I admit that I am a wee bit of a water safety freak. I was a lifeguard back in the days when dinosaurs roamed the earth and cave children went to Cave Girl camps. LOL Also, I watch 4 in the water and that requires vigilent awareness and planning. For instance, my 2 youngest don't swim yet. Something at least one of them doesn't really know. LOL So I have a rule that NO ONE approaches the beach, or the pool or whatever, till the 2 non swimmers have their life vests on. Coast guard approved life vests. I despise inflatable things that go on arms as I have seen them slip off or deflate unexpectedly. I also despise some of the pool and swim "toys" that people use in place of the aforementioned vests.
Now, don't get me wrong. I don't hate water, or kids in water. My wife is afraid to take all 4 to a water venue alone. I don't mind that. But there are rules. And a plan. And I never relax really.
On my "Lee Hates Em" list are swim suits that are supposed to keep your child afloat. They might, but they also might not. I have seen them work on some body types and not on others. Also, i hate floaty toys that kids sit in, and those rings that can go around their waist. (usually in the case of the latter, I see kids fall down inside the ring and be in "distress" in our lifeguard parlance.
One of my dear friends has a lovely pool. She has only one child and when we were invited to her pool last year, she had a number of the pool accoutrements on the infamous "Lee Hates" list. One was a tube gizmo that you sat inside. I wouldn't let my 2 youngest in it and i remember her asking why. I explained i was worried that they could tip it over and not get out of it. I tried my gentle pitch for a good life vest, saying that then the kids can create their own fun and you generally don't need all the toys. Course I was working hard not to a) offend a close friend and b) not sound like the cheapskate that I am who tends not to buy lots of toys! I could tell she wasn't buying what I was selling and we just changed the subject.
She called yesterday when I was at work, and wanted me to call her back. Her son had a scary incident with that sit inside float toy. It did what I said could happen. He tipped it over and because they are wide and kids only 3 are not, he could not get himself out, nor could he right it. Thankfully, his mom was beside the pool and jumped in and he never even really choked. (though he did totally scare himself) My friend wanted to know what kind of life vest to buy and is retiring the sit inside tube till he becomes a champion Olympic swimmer.
The reason I share this, is that drownings happen far too often in the summer. This is shaping up to be a hot summer where so many of us will seek refuge at lakes, ponds, oceans, or pools. One of the things my friend said was that her son was so quiet when he tipped over. He could not yell or scream because his head was underwater. He could not splash because the toy was on top of him and his legs were stuck in the air. If she had turned to answer the phone, take a sip of a beverage, it could all have been a very different, very tragic story. So if you have little kids, remember that the line between fun and tragedy could be a very thin one. And if you don't have kids, and you see someone else's kids having fun in the water, but perhaps the parent is a wee bit overextended and not watching closely--help out. You can do it without people even knowing you really are; I have a bunch of times.
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Excellent post. Rain just read an article yesterday about 'the sound of drowning'. Interestingly, if they are really drowning, they are almost always silent, NOT like in the movies where there is screaming and thrashing about.
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