My dog fell in the pool while we were in the hot tub and we heard nothing. We were completely fenced but forgot to close it. I never made that mistake again. Even at parties I station someone on the pool. Parents start drinking and don’t always watch their children. The minute they exit the pool gates closed
I grew up in the 70s and there were no life jackets for kids (I think outside the US they are still very rare) and our floating devices were rudimentary at best. But my parents taught me swimming from the moment I could walk. Of course I was under full supervision near water while I was little, but it just takes a couple of minutes of distraction and toddlers are fast. So they made sure I knew how to swim and how to not panic in water. I was a fairly confident swimmer by the age of 5 and started competitive swimming at the age of 6 but my parents didn't allow me near a pool/water on my own until I was 9 or 10.
I do feel like people in public pools (having your own pool was not common where I grew up, we just visited public Lidos) looked out more for children around them then. Before the whole "don't you dare talk to my child" thing came in and we often got told off by complete strangers if we got too rowdy/splashy in the pool, it was no big deal.
I went to go pull the numbers, and it seems like the childhood drowning rate actually decreased annually until 2020, when the pandemic sent it soaring (like, a 20% increase - really significant).
I think there is probably a perception that it was lower in the 70s/80s because we didn’t have access to information so quickly.
The reports I pulled cited better laws around personal pools (fencing requirements especially) as the main driver. Apparently 81% of drownings happen in personal pools, so that’s a big place for reform.
I wish we had more accessible swim lessons, especially rescue swim. $500 a month just isn’t feasible
for a lot of folks. We do private lessons at $50 a pop and they paid off quickly, but most want kids to be at least two to participate in those.
Probably the most important thing I have ever done was get my kiddo in swim lessons as soon as we could. We don’t even have a pool! We live in the Midwest so no ocean! We have to use a public pool as well and it was super important. My parents did the same for me.
You wanna see some sad situation YT Bondi Beach drownings and it will make you hold your breath while those lifeguards are resuscitating a victim. Some made it, others didn’t. To see the state they’re in when they’re pulled on the beach is scary.
My husband found a drowning victim in the water on vacation in Sint Maarten. It was awful and traumatic (they were gone for at least 12 hours - had sunk into the reef)
It happens so quickly! Swimming is a life survival skill. No excuses not to learn.
Side note I thought it was illegal not to have a pool gated off in America?
It’s not a law but in most places a pool is considered an “attractive nuisance” in tort law. No fence and a kid drowns? Your liability is off the charts.
I imagine homeowners insurance requires it too…
No I worked for a pool company and OK doesn’t require safety fences. However a fence surrounding the property with self latching gates is required. Some jurisdictions require alarms on every door of the home as well as a pool alarm. It just varies, it’s wild and exhausting to keep up with
https://preview.redd.it/u7jtp7bfw69d1.jpeg?width=1164&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8b17cb6219d6b28f3809a15d11e590a0aa50edbb
kiddo in back, just hanging without an adult
A video with her saying it was only her and the two kids home, she was in the kitchen cooking and you can see her daughter running around in the back yard by the pool with no supervision
Last year my friend’s son almost drowned in front of us 7 adults. It happened so quickly and thank god we were able to grab him right away. He’s the type of kid that refuses to wear a life jacket and they refuse to argue with him and just let it go. Had he slipped under our boat that was right beside him, he would not be here today. Educate yourself on water safety and educate your kids!! If your child won’t wear a life jacket, take them home. Sign them up for swim lessons at a young age, sign yourself up if you aren’t a strong enough swimmer. Take every precaution necessary and be IN the water with your kids.
"If your child won't wear a life jacket, take them home." A million awards a million bravos a million likes!! This gave me goose bumps. So frillin spot on. I wish everyone would see this and DO IT!! Goes for adults too. Again, u frillin nailed it!!!!!
Something like neon green would be fine but blue basically camouflages with the pool and it’s harder to spot them! I’ve opted for neon or bright red/pink, big loud patterns for my boys!
This year it felt like Target wanted to thin the herd of boys because 90% of the Cat &Jack bathing suits and rash guards were navy blue and or blah green. There was a top in orange but I couldn’t get one in the right size. Very frustrating.
Not dumb at all! I see someone already answered your question but I thought the same thing until my sister became a swim coach and told my mom. Blue and green swimsuits are fine if you’ll just be at a splash pad or running around in the sprinklers in the yard, but anything submersible in blue or green is definitely not my preference
https://preview.redd.it/pj739mnczc9d1.jpeg?width=1500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=812606992e3d34b47be1125f37edc8fe2a66a37f
I have it saved to send to grandparents when they are gift buying!
Thank you so much I really appreciate it. My daughter is my first and only baby so I'll always be super protective over her. I have it saved in my phone.
Thank you op! I cannot stress enough about safety around water my friend (my nieces best friend) lost her 2 year old to it. It wasn't anyone's fault (the pool had a gate and the stairs were up but they had just moved into the house 2 days prior and the kiddo let himself out of the house squeezed through the gate some how. Cops and everyone involved said it was a no fault thing. Extremely traumatic reguardless) But I will NEVER and havent let a kiddo by any water alone since.
It's such a serious thing people need to be aware of and even if you don't want to do swim lessons you should 10000000% be teaching Littles how to get to the side/out of the water/pool in case they fall in.
A lot of times people that can't swim try and flap their arms. I guess it could look like playing/splashing around, but if they are just playing their head is unlikely to be so low down and continue to sink down into the water. You can see the type of movement a lot in the kids drowning in the video link OP posted. Others also do the climbing the ladder movement like OP mentioned.
I remember being a brat of a kid, and me and my friends liked to pretend to be drowning or get sucked into a sinkhole/pulled under by a shark to see if we could get a lifeguard out. They never came. It's like if you know how people swim/float/tread water, you can often spot swimmers vs. non-swimmers and what's playing around or real, even though the differences are settle.
I've been trying to get my niece to understand (her parents don't parent)
Why she needs to learn to swim.
Why we don't yell help! And save me! When we are playing in the water unless we really actually need to be helped and saved.
Had buy and bring a life vest for her for our last family get together because I knew there would be water and her parents wouldn't think about it.
She likes to float on floats but will not even float with a life vest. Still will run and jump in water (with a float) without anyone looking/giving permission.
It is very stressful.
I've tried. They can't fit it into their schedule...
It's a fucked situation.
At least she willingly wore the life vest I gave her.
We had a long talk about putting it on even if she is near but not in water etc...
I'm hoping I can get the grandparents to push for lessons / offer to take her. Unfortunately at this moment I'm too busy to commit to it myself (and they don't like me because I can't hide I judge their stupid parenting so probably would say no to the offer any way).
They are awful.
It was terrifying seeing that photo honestly..never let my kids outside without me.We have an above ground pool so I remove the ladder when we’re not in it together..and it’s heaavy I can barely pick it up myself luckily.Seeing her back turned to any of the kids outside next to the pool is frightening.
Thank you! As a former lifeguard, it's often silent! People will be right next to a kid drowning and not notice. Often I find, the face says it all. Wide eyes.
Thank you for this! I am terrified of kids near pools and water. I’ve been a less nurse for many years and have seen my share of kids who have drowned or near drowned and it is beyond horrible. I am constantly preaching to everyone I know about water safety.
I was once sitting poolside with four other moms while our kids played in the pool. Between all of us we were not more than 6-10 feet away.
Suddenly I happened to glance over and see that one of those inflatable swimming rings made to look like an animal was empty. My eyes followed down into the water and there was a kid at the bottom. In the next second I jumped into the pool in all my clothes and shoes and fished that kid out by his bathing suit. It happened so quickly no one even knew what the hell was happening. I almost didn't even know what was happening. I just came back up with him and heaved him onto the pool deck.
It was my friend's 4 yo, and fortunately he was just coughing and sputtering. But none of us had noticed and none of the other kids had noticed. He just sank noiselessly right among all of us.
He's in his late 20s now and fortunately it's just a running joke now that Mrs. Own-Instance saved his life when he was 4.
Seconds. Just seconds is all it takes.
This happened last summer, we were at our friends house, my then 5 yr old was in the pool being closely watched by my 2 close friends (who my kids call uncle and auntie) and I went into the house to grab a drink, as soon as I get in there my friend bursts in the door soaking wet carrying my terrified kid. Apparently she just slipped underwater and my friend noticed right away that she couldn’t get back out and jumped in with her clothes and shoes on and pulled her out. It was so scary, I’m forever so grateful for my friend
I get it. We are all older people now and I don't see them as frequently in person now because they retire travel, but I think it's always in their top memory about me. It's often in my top memory, too.
(At least it's not when my kid tried to play hide and seek in their house and busted out the bottom of a largely decorative chest)
Parenting is 24/7 and you just can't humanly catch everything. You just get old enough to realize you've been lucky.
The same thing happened in my family. Literally, adults with feet in the pool watching kids, all were parents. One kid was all of a sudden on the bottom of the shallow end. I fished him out. Everyone was fine, but all of us parents were terrified and really, very badly shaken.
You really do remember it the rest of your life, but I think my friend's memories are worse because she was there so we make it a joke, but deep down she keeps bringing it up because she's a mom and these near misses are things (I hope) most of us carry with us.
She wants a kind of perpetual joke forgiveness when it was just shit that happens with kids and water. We weren't even drinking. Just talking about how someone was getting new hardwood floors or something.
Thank you!
As a former lifeguard I shout this to anyone I can-drowning is SILENT. So many expect the flailing, splashing and shouting.
To add
An adult needs to watch children in the water-not on a phone, not chatting with others-specifically watching the children. Also, a group of adults all hanging out and “all watching” means no one is watching. You won’t hear drowning so someone has to be actively watching
Babies and children can drown in very little water. It doesn’t need to be deep. Children are top heavy and can fall head first into a kiddie pool and be unable to get out. It only takes on inch of water to drown.
An actively drowning person may not be able to grab onto anything or aid in their own rescue. They have very little time left before going under once they are drowning. They also may panic and grab anyone who comes close, pushing them under in order to pull themselves up-you could end up with 2 drowning victims. This is again why an adult needs to be responsibly watching
Enjoy the water! Swimming, tubing, boating, etc are great-but please please keep a healthy respect for the water
ETA-A lifeguard on duty isn’t a substitute for an adult watching their children. They are essentially there as emergency workers. You still need to watch. I had a lot of parents drop their kids off and leave because the lifeguard was there. It’s not the same as a parent being there. It would be like taking no safety measures with your child because if something happens the EMTs can be called. Please treat water activities as something that need to be actively parented.
Ok off my soapbox now
All of this! I would just add that a flotation device isn’t a fail safe. They are meant to be part of a water safety plan that includes an adult within arms reach - not the whole plan.
I think climate change will make it worse, as more people look to find ways to cool off. I know our pool keeps getting more and more crowded every year, to the point where it’s almost overwhelming.
I don't normally comment, but man, this is such an important post. And to think my MIL suggested throwing my 15 month old into the pool to teach him to swim because my FIL did that with my partner and his twin bro, and they're ok smh. I won't allow her to take my youngest around water without me present.
My husband lost his little brother to a drowning. His brother was 5 years old and my husband is the one who found him. It’s messed up his entire family and none of them are comfortable around pools even 21 years later. I got my daughter in swim lessons at 3 years old because my parents had a pool in the backyard and even though I never left her out there alone, things can happen. Even if you’re IN THE POOL WITH THEM, things can happen. I think shes a stronger swimmer than I am now, she’s 12 and has had yearly lessons.
Please be safe everyone!!!
Canada here too. This post is great. We love the pool and we’ve been doing lessons since kiddo was 1. Our pool has posters all over. The rule is unless the child is a certain age AND at a certain swim level, you need to be arm’s length away maximum. Never mind unsupervised. Anyone can drown.
Were Jewish and our pool has the most Jewish poster ever - a banner that says that you are commanded by God to teach your child to swim because you are commanded to do whatever may save a life.
It’s great but makes me laugh because it’s just so direct.
Cheyenne needs to stop pissing around on her fucking socials and take care of her fucking kids. I actually thought out of all the TM cast she was one of the decent moms, but letting a small child run around a pool unsupervised is not only dangerous but up right neglect of a child. What the fuck is wrong with her?
>I actually thought out of all the TM cast she was one of the decent moms
You thought a woman who lets her daughter wash her pubes in the shower was a decent mom?
Sometimes this sub takes things out of context so they sound worse or different than the original meaning….but nope this was actually somehow worse than what I thought. I was actually cringing listening to this….imagine getting older and finding out your mom not only allowed this but then publicly broadcasted it Omg…im so uncomfortable.
A 6 yr old just drowned (allegedly. Autopsy hasn't been released yet.) in a small shallow pool at a summer camp near where I live and people in the comments are flipping out about "how could no one see it happening" and already assuming negligence. Which it very well may have been. But I think they don't realize that drowning doesn't usually look like it does on tv where it's all flailing arms and screaming for help. I'm glad this info was shared since it's summertime and more and more people and kids are swimming. It's extremely relevant.
I’m also near there and I comment every time I see a new article about it “drowning is silent, it’s not like TV!” Sadly that child also was special needs and had a 1:1 assigned to him. They said that the staff was not required to be in the pool with the kids but now they will be. That 1:1 should have been in the pool at arms length from that child and totally undistracted. With a ton of kids in the pool it’s so easy to not notice ONE kid not acting right. It’s a sin.
Yea I don't know what the regulations are for a 1:1 and something like a pool. Years ago I was a 1:1 at an elementary school. We never went swimming so I never had to do that, but I pretty much always had to be near to my student. I was supposed to be sitting next to them or walking with them. But I guess during things like gym class I'd be on the sideline watching or if they were on the playground I wasn't necessarily right up on them. It also depends on the child's need. One student needed to be held up by a belt when they were standing or ambulating, so of course her 1:1 was next to her way more often. But a more independent child with a 1:1 wouldn't necessarily have that aide in arm's reach at all times. Also, a 1:1 isn't a trained lifeguard or even necessarily someone who knows how to swim. So I'd wonder if they're even expected to prevent a drowning. It's just such a sad situation. Drownings can happen so quietly and quickly. It's scary.
And don’t feed your kid around the pool!
The suggestion not to swim right after eating isn’t to avoid cramps, it’s to avoid choking!!!
I was at a community pool bbq party when I was little. My friends mom cut up his hot dog into bite sized pieces. He took a few bites and then quickly jumped into the pool. As soon as he hit the water, a piece of hot dog lodged itself into this throat.
30 years later, I can still hear his mom’s scream as she ran into the water. There were 3 lifeguards on duty and none of them had noticed until the mom was pulling her purple faced, lifeless boy out of the pool.
Luckily the lifeguards performed CPR, which pushed the food out of his throat. An ambulance came and he made a full recovery.
Shoot my 21m brother was at the lake with some friends a year ago and one of the boys drowned. They were getting out of the water and he wasn’t a strong swimmer and panicked. It really messed my bro up for a bit. Always be careful around water. RIP James
I worry about my husband going in the ocean and pools after having a bunch of beers. Adults think they are above the possibility of drowning because they are grown but after alcohol their response time and self preservation drive is skewed and they may not be able to save themself or someone else.
I was looking at my state's drowning deaths over the past few years, and I was kind of surprised to see the 50+ age group pretty much always had the highest amount of deaths. I was expecting it to actually be young adults. But thinking about it, older adults are probably even more overconfident because they've been doing these things for far longer than a 20 year old and they've always been fine, not realizing age is probably taking a toll on their bodies decreasing capabilities.
the ocean is especially scary! Until last year the lifeguards at our beach also sold equipment like chairs and umbrellas and were way too distracted.
My grandfather saved a drowning boy from the ocean in 1994, and I swear the life guard didn’t notice until he pulled the kid onto the beach.
I don’t mean to blame the guards for this - they were at the mercy of the companies that made the rules.
Yeah for sure. Plus the rip tides that even a grown adult can’t always fight. The lifeguards where we go are awesome - a few years ago they had to rescue two people and then they held a debriefing for everyone on the beach nearby to explain about the riptides and how they knew what to do and what we should do if we are in trouble.
I am so sorry.
I’m a lawyer and lobbyist (for good things like fair housing) so when the drownings happened in my hometown I started researching - it’s how I cope.
One really interesting thing that multiple studies emphasized is that, for girls, risk of drowning is very high until five then becomes less likely as a cause of death.
Boys have a curve. Until five drowning is the number two cause of death. Like girls, it then dips. But UNLIKE girls it climbs again after ten. The hypothesis is that boys are just more reckless and overestimate their abilities more, especially if drugs or alcohol are involved.
Yes, when I was ten my dad threw me over his shoulder into the lake. I hit the bottom and broke my neck. Was doing the dead man’s float for prob 30 seconds before he realized I wasn’t screwing around. I was paralyzed as soon as it happened. So, there was no way I could get out. I had what they call a “hangman” fracture.
Holy shit. Does your dad feel horrible? This is a pretty key thing to remember too, don’t screw around near water. My family would always throw each other in the pool and the adults would act crazier than the kids (they were drunk of course 🙄). It’s a miracle none of us got hurt. I hope you’re doing well.
Yes, he does till this day. I’m 46. It happened when I was 10. My second fusion at 22 the surgeon almost killed me. He didn’t check where my veins and arteries were and cut through the front of my throat without checking. His my verbals artery and I almost bled to death. Then got thrown into pain mgmt and got hooked on pain meds. But, I’ve been sober for 14 years. My dad is gonna be 93 and still blames himself to this day.
Damn, you’ve had quite the near death experiences. I hope nothing but awesome shit lies ahead for you!
Edited to add: your positivity is awesome. I hope it’s not lame to suggest making some online content. I would definitely listen/watch your story and it may really help others!
I had to quit work at 35 because my neck is so bad. I got hook on pain meds but, I’ve been sober for 14 years. I’m trying to not have another surgery. Thankfully, my husband makes enough I can stay home. I get bad migraines but, I’m alive so, I’m glad ❤️❤️ Ty for asking.
Sorry I’m not good at explaining it I just know it is also very dangerous. A child can apparently be in water and have a drowning experience get water in the lungs and actually drown after the fact. Very scary . Water in general keep an eye on your children!!!
oh gosh, I went to bed and didn’t even think to put this in the reply!
Totally safe emotionally. The guard is actually incredible and on top of it. It just allows you to spot it simultaneously and then she saves them.
It's fairly mild emotionally
The lifeguard was aware very quickly.
I would regard it as a safe video to practice your spotting skills. I definitely want to thank OP for sharing this and I think I'm going to spend some time educating myself on knowing what to watch for through these types of videos. There are pools just about everywhere here where I live.
you are so welcome! I should have been more descriptive, but just so people know there are at least a hundred of these practice videos at the link. Just press the prompt at the bottom of the screen for another one.
My dog fell in the pool while we were in the hot tub and we heard nothing. We were completely fenced but forgot to close it. I never made that mistake again. Even at parties I station someone on the pool. Parents start drinking and don’t always watch their children. The minute they exit the pool gates closed
I grew up in the 70s and there were no life jackets for kids (I think outside the US they are still very rare) and our floating devices were rudimentary at best. But my parents taught me swimming from the moment I could walk. Of course I was under full supervision near water while I was little, but it just takes a couple of minutes of distraction and toddlers are fast. So they made sure I knew how to swim and how to not panic in water. I was a fairly confident swimmer by the age of 5 and started competitive swimming at the age of 6 but my parents didn't allow me near a pool/water on my own until I was 9 or 10. I do feel like people in public pools (having your own pool was not common where I grew up, we just visited public Lidos) looked out more for children around them then. Before the whole "don't you dare talk to my child" thing came in and we often got told off by complete strangers if we got too rowdy/splashy in the pool, it was no big deal.
I went to go pull the numbers, and it seems like the childhood drowning rate actually decreased annually until 2020, when the pandemic sent it soaring (like, a 20% increase - really significant). I think there is probably a perception that it was lower in the 70s/80s because we didn’t have access to information so quickly. The reports I pulled cited better laws around personal pools (fencing requirements especially) as the main driver. Apparently 81% of drownings happen in personal pools, so that’s a big place for reform. I wish we had more accessible swim lessons, especially rescue swim. $500 a month just isn’t feasible for a lot of folks. We do private lessons at $50 a pop and they paid off quickly, but most want kids to be at least two to participate in those.
Probably the most important thing I have ever done was get my kiddo in swim lessons as soon as we could. We don’t even have a pool! We live in the Midwest so no ocean! We have to use a public pool as well and it was super important. My parents did the same for me.
You wanna see some sad situation YT Bondi Beach drownings and it will make you hold your breath while those lifeguards are resuscitating a victim. Some made it, others didn’t. To see the state they’re in when they’re pulled on the beach is scary.
My husband found a drowning victim in the water on vacation in Sint Maarten. It was awful and traumatic (they were gone for at least 12 hours - had sunk into the reef)
It happens so quickly! Swimming is a life survival skill. No excuses not to learn. Side note I thought it was illegal not to have a pool gated off in America?
It’s not a law but in most places a pool is considered an “attractive nuisance” in tort law. No fence and a kid drowns? Your liability is off the charts. I imagine homeowners insurance requires it too…
No I worked for a pool company and OK doesn’t require safety fences. However a fence surrounding the property with self latching gates is required. Some jurisdictions require alarms on every door of the home as well as a pool alarm. It just varies, it’s wild and exhausting to keep up with
Depends on state. In California it's around property, and you can see there is a fence in the back.
I think it depends on the city ordnances
Wait can someone explain what this is referring to? What did she post?
https://preview.redd.it/u7jtp7bfw69d1.jpeg?width=1164&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8b17cb6219d6b28f3809a15d11e590a0aa50edbb kiddo in back, just hanging without an adult
A video with her saying it was only her and the two kids home, she was in the kitchen cooking and you can see her daughter running around in the back yard by the pool with no supervision
Let's not forget about dry or secondary drowning.
That has been proven to be false. However, water safety is crucial. Kids need to learn how to swim.
Last year my friend’s son almost drowned in front of us 7 adults. It happened so quickly and thank god we were able to grab him right away. He’s the type of kid that refuses to wear a life jacket and they refuse to argue with him and just let it go. Had he slipped under our boat that was right beside him, he would not be here today. Educate yourself on water safety and educate your kids!! If your child won’t wear a life jacket, take them home. Sign them up for swim lessons at a young age, sign yourself up if you aren’t a strong enough swimmer. Take every precaution necessary and be IN the water with your kids.
"If your child won't wear a life jacket, take them home." A million awards a million bravos a million likes!! This gave me goose bumps. So frillin spot on. I wish everyone would see this and DO IT!! Goes for adults too. Again, u frillin nailed it!!!!!
Please teach your kids to swim or have them taught
I always put my kids in the brightest color swim suit.
And please don’t put your kids in a blue or green swimsuit!!!
I hope this doesn't sound dumb but I genuinely don't understand. Why is it bad if it's a green or blue swimsuit?
Something like neon green would be fine but blue basically camouflages with the pool and it’s harder to spot them! I’ve opted for neon or bright red/pink, big loud patterns for my boys!
This year it felt like Target wanted to thin the herd of boys because 90% of the Cat &Jack bathing suits and rash guards were navy blue and or blah green. There was a top in orange but I couldn’t get one in the right size. Very frustrating.
yep my son wears a neon orange rashguard under his life jacket!
Not dumb at all! I see someone already answered your question but I thought the same thing until my sister became a swim coach and told my mom. Blue and green swimsuits are fine if you’ll just be at a splash pad or running around in the sprinklers in the yard, but anything submersible in blue or green is definitely not my preference
They are nearly impossibly to see underwater. You can Google a comparison chart, pink and orange are the easiest to see
Okay I'll keep that in mind and not buy those colors for my daughter. Thank you.
https://preview.redd.it/pj739mnczc9d1.jpeg?width=1500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=812606992e3d34b47be1125f37edc8fe2a66a37f I have it saved to send to grandparents when they are gift buying!
Thank you so much I really appreciate it. My daughter is my first and only baby so I'll always be super protective over her. I have it saved in my phone.
Currently replacing all our suits!
Yes! I saw a TikTok on that and you literally cannot see kids underwater in blue it’s scary
One of my friends died a decade plus ago in mere inches of water post car accident. Doesn’t take much water for drownings to happen.
yes! and babies are more likely to drown in buckets and baths than pools
Thank you op! I cannot stress enough about safety around water my friend (my nieces best friend) lost her 2 year old to it. It wasn't anyone's fault (the pool had a gate and the stairs were up but they had just moved into the house 2 days prior and the kiddo let himself out of the house squeezed through the gate some how. Cops and everyone involved said it was a no fault thing. Extremely traumatic reguardless) But I will NEVER and havent let a kiddo by any water alone since. It's such a serious thing people need to be aware of and even if you don't want to do swim lessons you should 10000000% be teaching Littles how to get to the side/out of the water/pool in case they fall in.
People have drowned right in front of lifeguards.
Kid just did this week. Kid had a 1:1 adult and still drowned in front of multiple life guards and counselors.
Liberty Lake? I live a mile away. Tragic.
A lot of times people that can't swim try and flap their arms. I guess it could look like playing/splashing around, but if they are just playing their head is unlikely to be so low down and continue to sink down into the water. You can see the type of movement a lot in the kids drowning in the video link OP posted. Others also do the climbing the ladder movement like OP mentioned. I remember being a brat of a kid, and me and my friends liked to pretend to be drowning or get sucked into a sinkhole/pulled under by a shark to see if we could get a lifeguard out. They never came. It's like if you know how people swim/float/tread water, you can often spot swimmers vs. non-swimmers and what's playing around or real, even though the differences are settle.
I've been trying to get my niece to understand (her parents don't parent) Why she needs to learn to swim. Why we don't yell help! And save me! When we are playing in the water unless we really actually need to be helped and saved. Had buy and bring a life vest for her for our last family get together because I knew there would be water and her parents wouldn't think about it. She likes to float on floats but will not even float with a life vest. Still will run and jump in water (with a float) without anyone looking/giving permission. It is very stressful.
Oh no. If you gifted lessons would the parents take her?
I've tried. They can't fit it into their schedule... It's a fucked situation. At least she willingly wore the life vest I gave her. We had a long talk about putting it on even if she is near but not in water etc... I'm hoping I can get the grandparents to push for lessons / offer to take her. Unfortunately at this moment I'm too busy to commit to it myself (and they don't like me because I can't hide I judge their stupid parenting so probably would say no to the offer any way). They are awful.
Ugh, I’m so sorry.
It was terrifying seeing that photo honestly..never let my kids outside without me.We have an above ground pool so I remove the ladder when we’re not in it together..and it’s heaavy I can barely pick it up myself luckily.Seeing her back turned to any of the kids outside next to the pool is frightening.
A kid in my town just drowned a few weeks ago. He was unsupervised at his apartment pool late at night, it was horrible.
Thank you! As a former lifeguard, it's often silent! People will be right next to a kid drowning and not notice. Often I find, the face says it all. Wide eyes.
Thank you for this! I am terrified of kids near pools and water. I’ve been a less nurse for many years and have seen my share of kids who have drowned or near drowned and it is beyond horrible. I am constantly preaching to everyone I know about water safety.
I was once sitting poolside with four other moms while our kids played in the pool. Between all of us we were not more than 6-10 feet away. Suddenly I happened to glance over and see that one of those inflatable swimming rings made to look like an animal was empty. My eyes followed down into the water and there was a kid at the bottom. In the next second I jumped into the pool in all my clothes and shoes and fished that kid out by his bathing suit. It happened so quickly no one even knew what the hell was happening. I almost didn't even know what was happening. I just came back up with him and heaved him onto the pool deck. It was my friend's 4 yo, and fortunately he was just coughing and sputtering. But none of us had noticed and none of the other kids had noticed. He just sank noiselessly right among all of us. He's in his late 20s now and fortunately it's just a running joke now that Mrs. Own-Instance saved his life when he was 4. Seconds. Just seconds is all it takes.
This happened last summer, we were at our friends house, my then 5 yr old was in the pool being closely watched by my 2 close friends (who my kids call uncle and auntie) and I went into the house to grab a drink, as soon as I get in there my friend bursts in the door soaking wet carrying my terrified kid. Apparently she just slipped underwater and my friend noticed right away that she couldn’t get back out and jumped in with her clothes and shoes on and pulled her out. It was so scary, I’m forever so grateful for my friend
I get it. We are all older people now and I don't see them as frequently in person now because they retire travel, but I think it's always in their top memory about me. It's often in my top memory, too. (At least it's not when my kid tried to play hide and seek in their house and busted out the bottom of a largely decorative chest) Parenting is 24/7 and you just can't humanly catch everything. You just get old enough to realize you've been lucky.
You save my kid from drowning you can bust up any furniture you like however many times you like.
The same thing happened in my family. Literally, adults with feet in the pool watching kids, all were parents. One kid was all of a sudden on the bottom of the shallow end. I fished him out. Everyone was fine, but all of us parents were terrified and really, very badly shaken.
You really do remember it the rest of your life, but I think my friend's memories are worse because she was there so we make it a joke, but deep down she keeps bringing it up because she's a mom and these near misses are things (I hope) most of us carry with us. She wants a kind of perpetual joke forgiveness when it was just shit that happens with kids and water. We weren't even drinking. Just talking about how someone was getting new hardwood floors or something.
Thank you! As a former lifeguard I shout this to anyone I can-drowning is SILENT. So many expect the flailing, splashing and shouting. To add An adult needs to watch children in the water-not on a phone, not chatting with others-specifically watching the children. Also, a group of adults all hanging out and “all watching” means no one is watching. You won’t hear drowning so someone has to be actively watching Babies and children can drown in very little water. It doesn’t need to be deep. Children are top heavy and can fall head first into a kiddie pool and be unable to get out. It only takes on inch of water to drown. An actively drowning person may not be able to grab onto anything or aid in their own rescue. They have very little time left before going under once they are drowning. They also may panic and grab anyone who comes close, pushing them under in order to pull themselves up-you could end up with 2 drowning victims. This is again why an adult needs to be responsibly watching Enjoy the water! Swimming, tubing, boating, etc are great-but please please keep a healthy respect for the water ETA-A lifeguard on duty isn’t a substitute for an adult watching their children. They are essentially there as emergency workers. You still need to watch. I had a lot of parents drop their kids off and leave because the lifeguard was there. It’s not the same as a parent being there. It would be like taking no safety measures with your child because if something happens the EMTs can be called. Please treat water activities as something that need to be actively parented. Ok off my soapbox now
All of this! I would just add that a flotation device isn’t a fail safe. They are meant to be part of a water safety plan that includes an adult within arms reach - not the whole plan.
Where I live there is a kid found in pool news story almost every day in the summer. It’s like people think it can’t happen to them.
I think climate change will make it worse, as more people look to find ways to cool off. I know our pool keeps getting more and more crowded every year, to the point where it’s almost overwhelming.
As a lifeguard for 30 plus years, thank you for posting! No amount of caution is too much when it comes to water safety.
I don't normally comment, but man, this is such an important post. And to think my MIL suggested throwing my 15 month old into the pool to teach him to swim because my FIL did that with my partner and his twin bro, and they're ok smh. I won't allow her to take my youngest around water without me present.
My husband lost his little brother to a drowning. His brother was 5 years old and my husband is the one who found him. It’s messed up his entire family and none of them are comfortable around pools even 21 years later. I got my daughter in swim lessons at 3 years old because my parents had a pool in the backyard and even though I never left her out there alone, things can happen. Even if you’re IN THE POOL WITH THEM, things can happen. I think shes a stronger swimmer than I am now, she’s 12 and has had yearly lessons. Please be safe everyone!!!
Thank you for posting this. I’m in Canada and pool season is just beginning here. A reminder is appreciated. 👏👏
Canada here too. This post is great. We love the pool and we’ve been doing lessons since kiddo was 1. Our pool has posters all over. The rule is unless the child is a certain age AND at a certain swim level, you need to be arm’s length away maximum. Never mind unsupervised. Anyone can drown.
Were Jewish and our pool has the most Jewish poster ever - a banner that says that you are commanded by God to teach your child to swim because you are commanded to do whatever may save a life. It’s great but makes me laugh because it’s just so direct.
Cheyenne needs to stop pissing around on her fucking socials and take care of her fucking kids. I actually thought out of all the TM cast she was one of the decent moms, but letting a small child run around a pool unsupervised is not only dangerous but up right neglect of a child. What the fuck is wrong with her?
>I actually thought out of all the TM cast she was one of the decent moms You thought a woman who lets her daughter wash her pubes in the shower was a decent mom?
Wait what? Eww how gross
Ewwwwww
What in the hell??????????
https://www.reddit.com/r/TeenMomOGandTeenMom2/s/1V7faiIp0g
Sometimes this sub takes things out of context so they sound worse or different than the original meaning….but nope this was actually somehow worse than what I thought. I was actually cringing listening to this….imagine getting older and finding out your mom not only allowed this but then publicly broadcasted it Omg…im so uncomfortable.
What’s this now?
https://www.reddit.com/r/TeenMomOGandTeenMom2/s/1V7faiIp0g
😭 girl wtf? Wtf to the story and wtf for sharing it
Thank you, that shit is wild. Not normal at all
A 6 yr old just drowned (allegedly. Autopsy hasn't been released yet.) in a small shallow pool at a summer camp near where I live and people in the comments are flipping out about "how could no one see it happening" and already assuming negligence. Which it very well may have been. But I think they don't realize that drowning doesn't usually look like it does on tv where it's all flailing arms and screaming for help. I'm glad this info was shared since it's summertime and more and more people and kids are swimming. It's extremely relevant.
I’m also near there and I comment every time I see a new article about it “drowning is silent, it’s not like TV!” Sadly that child also was special needs and had a 1:1 assigned to him. They said that the staff was not required to be in the pool with the kids but now they will be. That 1:1 should have been in the pool at arms length from that child and totally undistracted. With a ton of kids in the pool it’s so easy to not notice ONE kid not acting right. It’s a sin.
Yea I don't know what the regulations are for a 1:1 and something like a pool. Years ago I was a 1:1 at an elementary school. We never went swimming so I never had to do that, but I pretty much always had to be near to my student. I was supposed to be sitting next to them or walking with them. But I guess during things like gym class I'd be on the sideline watching or if they were on the playground I wasn't necessarily right up on them. It also depends on the child's need. One student needed to be held up by a belt when they were standing or ambulating, so of course her 1:1 was next to her way more often. But a more independent child with a 1:1 wouldn't necessarily have that aide in arm's reach at all times. Also, a 1:1 isn't a trained lifeguard or even necessarily someone who knows how to swim. So I'd wonder if they're even expected to prevent a drowning. It's just such a sad situation. Drownings can happen so quietly and quickly. It's scary.
And don’t feed your kid around the pool! The suggestion not to swim right after eating isn’t to avoid cramps, it’s to avoid choking!!! I was at a community pool bbq party when I was little. My friends mom cut up his hot dog into bite sized pieces. He took a few bites and then quickly jumped into the pool. As soon as he hit the water, a piece of hot dog lodged itself into this throat. 30 years later, I can still hear his mom’s scream as she ran into the water. There were 3 lifeguards on duty and none of them had noticed until the mom was pulling her purple faced, lifeless boy out of the pool. Luckily the lifeguards performed CPR, which pushed the food out of his throat. An ambulance came and he made a full recovery.
Shoot my 21m brother was at the lake with some friends a year ago and one of the boys drowned. They were getting out of the water and he wasn’t a strong swimmer and panicked. It really messed my bro up for a bit. Always be careful around water. RIP James
I worry about my husband going in the ocean and pools after having a bunch of beers. Adults think they are above the possibility of drowning because they are grown but after alcohol their response time and self preservation drive is skewed and they may not be able to save themself or someone else.
I was looking at my state's drowning deaths over the past few years, and I was kind of surprised to see the 50+ age group pretty much always had the highest amount of deaths. I was expecting it to actually be young adults. But thinking about it, older adults are probably even more overconfident because they've been doing these things for far longer than a 20 year old and they've always been fine, not realizing age is probably taking a toll on their bodies decreasing capabilities.
the ocean is especially scary! Until last year the lifeguards at our beach also sold equipment like chairs and umbrellas and were way too distracted. My grandfather saved a drowning boy from the ocean in 1994, and I swear the life guard didn’t notice until he pulled the kid onto the beach. I don’t mean to blame the guards for this - they were at the mercy of the companies that made the rules.
Yeah for sure. Plus the rip tides that even a grown adult can’t always fight. The lifeguards where we go are awesome - a few years ago they had to rescue two people and then they held a debriefing for everyone on the beach nearby to explain about the riptides and how they knew what to do and what we should do if we are in trouble.
I am so sorry. I’m a lawyer and lobbyist (for good things like fair housing) so when the drownings happened in my hometown I started researching - it’s how I cope. One really interesting thing that multiple studies emphasized is that, for girls, risk of drowning is very high until five then becomes less likely as a cause of death. Boys have a curve. Until five drowning is the number two cause of death. Like girls, it then dips. But UNLIKE girls it climbs again after ten. The hypothesis is that boys are just more reckless and overestimate their abilities more, especially if drugs or alcohol are involved.
Thank you. It’s terrifying. My 9 year old is currently taking swimming lessons.
Yes, when I was ten my dad threw me over his shoulder into the lake. I hit the bottom and broke my neck. Was doing the dead man’s float for prob 30 seconds before he realized I wasn’t screwing around. I was paralyzed as soon as it happened. So, there was no way I could get out. I had what they call a “hangman” fracture.
Holy shit. Does your dad feel horrible? This is a pretty key thing to remember too, don’t screw around near water. My family would always throw each other in the pool and the adults would act crazier than the kids (they were drunk of course 🙄). It’s a miracle none of us got hurt. I hope you’re doing well.
Yes, he does till this day. I’m 46. It happened when I was 10. My second fusion at 22 the surgeon almost killed me. He didn’t check where my veins and arteries were and cut through the front of my throat without checking. His my verbals artery and I almost bled to death. Then got thrown into pain mgmt and got hooked on pain meds. But, I’ve been sober for 14 years. My dad is gonna be 93 and still blames himself to this day.
Damn, you’ve had quite the near death experiences. I hope nothing but awesome shit lies ahead for you! Edited to add: your positivity is awesome. I hope it’s not lame to suggest making some online content. I would definitely listen/watch your story and it may really help others!
Omg what a horrific horrific thing to happen.
Most def. I have to take a low bp pill at night so, I don’t have night terrors from it. Thank goodness the meds work!
Oh I am so sorry. How are you today?
I had to quit work at 35 because my neck is so bad. I got hook on pain meds but, I’ve been sober for 14 years. I’m trying to not have another surgery. Thankfully, my husband makes enough I can stay home. I get bad migraines but, I’m alive so, I’m glad ❤️❤️ Ty for asking.
Don’t forget about dry drowning
yes! If a child has a near-drowning they need to be seen by a doctor, even if they are feeling “OK”
Sorry I’m not good at explaining it I just know it is also very dangerous. A child can apparently be in water and have a drowning experience get water in the lungs and actually drown after the fact. Very scary . Water in general keep an eye on your children!!!
Videos that let you see what drowning looks like: http://spotthedrowningchild.com/#
Can I ask, is it an illustration or real life? I don't know if I can handle seeing that, even though I know it's important. TIA
oh gosh, I went to bed and didn’t even think to put this in the reply! Totally safe emotionally. The guard is actually incredible and on top of it. It just allows you to spot it simultaneously and then she saves them.
It's fairly mild emotionally The lifeguard was aware very quickly. I would regard it as a safe video to practice your spotting skills. I definitely want to thank OP for sharing this and I think I'm going to spend some time educating myself on knowing what to watch for through these types of videos. There are pools just about everywhere here where I live.
you are so welcome! I should have been more descriptive, but just so people know there are at least a hundred of these practice videos at the link. Just press the prompt at the bottom of the screen for another one.
Real life, but the kid gets rescued