With the passing of Memorial Day, pools have opened for the summer and temperatures are in the mid to upper 80s. I want to write a proactive article before a tragedy occurs. The story about the four-year-old boy that fell into the gorilla’s area at the Cincinnati Zoo is what prompted me to write on this subject. This incident must remind us that we have to have eyes and hands on our children constantly. Some would say that this is an impossible task, but the result can be an injured child or, even worse, the death of a child.
Every year, a number of young children find their way into a swimming pool, a pond, or a river. The problem is that they cannot swim and usually drown. A lack of parental supervision is the number one reason for this to occur. Parenting is not easy, and the more active that your child is, the more difficult it becomes. It only takes a split second for a child to fall into a pool or other body of water.
Concerning the issue of drowning, it happens to young and old alike. There will be boating accidents, people who cannot swim, and people who will consume alcohol while on the water, all of which will result in tragedy, whether it is in a pool, pond, river, bay, or ocean. I know that this was a little off subject, but I didn’t want to miss saying this.
Another issue that I want to remind you all about is the fact that high temperatures outside equate to higher temperatures in your vehicle. Under no circumstance should you leave your child in a vehicle alone. Temperatures rise rapidly in a closed up vehicle. Your child will compensate for the temperatures by sweating, but before long they will literally begin to cook. Please, please, please do not leave your child in a vehicle, no matter how short the time that you believe that you will be gone. Again, this will be a bit off subject, but you must remember that high temperatures can adversely affect your pets as well.
No matter where you go or what you do this summer, please watch out for your children. It is possible that we could go through an entire summer without a child being hurt or killed due to a preventable accident. Sadly, though, it is not very probable that this will be what happens. I hope that I am wrong, but I believe that we will hear about young children drowning and young children hurt or killed in a hot vehicle. These are only a few things that can happen to your children.
One other thing to be mindful of as your children get out of school is that juvenile fire setting increases during summer. The youngest children set fires because they are curious. As children get older, they usually succumb to peer pressure. A part of parental supervision, in this case, is ensuring that your child cannot get their hands on matches or lighters. The other part of this equation is knowing where your children are at all times. Do not stick your head in the sand and think that your child will not do bad things when left to figure it out on their own. While I was the Community Programs Coordinator for CF& EMS my colleagues and I dealt with every juvenile fire setter that we knew about. I even ran a house fire at about 1 a.m. that children had set and caused firefighters to be injured.
Bottom line, keep eyes, and if necessary, hands on your children; their lives are literally in your hands!
