Learning to swim can be an intimidating process ”“ not just for a child, but also for his or her parents. Our own fear of drowning is bad enough, but when we have a child to protect, it’s almost instinctual to keep that child as far away from water as possible to prevent the tragedy of losing the child to a watery death.
That’s the very instinct that some parents were giving in to when they asked for flotation devices to be allowed at the Sanford Parks and Recreation swimming area along the Mousam River, earlier this summer.
Flotation devices of any kind, from life jackets to inner tubes, are banned from the swimming area, and it’s understandable that it makes parents a bit nervous. The trend these days is to over-parent, and some moms and dads wouldn’t mind seeing their child wearing arm floaties and a life jacket while using an inner tube ”“ just to be safe.
Depending on a flotation device isn’t safe, however, which is the point that Parks and Recreation Director Marcel Blouin made in his review of the matter, presented to the Sanford Town Council Tuesday. The devices do indeed convey a false sense of security, as Blouin’s letter to the council describes it, to the budding swimmer.
We support Blouin’s decision not to bow to parental pressure and to instead retain a policy that will best serve the youth who use that swimming hole to learn how to handle themselves in the water. Those who cannot yet swim should stay at depths where their feet can touch bottom and practice getting a feel for their own buoyancy in such a safe zone. If flotation devices are allowed, these swimmers can easily go far deeper than their skill level allows, and if they should lose hold of their float, the rec department will have an emergency on their hands.
It makes far more sense to provide a safe environment, staffed by lifeguards, where children can learn to tread water under their own power. Flotation devices can also be dangerous if they are too big or heavy for a child, or if another swimmer is accidentally hit by one. It’s best just to keep those devices out of this swimming hole, where trained lifeguards are overseeing these young swimmers and encouraging them to learn how to swim on their own.
We’re glad to see that the recreation department did not cave to the fears of overprotective parents who aren’t as open to giving their children a chance to learn on their own. This swimming hole can now continue to be a place where skills are built with the safety net of lifeguards nearby, and those who feel their children aren’t ready to learn how to swim can use other areas. As a parent, it can undoubtedly be tough to pull back a bit and let a child make their own mistakes, but children who use this swimming area are very safe, and parents would be wise to let them use this great resource to learn how to swim. That skill is more likely than a life jacket to save their life someday.
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Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski by calling 282-1535, Ext. 322, or via e-mail at kristenm@journaltribune.com.
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