I’m a water guy. I love being around, in and under the water. Any chance I get, I go scuba diving—don’t really need to see anything special. Sometimes it is fun to just float around and blow bubbles.
I still vividly remember taking swimming lessons at Lake Chaweva as a child in Cross Lanes. We all got in the water at the beach and put our faces in the water to blow bubbles for the first time. Later we progressed to swimming across the lake as part of our more advanced drills. It seemed like I took swim lessons just about every summer.School has been out a month, but now that we’ve passed the Summer Solstice and the summer heat seems to have arrived in full force, everyone seems to be heading for the water: the beach, the lake, the local pool or the pool in their backyard. And with that comes the danger and nearly inevitable news stories of small children drowning in pools because someone took their eyes off of them for just a few moments. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take long and then the parents have to live the rest of their lives with tragedy.
There are some great pool and water safety tips on the Pool Safely website from the Consumer Product Safety Commission. A baby or toddler can drown in just a few inches of water. The water doesn’t have to be over the child’s head.
Here are a few:
· Never leave a child unattended in a pool or spa and always watch your child when he or she is in or near water
· Teach children basic water safety tips
· Have a telephone close by when you or your family is using a pool or spa
· If a child is missing, look for him or her in the pool or spa first
· Learn to perform CPR on children and adults, and update those skills regularly
· Understand the basics of life-saving so that you can assist in a pool emergency
I plan to spend quite a bit of time in the water with my daughters, at the beach and in the pool. I hope to see you out there. Just please, don’t become a news story or a statistic. Be aware of the dangers and make it a safe summer.