When I was growing up in Arizona, the beginning of summer was when the first kid drowned. Or maybe it was when the first kid got left in an overheated car, I can't remember anymore. The point is that learning to swim in your own backyard before you can even walk doesn't mean you know a thing about water safety, and might even make you more vulnerable.
According to Safe Kids Canada, learning to swim is only one of what they call the five layers of protection from water-related injury or death. The other four layers might even be more important: adult supervision, parental training for emergencies, barriers around the water, and life jackets.
Seriously, go get your CPR certification and don't let your kids out of your sight in the pool or lake. Teach your kids to swim, but more urgently, teach them how to be safe around water. And don't think they're okay on their own just because they're older—a fourteen-year-old California boy drowned in a public pool this week in the presence of multiple lifeguards and adult chaperones.
