My husband experiences those news stories every summer on deeper level, as he is a firefighter, often responding to these distress calls and always hoping the outcome turns out well. I asked him why this happens so often, especially when we hear about these stories every year. Why don’t the outcomes change? He explained that child drownings most often occur when parents are not even expecting their children to be near or in water. While it can happen with parent supervision, often because they think other adults in the pool are equally watching the child, it’s very common for children to gain access to pools because safety measures have not been put in place. Pools often lack fences, or appropriate barriers to keep children out. He also informed me that all those amazing pool toys we acquire, the half-eaten donut floaty, the giant crocodile, and those colorful pool noodles are very enticing to little ones who want to continue the swimming fun, even when we are not around. This was eye opening to me that the ways we keep our children safe involves addressing the times we are not right there with them.

Luckily, there are simple ways to prevent children from gaining pool access, even if they try.