I was at the YMCA this morning, where a small child was almost drowned. It was a beginners' class of about fifteen children under five, with five children per teacher, as well as a lifeguard. The parents and guardians were looking on from the other side of the glass. It is a good thing that a certain mother and grandmother were watching very closely, because one little boy went under; the teachers and the lifeguard did not notice. The two ladies pounded on the glass and the teacher pulled the little boy out of the water. It was very frightening, because once a small child is submerged, it is hard to see them, and they cannot cry for help. It was afterwards suggested to the director of the YMCA that either an extra lifeguard or an extra teacher were needed for so many small children.
Parents, please keep watch over your small children when they are anywhere near water this summer. Especially four and five year olds, who sometimes appear to know what the rules are, but really, they do not. Sometimes teenagers can be trusted to watch little ones, if they do not get distracted. It is best to have a life jacket of some kind on the child if they are playing near the water. Accidents can happen in the blink of an eye.
That is my two cents.
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4 comments:
And it's a priceless 2 cents' worth.
The body is amazingly strong, extremely tough, but it doesn't take much to drown it at any age.
We were at a huge outdoor pool the day a 24-year old was pulled from the bottom. It was extremely hot that day, so the pool was packed with swimmers. Complicating matters of visibility was the blue bottom of the pool, which had lost some of its paint in big swatches all over, so that a Latino man in a blue bathing suit, who had turned blue, was not easily spotted. He'd been horsing around with his girlfriend prior to that, grabbing her then disappearing. She'd thought he was just playing until 15 minutes went by and he still hadn't reappeared.
They did everything they could. It didn't help. But they have since graded out the deepest part, repainted the bottom very light, and the guards constantly scan by chair and by foot on crowded days.
Gypsy
Thank God the child was alright. You have to be on your toes all the time with children. My wife didn't let Genevieve out of her eye shot until she was 12 ecen outside. Kids are precious, to valuable to be alone.
de Brantigny
This comment is totally off topic but I didn't know where to post it: I received both of your books today! I can't wait to read them! God bless!
Not off-topic at all, Coffee. Let me know how you enjoy them and if you have any questions!
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