katie column pic june 2023.jpg

Katie’s daughters Dylan and Avery and their besties at a friend’s pool in the summer of 2022.

Ah summer, welcome back! Even though I hate being hot and seem to sweat even in the winter, I always enjoy the summer months. Days spent by the pool, boating trips, visits to Michigan and quality time with my kids and husband, who are all out of school on break.

As a kid, I obviously loved summer. My brother and I were what they called “pool rats.” We spent all day at the pool, an ideal situation for two kids with working parents. At the time, the worst thing that could happen at the pool was a bad sunburn or the snack bar running out of chicken nuggets.

Now, as a parent, the pool is still great, with endless fun and an easy way to ensure an early bedtime, but it can also be a scary place. In my childhood bliss I never knew the real dangers of a pool — or any body of water. But as a parent, the statistics are shocking.

According to the nonprofit organization, “Stop Drowning Now,” approximately 10 people (2 children) die every day from unintentional drowning. The CDC reports that drowning is the leading cause of death in children 1 to 4 years old.

It can happen in an instance and even though it’s preached to never take your eyes off children swimming, we can all be distracted. A few years ago I watched my daughter, Avery, (who was still learning to swim at the time) fall off a raft in the deep end of my cousin’s pool. Even though I was watching, it felt like FOREVER for me to get across the yard. I jumped into the pool fully clothed and pulled her out. We both got out of the pool and cried. It was traumatic and I was lucky enough to be holding my breathing child. But so many people are not as fortunate.

Drowning deaths can be prevented, thanks to education, including swim lessons, water safety and attentive lifeguards/supervisors/adults.

In Vigo County, programs like Swim by Seven give all Vigo County School Corp. kindergarteners five days of swim lessons over the course of a week as part of their school day. Since starting in 2016, over 10,000 elementary school children have swam through the program. Were they all professional swimmers after five days? No, but thanks to the VCSC and partner United Way of the Wabash Valley, participants learn basic skills and water safety in a positive environment.

While my girls were learning to swim, I relied heavily on floaties and “puddle jumpers,” but an April 28, 2023, story by NBC News says that alone isn’t enough.

“The problem with floaties is that it gives parents a literal false sense of security,” Olympic swimmer Rowdy Gaines, a member of the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA), a nonprofit organization that promotes swimming and water safety, tells NBC. “You throw your kid in a floatie and think: ‘Oh, that’s all they need.’ It’s really the furthest thing from the truth.”

According to a survey conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of PHTA, 66% of parents believe that floaties and water wings keep children safe in the water, despite the fact that these devices are not recognized as safe personal floatation devices.

So what do we do? Only go to pools with a lifeguard on duty? Keep children out of the water in order to keep them safe? Parenting is a job that never ends and if you’re like me, part of the job is wondering if you’re making the right decisions, parenting correctly, nurturing them or screwing them up. Technology and the latest gadgets and trends are great but the best advice for parents came from the Olympian and it’s simple and to the point. Be there.

“A parent is the first line of defense,” Gains said during his interview with NBC News. “Watch your child and never take your eyes off [them].”


This story appeared in the June 2023 edition of Terre Haute Living.

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