I am going to share a story that really hit home with me about stressing the importance of water safety. Recently a teen-aged boy was playing in the river near his home and was swept away. A search began immediately and all areas of the city that crossed the river were shut down. The police searched and searched. He was swept away on Thursday and on the following Tuesday afternoon his body was found. I couldn’t imagine losing one of my children because they were doing something careless like swimming in the fast running river.
Growing up, I remember being told the story of ‘La Llorona’. This story scared me half to death. If you don’t live in the southwest, you probably don’t know what I’m talking about. But it is basically an old wives tale of a lady who drowned her children to be with a man that eventually left her. She supposedly walks up and down the ditches or river looking for her children and crying. I was told as a child, if I was near the water and she showed up, she would kidnap me. This story scared me so much. I remember visiting my grandmother, who lived next to a ditch and being terrified that ‘La Llorona’ would show up if I went outside. Although I think it is mean to scare children, I understand why I was told that story…and it worked. I stayed away from any bodies of water unless I had an adult with me (to protect me!).
I share these stories to remind you of the importance of teaching your kids about water safety. Even if your kids know how to swim, they may not realize that swimming in a ditch or river is not safe because they could get drug down by the currant. Many times I see children playing in these types of water bodies and it scares me to death. With warmer weather comes kids wanting to go swimming and splash in the water, ensure your children are supervised or if they are older (as the teen who drown), ensure they know not to get into any water that can pull them under. And take them to get lessons and learn the basics to being safe while in the water. Even if your children are young, teach them about water safety early, and do reminders often. Things you teach them at a young age will stick with them as they grow up.
