This event was told to me last summer by the mother of one of our swim lesson kids. “Johnny” was playing by his backyard pond with two of his younger visiting cousins. They were throwing sticks into the pond, and one of the younger boys tried to go into the pond after one of the sticks. He got in over his head and began thrashing around. Johnny immediately ran up toward the house, screaming for the adults on the deck to call 911 and heading for the garage. By the time the adults reached the pond, the young boy was unconscious in the water. At about the same time, Johnny came running back toward the pond with a noodle in his hand. The cousin was dragged out of the pond; he was alright. “Why didn’t you save him?” screamed the young boy’s brother to Johnny. Johnny answered without hesitation. “Miss Barb told us never to go in after anyone!” he replied.
We teach all the children in our swim lessons how to “safely” aid someone struggling in the water. Had Johnny jumped into the pond after his cousin he would have most likely been taken under by the drowning boy and both would have been lost. When I heard this account I got chills and I had to smile just a little. Maybe, just maybe…some of the safety information we teach them is getting through!
