Saturday my
children were swimming within 3 feet of each other, and within 5-8 feet of
me, it took me a minute to realize my son Jack was under the water struggling
to get up. Silently. Would it surprise you to know we were at their swim lessons?
At the time, there was one lifeguard in the pool with him
and about 7 instructors in the pool, including his instructor who had just
finished his lesson. While he was so close, and my eyes were on the pool, my
daughter was actually the one causing the distraction as she wandered a bit off
course and my eyes, the lifeguards and the instructors were glancing at the danger she was putting herself into.
Long enough for Jack to lose his footing and thrash. Silently.
This was a great lesson in pool safety that even when you
think your child is safe with trained supervisors around them there’s still
risk. A parent who lost their child to drowning once told me the safest pool is
no pool, however I don’t know if that is reasonable. I don’t want my children
to fear the water, but I do want them to be trained to react with skills and
knowledge that will keep them safe.
Maybe 5 seconds passed from the moment I saw Jack lose his
footing, begin to flail his arms and for me to yell “hey, hey” at the lifeguard
by his side, before Jack was scooped up. Quick reaction in my book and I don’t
hold resentment to the lifeguard, or anyone else – this is the water. From his
lessons Jack was able to maintain his composure and get air while trying to get
back on his feet.
We can’t be watching our children every second, but we
can’t take things for granted either. If our children are in swim lessons, they
don’t know how to swim -- they are there learning. Which means as parents, our eyes need to be on them
too, not on our phones and not chatting it up with the other moms. Same goes for the country club, gym, lake, ocean, wherever we take our
children this summer. Don’t assume your child is safe because there’s a
lifeguard stationed there. They’re human and faced with many distractions in
the pool. Just like moms.
Here are some great tips to stay safe in the water, offered by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
