“We as parents make all the life saving decisions for our kids, we choose to buckle them in the car, we choose to tell them not to go into the street, we choose to teach them how to swim….they can’t make those choices on their own” ~ Stacey Pollock
It happened so fast. I had turned to pack a few items in our bag as we prepared to leave the pool. When I turned back to look for my 18 month old son, I was horrified to see him floating on his back in the water without his life jacket. He must have been in shock as he was surprisingly silent. The first thing I noticed was the horrified look on my toddlers face as I grabbed him and pulled him from the water. He began to cough and I nearly fainted with relief when I realized that meant he was still breathing. I clung to him tightly while I calmed my racing heart and tried to steady my nerves enough to walk again.
As soon as I was able to move again, I ran to the office and asked to see their security videos showing what had happened at pool. I had heard about dry drowning and I feared that he was at risk for that as well. Before calling his pediatrician, I needed to learn what had happened and exactly how long he had been in the water. The video played and I watched my son standing next to me, wearing his life jacket. I reach over and unbuckle it and I see him playing next to me while I gathering our towels and toys. When I look up and realize that he is no longer standing next to me, I begin to frantically look around the pool area before my eyes come to rest on him, bobbing up and down in the spa. I sprint over and pull him from the water and clutch him to me.
As if it wasn’t traumatizing enough when it happened, watching it was like getting the wind knocked out of me. It literally took 24 seconds from the time I turned my back until the moment I pulled him from the water. I can’t even begin to express how guilty I felt – and still feel. I was one of the fortunate ones. Many parents aren’t so lucky.
You can bet that I always make sure that my son wears his life jacket, fully buckled, whenever we are near a pool but that’s only a basic safety measure, and isn’t nearly enough. I am now more aware than ever about the need for constant vigilance. Its more than just a life jacket, swimming lessons, awareness, as a life jacket is just a false sense of security as well.
Now I ask that you join me in helping others realize this before it’s too late. Take the pledge and spread the message that Simple Steps Save Lives. Taking the Pledge will also enter you into drawing for a chance to win a $100 gift card from Amazon, compliments of D&D Technologies! Not bad, huh?
THE PLEDGE: Every child deserves to be protected. I pledge to spread the message that Simple Steps Save Lives to my family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. I will let people know that adding as many proven water safety steps as possible is the best way to assure a safe and fun experience at pools and spas, because you can never know which one might save a child’s life — until it does.
Click here to take The Pledge
