I am a member of an online group that is made up of parents or caregivers of near drownings. There are some that are older and have had car accidents that have caused them to nearly drown, or a few that have had chokings which also has the same outcome of anoxic brain injury.
Anyway, I was reading the group emails this morning and there are two new members today. I took time to go to the web site of the first child that was mentioned. He was four, with a friend for a playdate. The other little boy's father was making the boys a sandwich for lunch and the boys found a box, climbed over the fence and made it to the neighbor's pool. The water was very cold. They both drowned. The first is in critical condition, the second is making steady progress.
The next story I read this morning is about a family who had a three year old and a teenager. The teenager had a pool party and some of the teens put a shoe in the door because they were tired of entering a security code each time they went in the house. The little child was watching cartoons. The party ended and the parents were cooking in the kitchen, heard the show end and went to check on the child. They looked 20 minutes, everywhere but the pool because there were two locked doors to get to the pool. This child is unresponsive and the doctors are suggesting organ donation.
I am shocked and horrified each time I read about another child that has had this same accident. A swimming pool should be treated like a loaded gun! It is not a rare occurence, it happens too often.
Knowing what I now know, after experiencing this first hand and visiting with too many mothers who are living this, I would not have a pool with a child under six years old. My child would have swimming lessons as soon as possible because there are bodies of water everywhere and you cannot be everywhere. If I had a pool I would have every alarm system made so that if anyone fell into the pool we would know. I would not leave my child with a friend or relative that had a pool . I know that sounds harsh, but I have just read too many stories. I am finished having children. I only hope that these stories prevent another. It just breaks my heart...
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6 comments:
Thank you so much for this warming and reminder. My husband had a young man working for him whose 2 year old daughter drowned. She was dead when they found her. She drowned in a small wading pool in her mother's backyard. There was only a few inches of water but a little tyke like that should never be alone. From what I understand she had wondered off and when her mom went searching she found her.
We also had a family in a town near us when we lived in Nebraska that had four children who died in their bathtub as somehow an electric hair blower that was plugged in fell in the tub and they were electrocuted.
We need to be so careful with our children.
Thank you again and God Bless!
that is so sad and breaks my heart to hear a story like this. It does happen far to often. thanks for helping to get the word out.
It is so sad, I know, a young mom at my church just buried her three year old son Friday - because of drowing in her parents pool. It is so sad that this had to happen.
Thanks for the reminder and getting the word out!
p.s. thanks for stopping by my FIF.
That is just so heart breaking. I saw all too many of these type things before I "retired" from nursing. I'm glad you have posted this important safety reminder. It happens all too easily.
My husband has been begging for a pool every summer since some kind of above ground pool was a financial possibility for us. Every year I say 'no' because only two of our four children are over the age of six and those are also the only two who have had swimming lessons (and neither really seemed to like the lessons much which doesn't make me feel much better about them in the water). So every year he calls me "overprotective" and I feel bad, but I stand my ground. As I read this, I felt like all my concerns were validated. And I would rather have this fight with him every summer than put a pool in our yard before we are 100% ready for one. It's just nice to know I have good reasons for feeling this way.
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