She Could Have Drowned

by Catherine Ipcizade | More from this Blogger

05 Jul 2006 01:23 PM

I'm talking pool safety here. I know, I know, everyone knows to watch your kids around water, right? Wrong. Each year hundreds of children die because parents turn their backs for "just a second." It happens in my state. It happens in yours.

Kids drown silently. You might know this figuratively, but until you've seen a child sink silently into the water, you may not realize how quietly. A few weeks back my husband and I took our children, ages five and two, to the pool at our apartment complex. It's a large pool and we had a great time. I got out and took our daughter, age two, out with me and took off her floaties. After all, we were going to go home and my husband and son would be coming out in a second, too. I had her sit on the chair directly next to me while I grabbed my shirt and shorts to pull on over my bathing suit. In the second it took me to turn around and pull my clothes on, my daughter walked into the pool. I turned just as she stepped off the last step and watched her sink. She made no noise, no sound at all. She just sunk. I flew into the pool in my clothes and grabbed her within literally half a second, so she was fine, but the experience was terrifying. My husband hadn't seen her go in, and because she made no noise, he hadn't heard her either. If I hadn't turned at that moment, she could've drowned.

That's why I feel this article is important. I'm a good mom. I watch my kids like hawks. They never go swimming without sunscreen, they never walk across a street without my hand holding theirs, they aren't allowed to leave my side for a second in public, etc. But still, accidents happen, and they happen fast. Hope my story prompts you to make sure your kids are safe this summer, too.

Learn more about Catherine Ipcizade

Cathy Ipcizade is 30 years old and currently resides in Southern California. Prior to coming to California she grew up in Arizona.

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