Maybe its just me and my over protectiveness of my kids when they were children and now of my grandchildren one of which is almost 2. There is NO way in this world that I would have allowed either one of my kids or my grandaughter to get near a pool with out me holding thier hands when they were that young. I took my kids to the Red Cross and had them trained to swim when they were 5 & 6, Before that I never let them near the pool unless I was able to physcially hold on to them.

My scare came when my daughter was around 18 months old. We were at the beach in Florida and I had taken her in the water which was around knee to waist deep for me. The waves were strong that day, and I had just put her feet in the water when a huge wave knocked me over and I lost hold of my baby. I kept trying to grab her, she had floaties on her arms but the wave kept carring her to shore. Those few seconds that passed before I was able to get her in my arms again seemed like an eternity. She came out well and good and is now an accomplished swimmer who is teaching her daughter to swim.


I realize mom did not have a suit, but I think I would have been sitting next to the child on the side of the pool not at a near by table.