My family loves to swim. Water runs through our veins. My children learning to swim has been an important theme in my parenting. I enrolled them in swimming lessons for the first time when they were in preschool. Over the years, I have become more particular when it comes to indoor pools. If I can’t be solely in charge of their safety then I’m extremely critical about the pools life-guarding program.
Our first lessons were at a High School Pool where the students taught the lessons. The pool was deep, requiring a small ledge for the toddlers and as they moved up, they slowly moved to areas of the pool where they simply hung onto the ledge. Classes consisted of about three to five kids per instructor. Two life guards sat on stands looking out over the water. I can’t tell you how many times, I saw them accidentally overlook children having emergencies. They say children drown quietly. It’s true, it’s not just something you read about in a magazine or watch on the evening news. Drowning isn’t a freak accident. I nearly watched it happen with my own eyes. It was my own child.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death for children ages 1-4. On average 356 drowning deaths occur in pools and spas of children ages 0-14 as reported to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) from 2012-2014.
One of the first incidents where I watched an emergency happen was during the transition period between classes. As the swim instructors were greeting their next class, there was a myriad of little bodies and parents. An overeager boy jumped in over his head. I watched him from the bleachers as he was treading water. Other parents around me were whispering, concerned and waiting for the lifeguards to intervene. The lifeguards didn’t even notice. Panic overtook the crowd but still no one said anything. So me, being the crazy helicopter parent I am, stood up, cupped my hands around my mouth and yelled out. “There’s a kid in the Pool!”
This couple in front of me looks up and says. “Yeah, thanks. That’s our kid and he knows how to swim. We’re actually hoping he’ll get in trouble with the lifeguards so he’ll learn.”
Well, okay, that’s great but I’m not going to feel guilty about yelling. What if it had been an emergency? Those lifeguards didn’t even notice! The second incident was with my own daughter. She moved from the preschool class to hanging from the side of the pool over her head. A rather boisterous little boy, clambered onto her back while the instructor was working with another child. She went under, her little hands were torn from the side of the pool. I stood up, looking directly at the lifeguards who were oblivious to the entire incident. The instructor still hadn’t noticed. I started running. I watched her little hands attempting to doggy paddle. I saw her slipping under the water, quietly and gracefully, without making so much as a sound. I yelled at the lifeguards because I’m that crazy mom who always reacts.
“My daughter is drowning!”
They reach her just as I reach her. Her little nose is the only part of her above water. We pull her up and I respectively let the lifeguard and instructor know what happened. I decided after that to find a different place for swim lessons. In the end I opted to work with my daughters myself.
After our move, I found an incredible pool at a community center. Water safety is their main priority. Their lifeguards walk around the circumference of the pool in teams of three to four, watching the water and even searching the bottom for anyone who may have slipped under. They are ready to blow that whistle for just about anything. During their swim lessons, they physically teach kids how to react in a drowning emergency and how to safely throw a rescue buoy towards a person in danger.
I’ve also been impressed with vacation hot spots, such as The Great Wolf Lodge. My daughter hit my husband’s knee while going down one of the large water slides. The lifeguards watched it happen and they had the entire slide shut down by the time we reached them. They apologized for over-reacting when it was discovered she was fine. We just thanked them and praised them for their quick reaction.
Children drown quietly. Before I witnessed it, I thought it was honestly just something you read about in parenting magazines. If you are planning on enrolling your child in swim lessons, choose a facility with an advanced lifeguard program. Most importantly, remember to be vigilant. You are your child’s first lifeguard.
