It breaks my heart to hear of all the recent reports of people, especially children drowning this summer. On news sites people can leave comments and I find that too many of those comments are aimed at judging the parents. Our sense of justice demands to know who is responsible for this tragedy happening. The comments range from "What were the parents doing?" "Parents are too busy texting, reading or talking to watch their children" "These parents should be charged with the child's death." Oh we are so quick to judge, if someone is responsible for neglect then the same thing can't possibly happen to us. It gives us a false sense of security and allows us to believe that something similar couldn't happen to us.
When swimming all it takes is for you to breathe in when you should breathe out. Your lungs fill with water and you go down. There was a drowning on the Chester River, an adult jumped in from a boat to save a child who was having problems. He jumped in and never resurfaced. He didn't hit his head, have a heart attack or something equally dramatic. All he did was inhale as he hit the water instead of blowing out. Simple and tragic. A life jacket would have brought him to the surface where hopefully someone would have been able to help him.
When boating it is mandatory for kids to wear life jackets and many think that it should be mandatory when swimming. I can completely understand why kids don't want to wear the typical life jacket. They ride up and make you feel like you are choking unless there is that strap between the legs. However, life jackets with the crotch strap are only made for those 35 lbs and under. I have a toddler that loves the water and hates life jackets. We found a good solution in the "Stearns Puddle Jumper", it is coast guard approved and wraps around their chest and on their arms. She can sit in the boat without it choking her and she can swim freely with it on. Are life jackets full proof? No. Even with a life jacket an unconscious person could go face down and inhale water. What they do is allow a struggling person to float and be seen so that help can get to them quickly. Does this guarantee survival? No. Tragedy can strike us when we least expect it. All we can do is try to prepare for the "what if's", but that does not ensure that it won't happen. I hope and pray that such a horrible event does not happen in my life, but if it does, I hope that people are compasionate and caring, not judgemental.
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| stearns deluxe puddle jumper |
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