company’s shore-side camp for the weekend. After being shown around the site – complete with tents, canoes, kayaks, and cooking facilities – my wife, baby son and I were left to look after things until Sunday evening.
A couple of hours later, I decided to try my hand at canoeing. I had never set foot in a canoe before, but how hard could it be? Dressed in a heavy jumper, jeans and Doc Martens, I carried the boat to the water. My wife suggested I wear a life jacket. After a brief protest, I reluctantly put one on – an “unnecessary precaution”, I thought at the time.
With paddle in hand, I set off into Lake Windermere. The canoe glided effortlessly across the water, confirming my belief that it was easy. Then it hit me: I had no idea how to turn around.
After several failed attempts at steering, I decided the solution was simple – stand up, turn around, and paddle the other way. Big mistake! The canoe tipped, and I found myself in the water, 30+ metres from the shore.
With our baby in her arms and the mobile phone locked in my car (the keys in my pocket), my wife could only watch in horror. After the shock and panic subsided, I was grateful for the life jacket I’d nearly refused. I swam back to shore, then back out again to retrieve the canoe – worried about losing it and, possibly, my job. With no change of clothes, I spent the next few hours drying my jeans and jumper by the campfire, reflecting on my foolishness.
That day taught me a valuable lesson about risk-taking. Often, we take risks because we lack knowledge or appreciation of the danger. At other times, it’s about proving something, chasing a buzz, or simply not thinking clearly.
Turning a Hard Lesson into a Teaching Moment
Years later, I began delivering training sessions on risk-taking behaviour in children and young people. In May 2012, I ran my first session on the topic. By January 2013, I had further developed it and was observed for my PGCE teacher training qualification, earning an “outstanding” grade for planning, teaching, learning, resources, and assessment.
One of my favourite parts of the session involves showing Green Day’s music video Warning. In it, Billie Joe Armstrong ignores every possible warning sign. I ask learners to count how many hazards they can spot. No two learners have ever arrived at the same number – which makes for a brilliant discussion starter about how we perceive risk.
In September 2024, I had the privilege of delivering a safeguarding spotlight session for RLB’s Safeguarding Team on Risk-Taking Behaviour in Children and Adults. While updating the course content, I added some fascinating insights:
Risk-taking exists on a spectrum – from healthy and socially acceptable to damaging and socially unacceptable.
Adolescent brains have a developmental mismatch between the limbic system (emotion/reward) and the prefrontal cortex (decision-making).
Young people make different risk-taking decisions in “hot contexts” – emotionally charged situations, especially around peers.
Why It Matters
Risk-taking is part of life. Sometimes it leads to growth, resilience, and independence. Other times, it can have serious consequences.
My Windermere adventure is a story I still share, not just because it was foolish but because it taught me a vital lesson: to help others manage their risk-taking behaviour, we first need to understand why they take risks in the first place.
It’s a lesson I learned the hard way – and one I now enjoy teaching to others.
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Thanks to David M. Chambers for kind permission to use the header image in this post, which was previously published on Unsplash.