Once upon a time, there was a little girl named ‘Jenny’. She seemed to be about five years old and she was splashing and having fun with a few other little girls in the lake. At one moment, she stepped on a rock in the lake and started to cry. While she tried to run through the lake to find her mom, she slipped and choked in a bunch of water. Within a couple of minutes, a woman sitting near the edge of the lake noticed a little girl floating in the water. She ran to her but it was too late. Jenny couldn’t be saved.
Once upon a time, there was a little girl named ‘Jenny’. She seemed to be about five years old and she was splashing and having fun with a few other little girls in the lake. At one moment, she stepped on a rock in the lake and started to cry. After a minute, when no one came to see how she was, a man came out and said, ‘sweetheart, are you looking for your mommy?’ She nodded and took the man’s hand. He walked her to the reeds to the left of the beach and five minutes later, he sent her out of the reeds and snuck away unnoticed. Jenny had her childhood stolen from her that afternoon. She would never be the same.
Once upon a time, there was a little girl named ‘Jenny’. She seemed to be about five years old and she was splashing and having fun with a few other little girls in the lake. At one moment, she stepped on a rock in the lake and started to cry. A woman was sitting nearby watching her son play on a little mud island. She noticed that after a minute or so of crying, no one was coming to see what was wrong. She came over and said, ‘sweetheart, are you looking for your mommy?’. Jenny nodded and so the woman took the girls hand and started to the beach. Her sister came out to look after her son. The woman and Jenny walked the length of the beach looking for the girl’s mother. She was so worried that the parents would be upset that she was holding Jenny’s hand. After a few minutes, another woman came walking towards them. The woman said, ‘is that your mommy?’. When Jenny said yes, the woman waited for the mom to run to them. She didn’t. She sauntered slowly over and said, ‘are you okay?’. And then a quick ‘thanks’ and she was gone.
Three stories. I’m guessing you know which one is true. But the point? Any one of these scenarios could have been true this past Saturday on Blue Mountain beach. They say you shouldn’t judge other parents? Well. I’m judging. I’m not apologizing for it. Look at these pictures – I was trying to capture the length of the beach – from the car where her mom was grabbing her cell phone – to the water where her child was swimming on an unsupervised beach. I’m estimating the length as almost a football field.
This is unacceptable. My sister and I sat there in a stunned silence for a few minutes after and it wasn’t until later that I thought about those first two scenarios and how EASILY either could have happened.
I get that it’s not the most fun to sit next to the lake and watch your kid. Sometimes it’s like watching paint dry. But you signed up for it. You are a PARENT. So PARENT. Don’t leave it to other people to do for you.
There is NOTHING in your car that is so important that you need to leave your child to get. NOTHING.
Am I wrong???
I have an unnatural fear of drowning. My kids drowning.
Just typing that last sentence made my stomach turn.
The brother and sister that drown last week. And then the boy in Sherkston. The toddler in the backyard pond several weeks ago…
I CANNOT imagine any of my kids out of my eyesight near open water. Even my 11yr old.
OMIGOD Sara I’m not sure I could have kept quiet.
Kath is right, “Jenny” (and her mom) is lucky that it was you.
Wow. I will admit I fall more on the free-range side of the parenting spectrum, but at five, near water and crowds of people? I would be keeping a closer eye on my child, for sure. Also: her reaction of just sauntering over and saying, “thanks” seems way below where it should be to me. That little girl is lucky you were the one who helped her out.
although not as serious i, too, have “parented” a couple of kids and it ticked me off…not the time when the mother was trying to avert a problem with another kid, but when they were chatting with someone else and ignoring their charge.
5 is too young for complete unsupervised behaviour!
No! you are not wrong! Nothing should EVER be more important than your child, but unfortunately, not everyone puts them first.
Uch, some people… *slap-slap*
I’m totally with you here. You either take her back with you, or wait until you get back to the car to send that text or check your messages. That, or go to the beach with another family so either of you can cover each other for those little errands. I hate even taking both kids to the park together, because they run in different directions and make it harder to keep my eyes on them. Yikes.
OMG! That is chilling Sara! I watch my kiddies like a hawk – to the point that my eyes get sore as well as my head from turning left to right and behind me. You are so right – there is NOTHING that should take you away from your child – even for a few seconds that is all it takes.
Thank you for such an amazing post!
You are not wrong!! It was always exhausting watching the kids in the surf in Maine.
One time Pauline took them down to the beach and lost them!! Needless to say,
I should have known better as she was starting to show signs of getting
Dimentia…I was frantic!
Things can happen in an instant, and I say that literally as I took Fraser’s life jacket off to give him some food, and within a minute he had jumped into the deep end of the pool sans said life jacket. He didn’t know how to swim, My head was turned for one minute putting away the food probably, and Toran noticed him in the pool. It still gives me goose bumps thinking about it, and I was sitting right beside the pool!!!!