After a long day at the office today, I am turning my mindset over to the SEALS Swim project.  My thoughts today are about (drowning) prevention, and steps we as parents can take to decrease our family's risk of a drowning related fatality.  In such a fast paced world it is easy to get caught up in the madness and forget what is most important.  Now is no time to put a child's life at risk because you didn't have the time to think ahead.  Stay in the game, so you can play it for years to come.

Some of my thoughts about prevention include:

- Knowing our abilities and our children's abilities.  What training do we have in case an accident happens? What training do our children have?  Do they know how to survive a fall into deep water?  How would they react if a fall happened?  How would they react in the event of an emergency?  Knowing your's and your child's limitations will set your boundaries, and will dictate where further education is needed.  Remember you are investing in your family's future.
- Knowing our surroundings.  Is this water familiar to us?  If not, what dangers may be there (under tow, currents, drop offs).  Do we know the pool?  Is it deep enough to dive?  Is it supervised?  Where do we go in the event of an emergency?  Is there a phone?  Is help close by?  Knowing your surroundings should be the first check you do when you arrive at your destination.  Look for signs, ask others, are there others around (if not, why not?).
- Knowing the situation.  What, where, when, why?  Are we entrusting our child with another adult, if so have they been informed of your child's abilities and limitations?  Do they know what to do in the event of an emergency?
- Talk about situations and emergencies openly with children.  Whether it is talking about fire safety, talking to strangers, or drownings, children need to be prepared for potential real life emergencies.  Does your child know how to call 911?  Do they know their phone number and address?  Do they know the location of where they are swimming or going to camp?  Do they know where the lifeguard is, or where their adult supervisor is?  Learning about emergencies will prepare them to be able to prevent accidents before they happen or react quickly if they do happen.

Learning how to swim is a life skill.

Prevention = Life