Water Safety Skills
Summertime is in full swing so let’s go to the pool, the lake, the beach, or just anywhere there is water. Pack a cooler, slather on the sunscreen, pull on your swimsuit, and bring the kids. You and your kids are definitely going swimming right? You aren’t just going near the water to look at it… you are going to swim. Yes?
For parents, the idea of their children going near a pool or open body of water can either be incredibly exciting or insanely terrifying. Odds are, you are either in one camp or another - excited or terrified, there is no middle ground with children and water. You either have the confidence that your child can safely navigate bodies of water or you don’t.
I say “safely navigate water” instead of “swim” intentionally.
Swimming is not the only way children, or adults, interact with bodies of water. There are kiddie pools with hardly any water in them that can still pose a risk, same with the bathtub. Finding a nice spot on the beach that is right next to the waves can be a risk. Going for a pontoon ride, walking on a dock, and floating on a tube can also be risky. A person needs to have common sense with water, period. That common sense starts at a young age.
Fear of Children Near Bodies of Water
Here is a basic question - are you comfortable in the water? If you are uncomfortable in the water, then it is highly likely that you have avoided the water for both yourself and your child. Children learn from observation and from the opportunities caretakers put in front of them. If you don’t have confidence in your ability to safely navigate the water, then your child won’t either.
You may think that if you don’t go to the beach or a pool party, then you don’t have to deal with the fear of your child potentially swimming or, worst case, drowning. I get the thought process and avoidance of situations that can put your child at risk of drowning - it’s one of my biggest fears as a parent. AND I also know it is our responsibility as parents to teach this skill to our children.
I’m not the only parent who is afraid of their child drowning. According to Stop Drowning Now, there are some staggering statistics on drowning:
For children, drowning is the leading cause of unintentional injury-related death in children ages 1 - 4 and then for ages 5 - 9. Meaning younger children have a higher risk of unintentionally drowning and it is still the leading cause of unintentional death for older children too.
Another staggering statistic - 23% of drownings happen at family gatherings near a pool.
Further, males are at a higher risk of drowning than females.
As I researched unintentional injury-related death in children, it made the fear of my child drowning even more real for me. My child is 2 years old, we live one block away from Lake Michigan, and my child is a male. I thought about all the young men who have accidentally drowned in Lake Michigan each summer, which is reported in our local news. The fear feels pretty real to me anytime we go to the beach or a friend's house who has a pool. Like I said, I understand the parental fear of my child drowning.
I cannot let my own fears as a parent be projected onto my child. I cannot allow my concerns to hold back the growth and opportunities for my child. I cannot let the fear win, I have to work through it so that my child can thrive. I must be the strong mother that my son needs so he can learn, have confidence, and be safe when interacting with water.
Sounds simple…
Giving Your Child Water Safety Skills
How do you give water safety skills to your child? Water is so much fun and an amazing experience for children. We don’t want to instill our fears in our children AND we also need them to be safe. I believe it starts with you, the parent, setting the example and setting the boundaries with water. There are SO many ways that you can do this as a parent and many of them are really simple. You can talk with your kids before, during, or after a water experience. You can show them examples of what other kids or adults are doing right so they see from others. You can even read books that have kids playing in water and talk about all the right things they are doing.
Kids need visual and verbal examples, repeated to them. A child is not capable of hearing something one time and internalizing it. A child needs positive repetition for things to stick. That’s your role as a parent - to be repetitive and set the right example.
Verbal examples:
When we get out of the pool, we use the ladder. The ladder is going to be wet and slippery so I need you to use your two hands and your two feet so you are safe. I’ll show you how.
We are at the lake and I see a dock wayyyy over there. Do you see it? The only time you go on the dock is with Mama or Dada. You do not go on the dock by yourself. Mama or Dada will go with you. When we go we will hold hands and look at the water together. Does that sound like fun?
Before you jump into the pool, I need you to look and make sure no one is under you. We don’t want to jump on anyone and hurt them. See, here is a little girl swimming under the water. Do you see her? Okay, great. Wait for her to move out of the way before jumping in. Thank you buddy.
I’ve been swimming for a while now and I’m starting to feel tired. I need to take a break so my body is really strong when I swim. Let’s take a quick break together so we can come back and have more fun together. Can you help me find our towels so we can rest? Then we will come right back in.
Visual examples:
Hey Jay, do you see the girl in the bright pink bathing suit? She asked her mommy to hold her hand on the pool deck because it is slippery. She didn’t want to slip and fall so she asked for help. She did such a great job!
Buddy look! A huge pontoon boat is coming in and look, the Dada and little boy are both wearing a life jacket. A life jacket helps them stay safe while on the boat. They look like they had such a fun time on the boat!
Hey honey, I have to use the bathroom so I’m calling for Dada to come sit with you in the bathtub while I go pee. I want to keep you safe so Dada is going to sit with you for a minute until I get back.
Jay, you look like you’re getting a little tired. Do you see those kids over there taking a break and eating a snack? Let’s take a break like them so you can warm up a little and get something to eat. Sound okay?
All of these examples are small, simple, and in the moment. They have to be simple and in the moment because that is all a child can remember. Then suddenly, you’ll hear your child tell another child or an adult something you told them about water safety. You’ll feel such immense pride because you have seen those small moments build into a strong respect for water.
My son and I regularly walk down to our local park which is right on an inland lake that has a ton of boats and docks. He consistently asks to go on the dock and he consistently asks to hold my hand before going on the dock. If he doesn’t ask to hold my hand, I remind him. He laughs and then takes my hand. If he ever doesn’t hold my hand, then we don’t go on the dock. No matter what. I don’t care if he has a full meltdown in front of 10 boats. I’m the parent, he is the child. He will not bend me when it comes to water safety. Not ever.
You, as the parent, are the example for water safety and so many other aspects of life. Be the parent your child needs you to be by instilling water safety skills at an early age so you and your child can really enjoy the water!
