Drowning doesn't look like drowning...

[debilorrah]

Spook, not a mortician, I worked at a mortuary. I worked with people choosing headstones, processing cremations, paperwork, etc. What did me in was the family that lost that child to the dog bowl, they wanted Winnie the Pooh on her stone. Disney said no. I harrassed those people mercilessly for months. Eventually, they sent a very nice letter and an original cel to the family, but never did give permission for their image to be used on a headstone. The family was happy with the outcome though.

 

[babylady4]

Thank you for posting this today; I added the link to my FB page to get the word out.

The kids were calling me paranoid when we were swimming today, but I would rather be overprotective at the beach then have something catastrophic happen...... I worked too dang hard to get them all here in the first place!



Debi, good for you. Stupid jerks at Disney should have gotten their heads out of their backsidees right away.

 

[Urban Chaos]

I nearly drowned at age 8 right in front of my parents. We had gone to the river to swim and I got caught in a slow, but strong current. I remember looking up and seeing the sky through the water it was so quiet and I knew I was dying. I just couldn't get my head up, I was being pulled along just under the surface. My mom said she watched me and yelled from the bank at another swimmer who was able to get to me. He just stuck his hand in and pulled me up. It was so surreal. But yeah, no splashing or anything. I watch my kids like a hawk and honestly dont take them swimming unless I have plenty of adult back up. I have 3 boys ages 11,6 and 3 so I don't feel comfortable with being the only one in case something happens to more than just one of them. Probably a totally irrational fear, but I dont mind sounding silly and still having my 3 angels to tuck in at night.

 

[4Hchickenproject]

Quote:
AMEN to that!

 

[JulieNKC]

I almost drowned at a swimming beach at a lake near here when I was around 7. Had just learned to swim, took a step too far out and panicked, forgot how to swim. I remember jumping up for what seemed forever, trying to get a breath and every time I jumped I went further out...Luckily my dad saw me in time and pulled me out. I was so close to people I was touching them as I was trying to get a breath, and no one noticed me drowning right in front of them. I can swim now, but am still scared of water and so am paranoid about my kids being around water. My 6 year old is a scaredy cat like me, thankfully, and doesn't argue with me making her wear a lifejacket in anything more than 2-3 feet of water. My 20 month old scares the crap out of me. She is fearless. We were at a water park today, and she was jumping in the pool, and testing out her lifejacket trying to float, but kept going sideways and under. She didn't care though, kept right on at it. Luckily the baby life jackets have that convenient handle on the top to haul them out, and she is never far enough from me that I can't reach her. Both girls will be going to swimming lessons in a few weeks, but don't think I'll ever be comfortable with them and water, which is ok. Don't want to be, seems every summer there is at least one story about a kid drowning every few weeks. I don't ever want that to be one of my children.

 

[The Yakima Kid]

Speaking of lifejackets and children. Something that really bothers me are parents who put lifejackets on their kids in a boat and then quit watching them. I have seen 40' sailboats where all of the adults were hanging out in the cockpit and the kids were all forward on the bow, leaning out under the lifelines. We have a little 23' catboat, and if we can catch them, I sail right up and tell them that they are going to lose a child overboard if they don't start paying attention.

The problem is that adults forget that a boat, of any size, is floating on the water, and that going overboard is easy for children to do. And even in SF Bay, with the chop, it can be hard to see an adult, let alone a child.

 

[froggie71]

I was at a community pool with my boys when they were younger. The youngest was still in diapers. Had the kids right in front of the lifeguard in the shallow end. Youngest was on a noodle. I turned away to see what the older 2 were up to. Somehow I was separated from him and he fell forward face 1st and couldn't get up. No one saw him. Not the people next to him nor the lifeguard. I got to him as fast as I could and he was scared, but fine. Had a heck of a time with him and water after that. He didn't like baths. Took him for swimming lessons and he cry the 1st 1/2 hour of a 45 min class

To this day (he is now almost 14) he doesn't like to get his face wet. Will only swim with goggles. Darn scary.
There was just a death of a 6 year old boy due to drowning at Knoebels Pool in PA.
http://citizensvoice.com/news/famil...bels-amusement-resort-1.1172498#axzz1SR1FHbJk

 

[ChicksterJo]

My mom tells this story of me almost drowning right in front of her. I never did learn how to swim until just last fall, in university, in a required swimming class for graduation requirements. Even though I can swim, I still have this rational fear of water. I have jumped into the 12' deep section of the school pool a few times, but only because the instructor was there. I don't think I would ever swim in a pool alone or even with a lifeguard. I will always have a 'swimming buddy' or I just won't swim at all.

 

[Forrest_Flock]

the first time I hopped into a pool I think I was six years old
they gave me three foam floaters on each arm because I'd never swum before
I pushed off from the edge and sank straight to the bottom, the instructor had to pull me up shrieking

The next time I dared go near water I was in fourth grade
I swim fine now, but that was embarassing.

 

[DuckyGurl]

Wow, such scary experiences. Hugs to all of you! Glad this helped.