Cell Phones DOWN so kids don’t DROWN!

“Be aware when distractions come your way. You’ll know it’s a distraction when you stop doing what you’re supposed to be doing and find yourself pondering things that have no value.”
– Beverly R. Imes

Please read that again…

I know that Beverly R. Imes was not talking about parents being on their cell phone when their child is in or near water, but it PERFECTLY fits what we are talking about with the “C” strategy, “Cell Phones DOWN so kids don’t DROWN!”

If you are like me, my 3 children are without question my most valuable treasures. I was blessed to be given them to raise and love. I am sure that you feel the same.

We would do and give anything to make sure that they are cared for and safe. I read an article that was written in 2018 and one of the quotes was like a gut punch.

“In the past, parents and grandparents spent more time with their children in the swimming pool. But increasing numbers of parents are fixated by their smartphones and are not looking left or right, let alone paying attention to their children,” he told German media. “It’s sad that parents behave so neglectfully these days.”

I wonder what kind of statistics and results we would see now in 2023, 5 years later and cell phones being so much more a part of our daily lives.

We live in a world where our cell phones are a constant distraction and when it comes to being around water, being distracted, even for just 1 minute, could cause us to lose our child to a fatal drowning.

Opening 1 email, reading 1 social media post, checking 1 online order may only take 1 minute but in that one minute, when you are around water, that distraction could take your child’s life from you.

Taking 1 phone call, playing 1 online game, sending 1 text message.

ONE “minute” when we are engaged with our phone is a very different length of ONE “minute” when we have our eyes engaged attentively on our child.

One of the best quotes I have ever read on this topic is this. “Most drowning deaths are the result of a LAPSE in supervision, not a LACK of supervision.”

Because I think that I have established that the word “supervise (to observe)” should NEVER again be used, I want to continue to help you remove that word from your vocabulary where your child and water are concerned.

Being distracted is a LAPSE in WATCHING.

You know that video you watched of kids sitting in the middle of the floor covered in flour or paint?

You know that video you watched of a little girl with makeup all over her face and over every surface of the bathroom countertop?

You know that video you watched of a little boy who took a black sharpie marker and drew over all the things?

These things happened when there was a lapse in watching. In these situations, none of these children’s lives were in danger. None of these children could have died.

When there is a combination of water and our children, we don’t get to have the luxury of a lapse in watching.

When there is that combination in or around our children, their lives could be in danger. They could die.

Watching (to be alertly on the lookout, looking ATTENTIVELY as to see what comes, is done or happens) is what we as parents MUST be committed to.

I have heard the words “I only took my eyes off him for 1 minute” so many times from parents over the years. Thank goodness a story of tragedy did not follow that sentence. For so many families across the United States, they were not so fortunate.

Research says that most child drowning victims had been out of sight for less than 5 minutes.

A drowning can happen in a minute…in reality, it is probably closer to 30 seconds for a child under age 5 who goes under water and does not know what to do to get back to the surface to be able to get air.

Drowning is NOT like how the movies make it out to be. Lots of splashing and yelling, things that would alert a parent to the dire situation. Water can take a child’s life quickly and silently.

It seems like in this day and age we are living our lives in a constant state of being distracted, trying to continuously multi-task to get more done in a day. So many things require our attention, often a few things at one time.

Car manufacturers are well aware of how distracted we are when we are driving. If there is a car in front of me and I don’t move forward in a timely fashion, my car will beep at me to tell me that the car in front of me has moved and I should pay attention and move as well.

I know that they are trying to help but in fact they are enabling drivers to be on their phones at stop lights, in drive throughs and in car pool lines, while our cars are in DRIVE, not parked.

There are laws against driving distracted. Many states will issue you a ticket if you have your phone in your hand while driving. This is because distracted driving is a leading cause of car accidents.

And despite this, I watch parents every day, sit on the side of the pool while their child is in the water and are FULLY engrossed in their phone, not looking up at their child for minutes at a time.

Among children 1 to 4 years of age, drowning was the most common cause of death, followed by congenital abnormalities and motor vehicle crashes. - https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmsr1804754

DROWNING is the number 1 cause of death in children under 5....not car crashes.

When you hire a babysitter you want that person to be watching your child, at all times right?? You would not be pleased if they were on their phone or otherwise distracted and your child was involved in any kind of accident.

I want you to have those same expectations and requirements of yourself and any other adult that is with your child near or in water. Your child deserves no less than this.

Distracted adults when their children are around water is a leading cause of drownings.

All distractions, books, friends, making lunch, packing up everything at the end of a pool day, doing laundry, changing another child’s diaper etc. The list can go on and on.

And it is a given, alcohol should never be consumed when we are with our children in and around water.

As we would NEVER drink and then strap our children into their car seats and go for a drive, the same should apply when we have them around water.

Let’s be honest, cell phones are undoubtedly our biggest distractions. Yes, there are so many others beyond what I listed above but our cell phones are the biggest culprits.

Just how much might we be distracted by our phones?? Here are some statistics that I was able to find.

How many times do we TOUCH our phones? 2,617 times a day

How many time so we CHECK/OPEN our phones? 144 times a day

How much TIME is spent on our phones? An average of 4 hours and 25 minutes per day (265 minutes)

If I am doing the math right, based on this research, we could be averaging almost 2 minutes per time that we checked our phones.

Maybe if a ticket or fine was issued to an adult every time they were distracted when their child was in or around water, this problem would stop.

I know for certain that it stops when a family loses a child. Let’s not ever let it get to that point.

I believe that childhood drownings would decline if parents refused to allow distractions, any distractions, come in between them and WATCHING their children in and around all water environments.

We must do better because our children DESERVE it.

Let’s make a pact.

Cell phones DOWN so kids don’t DROWN!

As I say to the Swim With Miss Dayna Swim School parents, “You can’t keep your phone dry and your kids safe in the water at the same time. What are you going to choose?”

I hope you will make a promise to your child that now that you know better, you will always do better.