Teach your grandkids and / or kids to swim

[Onebadcad]

Wife had a rough day yesterday at the hospital, as two near-drownings.
After the ER role, she took them up to her floor, PICU, both will THANKFULLY be good in a few days.

Both could have been avoided, as I believe 2-year old and 3-year old.
I cannot get into specifics, as wife cannot tell such.

The wifey and I made sure all three daughters were very good in the water by 15 months, all were very good swimmers before age 2.

Many young lives can be saved with lessons, and additional lessons.

As an aside, maybe I am getting older, as I cannot recall any swim lessons as a kid, I just remember being able to swim as a young kid, no formal lessons, just picked it up very easily, but I also grew up in England, the dangers of drowning in SE FL today are 100+X more likely.

[LisaJohn]

Oh wow. I agree about the swimming lessons. Our sons were swimming by 3. Taking the grand to swim lessons this week. He went to a baby safety class, had lessons last summer, and a refresher safety class in March. And we still don’t take our eyes off of him in the pool. I hope the kids have a speedy recovery and your wife too.

[Giraffe (He/Him)]

My grandfather was a swimming instructor in the Navy at Pearl. (After the bombing) Needless to say I learned to swim right along with learning to walk.

I can still waterski too at 60 years old. I was a little wobbly kicking off that second ski but I stayed up.

[Onebadcad]

I hope to have grandkids soon, rather than later.
When they get here, swim lessons will be one thing I will do with them.

I still remember in 2000 when I bought my current home, my youngest daughter was not yet 1-year old, the wife and I agreed not to view any listed homes with a pool, and we did such.

[Nox]

One of my earliest memories was when I was around three years old. I had been placed on a raft in the ocean and a wave crashed over it and knocked me into the water. I distinctly remember opening my eyes and seeing the sand and the waves crashing overhead. Instead of panicking, I became fascinated by water. This eventually lead to me becoming a certified diver and later a professional diver. I have had a lifelong fascination with water because of that one incident when I was three.

[VITE1]

I learned how to swim when I was young. I taught my kids how to to swim when they were 1-2 years old. We have 5 grand kids and I teach them every chance I get.

[Mick]

Neighbor's son, about 8 years old, drowned in a local pool. Some bystanders saw him on the bottom of the pool, pulled him out, and started CPR. Some other bystanders saw them performing CPR, and called 911. The lifeguards asked what was going on when the paramedics arrived.

The paramedics took one look at him, grabbed him, and ran back to the ambulance, shouting "we're going to Overlook (hospital)" over their shoulder as they ran. When the family got to the hospital, they sat and waited for a while, when the Doctor came out and said "I would like to meet the very lucky ___________ family! He said he had been working emergency for over 20 years, and the paramedics would bring him a couple of kids each year who looked just like that, their boy was the first one he ever got back.

Yeah, I agree with the swimming lessons thing. I also recommend that parents take the same view I do when their kids are in the water: a lifeguard is AT BEST a bad backup.

[Onebadcad]

A few stories:

1) I taught myself, I was youngest of three brothers, we were tight, looked out for each other in the water, we would go to the beach on weekends and swim out 0.25+ mile, I was around 7 years old, our dad sat on the beach and drank his beer and read his book, no one else was close to us that far out, we were young idiots, as I remember it took every breath I had to touch bottom and resurface--maybe 20+ feet, I was too damn young to know of the dangers

2) One time when visiting the beach, there were red flags along the water, me and my bros were too ignorant to know why, we stayed in the ocean for about two hours and then a beach patrol jeep came by and yelled at us to get out, still not sure if a good riptide can defeat a good swimmer

3) Lastly, sad one, the wife was working on a Saturday, was on PICU floor and got called down to ER, as drowning victim enroute, ER doc met the ambulance at the entrance, his wife and his child were in the ambulance, child drowned in their home pool, child could not be saved, I believe their marriage could not overcome the severe loss

[ZipZap]

Grew up near the ocean, so I was on a foamy by 5 and on a surfboard by 7. When I went away to school, I was astounded that anybody, let alone someone old enough to go to college, was unable to swim.

[Anjdog2003]

I had my children swimming at 2 and 3 years old, and they could dive. I lived across the beach and when they were in elementary, junior high and high school that was my baby sitter when i was at work. I never worried about rip currents or large waves. Once they hit 7-8 they could go out by themselves while i was at work. All their friends could surf and swim as good as adults. This was our next door neighbor who my kids went to school with and hung out with.






Heard too many stories of kids drowning in pools and the ocean.

[Onebadcad]

Originally Posted by ZipZap

Grew up near the ocean, so I was on a foamy by 5 and on a surfboard by 7. When I went away to school, I was astounded that anybody, let alone someone old enough to go to college, was unable to swim.

I still remember those styrofoam wakeboards, you could use them for maybe an hour before the HUGELY red rash would settle in.

I had a ton of beach days, in my youth, from age 7 - 15, never once do I remember leaving the water for a drink or food, once you got in you stayed in.

Like swimming, I taught myself to dive, I could do a 1.5 off a 1-meter when I was 9, should have stayed with it and competed against the women.

[ZipZap]

Originally Posted by Onebadcad

I still remember those styrofoam wakeboards, you could use them for maybe an hour before the HUGELY red rash would settle in.

I had a ton of beach days, in my youth, from age 7 - 15, never once do I remember leaving the water for a drink or food, once you got in you stayed in.

Like swimming, I taught myself to dive, I could do a 1.5 off a 1-meter when I was 9, should have stayed with it and competed against the women.

We invented rash guards, white t-shirts at that time, because of the foamies tearing the nipples off.

[Onebadcad]

Originally Posted by ZipZap

We invented rash guards, white t-shirts at that time, because of the foamies tearing the nipples off.

You should have advised this dood:

[mrvette]

I wuz early teens when Dad joined a new country club, and so I went 'swimming' as he did 18 holes......ran into a gym coach as head lifeguard for the summer there, he taught me how to swim in about 30 minits, I prefer to play on a boat of most any type though.....

[LATB]

Grew up with a built-in pool. Swimming was part of summer life. I was diving for quarters in the deep end as a youngster.

[Frankie the Fink]

Son-in-law had 18 month old grand daughter swimming underwater in our pool several times. Scared the living bejeezus out of me but didn't faze her one bit. Childhood drownings are almost entirely preventable.

[ZipZap]

Originally Posted by Onebadcad

You should have advised this dood:

Wrong thread Andy is over there>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I've rarely run far enough to break a sweat, let alone bleed.

[LATB]

Originally Posted by Nox

One of my earliest memories was when I was around three years old. I had been placed on a raft in the ocean and a wave crashed over it and knocked me into the water. I distinctly remember opening my eyes and seeing the sand and the waves crashing overhead. Instead of panicking, I became fascinated by water. This eventually lead to me becoming a certified diver and later a professional diver. I have had a lifelong fascination with water because of that one incident when I was three.

Thread win ^^

[tjfontaine]

I was lucky - they built the new public pool in our small town right across the street from our house. I was 6. Took swimming lessons right away - did very well ... went all the way up through Sr. lifesaving and WSI ... was on high school swim team.

[LisaJohn]

Yesterday was day 3 of swim lessons for the grand. Teacher had all six kids jumping in and swimming across the pool. Even the two criers were not crying. The teacher said she was impressed and proud of this group.