Very often, you think your home is safe, but do you really know? Not sure about it, especially with children who are like twirlers. This is the way children are, curious, and want to explore everywhere, isn’t it, no exception!

Today, I will share my story as an 18-month-old child. Many years ago, as a baby boomer, we did not have disposable diapers like we do today; they were made of fabric and washed every day.

My mother used to put them in a pail with a lead in the bathtub and fill it with clean water. One morning, my mother had cleaned the bucket and added freshwater, but did not put the lead on right away, and I was with her in the bathroom.

Few seconds!!!!!! Left alone, my mother went out of the bathroom for whatever reason. Guess what a child does…I started exploring what was in that pail, trying to reach the water with my hands!!!! What’s that?

Oops! I slid onto the bucket head down and feet up, as you can picture yourself in the scenery! Struggling to pull myself out, obviously, I could not touch the floor with my feet. A few steps away was my oldest sister, who was 7 years old, started screaming, Mom! Mom! Mom! She can still remember today seeing my feet waggling very loudly.

Then my mom rushed to the bathroom and pulled me out of that unpleasant situation, but I did not have to go to the hospital. Nobody wants this incident to happen to them.

Fortunately, I am safe and sound and can write my blog about it, however, I can’t recall the situation because I was only 18 months. On the other hand, I consider myself lucky that I am not afraid of water, as I thought, and did not have any sequels!!!!!!!

At the age of 11, I took swimming lessons, but I couldn’t pass the intermediate level because I couldn’t complete one full lane without stopping. That made me angry. I could not understand why I was coming out of breath all the time.

I had been trying to figure things out until I was 55 years old, when I discovered why. That morning, I was doing the backstroke and was again short of breath. I stopped at the deep end and started thinking: I have 2 lungs, limbs, and why can’t I do this?

Moreover, I did not have any sequels, I thought, then I had a flash, this is it, I think that my breathing problem is coming from that trauma. I felt so happy that I knew where it was coming from.

That day, I spoke with my friend, who was a Massage Therapist, and she agreed with me. I was constantly in a panic mode because my brain remembered and thought that I was still drowning after 55 years! I was continually gasping for air, even on my back and my face out of the water!

Ultimately, I was able to reprogram myself due to my awareness of my situation. Each time I went in the water, I had to tell myself to breathe SLOWLY, it was the key, but it took me a few months before it became a habit and natural. However, if I want to go too fast, I tend to panic and have to remind myself to slow down.

To conclude, we should always be cautious around children, especially with the numerous private swimming pools available nowadays.

Here are some tips:

When hosting a house party with a swimming pool, ensure that you assign a person responsible for your child if you are busy attending to other guests.

Ensure that your home is safe by removing all objects or containers that could contain water, etc.

Never underestimate the capacity of your child; we never know what they are capable of.

Never forget that any big pail filled with water in a bathtub could be a killer!

Have a wonderful day,

Gaétane
www.gaetaneferland.com

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