It’s
March Break, you’re packing your suitcase and headed away to a sunny
destination, or maybe an indoor waterpark – or perhaps a staycation in a nearby
hotel with a pool. Before you go, take a
moment to read an article that was posted a few summers on our momstownBurlington message board – Drowning Doesn’tLook Like Drowning. I read it, I shared it, I felt it was
important enough to remember. The line “Parents: children playing in the water make noise.
When they get quiet, you get to them and find out why” has always stuck in my head. Fast forward to our weekend away last
weekend. It had some rather disastrous
moments, including the fact that I got the flu.
So when it came time to go down to the pool with the kids, I sat on the
edge and asked Hubby to go in with them.
As Hubby splashed with our oldest, our 3 year old twins played
and floated on the stairs. Bug took
particular delight in holding on to the hand rail and letting her legs float up
from underneath her. I watched the three
of them enjoy the water in the shallow and relatively small hotel pool. And then I caught sight of Bug. Her head had slipped under the water. She couldn’t get her balance. She was trying to bob up, but wasn’t making
progress, because she couldn’t get her footing. She made no noise. Her arms didn’t break the surface. It was quiet.
It was frightening. I was 2 feet away, and it was less than 3 feet of
water.
Daddy reached her first and pulled her out of the water. After wrapping her in a towel and hearing her
tell me that she couldn’t breathe – we had a serious cuddle. And then what happened you might ask? I let her go back to the water. What?!
Back In?! All I knew was that,
that particular moment could not define her memories of being in the water –
even if it will always define mine. So
Daddy stayed close, I stayed closer and she splashed away happily for 10 more
minutes. All the while, my heart
pounded, and I continued to remember that drowning
doesn’t look the way it does in the movies, there are no screams for help and
there are no big splashes.
So while you’re away this March Break. Please remember that kids make noise in the
water, and watch them carefully. Enjoy
every moment with your family and play safe.
1 comment:
this is so scary, we had have a similar issue at our pool, it just happens SO fast. So glad everyone is fine and putting her back in the pool was the best call, back on the horse so they say.
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