“I know I don’t get there often enough, but God knows I surely try. It’s a magic kind of medicine, that no doctor could prescribe.” The late, great Mississippian Jimmy Buffett sang those lyrics to his song “One Particular Harbor,” that he recorded in 1983. Those lyrics were true then, and they are still true now. But unfortunately, this won’t be a column about how relaxing the sea can be, even though it should be.
I was sitting along the edge of the beach, with a shirt on underneath an umbrella due to the third degree burns I sustained the day before, watching the waves crash into the shore. For once, I was happy to be going deaf in my left ear since the folks just down from me would rather listen to bro-country than the sounds of the ocean. I still can’t figure out what’s appealing about that genre of fake music anyway. The reflection of the sun on the water was like a billion diamonds scattered across an emerald blanket. It should have been a perfect day, but I was burdened while watching a couple of kids cautiously play in the surf.
Something seemed off about the two boys with how they scurried along the edge of the surf. Then it hit me; they couldn’t swim. I guessed that one of the boys was around the age of 10 or 11 while the other around seven or eight. And although it’s really none of my business, it bothered me. Why do parents not place a greater emphasis on teaching their children how to swim? It’s not an incredibly difficult task for even small children to learn, and it just may save their lives one day. I’m not saying that it won’t happen before I’m dead, but there hasn’t been a single day of my life that I needed to know how to do Algebra. On the other hand, there’s been plenty of occasions that knowing how to swim came in pretty dang handy. If parents aren’t going to teach their children how to swim, maybe we should add it to the elementary curriculum. Can you imagine how that would go over!?!?
At the time of this writing, more than 60 people have drowned in Florida alone this year. By the end of the year, more than 4,500 people will have drowned in the United States. That’s incredible. Drowning is the number one cause of death in children between the ages of one and four. Not gun violence, not drugs, not cancer…drowning. There are currently 40 million people in the United States that cannot swim. Of these, 64% of Black children cannot swim, 58% of Hispanic children cannot swim, and 40% of White children cannot swim. Why? Over 50% of adults in the United States have never once taken a swim lesson. Another alarming statistic is if a parent doesn’t know how to swim, then there’s only a 13% chance that their children will learn how to swim. Parents, it’s up to you. It’s not the responsibility of the schools, the churches, or the dadgum government. It’s your responsibility.
So what are the excuses for not learning how to swim? One of the top excuses, according to the CDC, was feeling uncomfortable wearing traditional swimwear. Are you kidding me? Another was the pool setting or training didn’t feel welcoming. Neither of these excuses seem good enough to go ahead and drown. Another excuse was the price of swimming lessons being too high. That one I understand. However, if you’ve got the latest iPhone but won’t pay for swimming lessons, you’ve placed your social needs above the safety and well-being of your children.
The last excuse listed was fear of water. Fear is a rational response to the unknown. It’s human nature to be afraid of things we are uncomfortable with. Aquaphobia is still not an excuse to allow your children to suffer due to your neglect. While I watched those two kids playing, I noticed their parents as well. And like the kids, I could tell they couldn’t swim either. At first I was a little sad, but that quickly turned to disgust. Again, not my business, but it bothered me. In a recent study conducted by the YMCA, 87% of youth that cannot swim had plans to visit the beach or swimming pools during the summer months. And 34% of those had plans to make several trips. If you refuse to learn how to swim, or refuse the opportunity for your children to learn to swim, do everyone a favor and stay away from rivers, lakes, streams, and the ocean.
Before the PC police show up and ban me from being published again, I understand that not all drownings can be prevented. Tragedies strike involving water every single day and my heart aches with every article I read about a child drowning. Children often can wander out of sight and fall into pools or lakes. This is a downright awful thing that is often unpreventable. Parents, be vigilant any time your children are around water. I often joke about helicopter parents, but if my kids are around water I become one really quick.
Unfortunately, we’ve just entered the summer months and there will be plenty of more drownings between now and October. After leaving the beach that afternoon, I read an article about a young man from Atlanta that was visiting Tybee Island the other day. He was playing in the surf, lost his footing, was swept out into deeper waters, and drowned. His mother was quoted in a local newspaper saying that it was his first visit to the beach and that he couldn’t swim. As I read her statement my heart broke for her. I can’t imagine the grief she’s experiencing right now and all of the “what ifs” that are going through her mind. Parents, don’t put yourself and your children in a position to where you have regrets. Make sure that both of you can swim.
Smith is an assistant baseball coach at William Carey University as well as an avid hunter and family man. For more of his work go to his blog pinstripestocamo.com.
