A Scare With Evan

I super duper love my boy.  I don't ever need a reminder of that.  Nonetheless, Evan almost drowned today at swimming lessons. There is nothing quite as terrifying as seeing one of your children fighting to stay above water as another kid is pulling him down, and being too far away to help.

McKenna and Evan started swim lessons this week. We are five days into a ten day session. Evan has one other boy in his class and they quickly became friends. Frequently, when one of them is away from the pool wall he will swim over to the other boy, grab onto his shoulders, and then grab the wall. But today, Evan wasn't holding onto the wall well enough, so when the other boy grabbed onto him he went under the water and away from the wall. This pulled both boys away from the wall and they panicked. They began climbing on top of each other in order to stay above water instead of swimming to the wall. During all of this, the swimming instructor was about five feet away instructing another child. She was oblivious, as were the two life guards who should be overlooking the whole pool.

I was up in the observation balcony, where access to the pool deck is indirect. I have to go out the side door, down the stairs, and through the locker room. Thank goodness the head swim coach attached whistles to the banister in case a parent saw a kid in trouble before anyone else. On the first day she gave the parents the line, "I trust you all to see something before the life guard will. That's why I put the whistles out". Comforting, right? Either way, I am so glad she did that. Because that's what saved Evan and the other boy.

I didn't see it happen. I was looking away dealing with Alana when I heard the whistle. The other boy's mother was the one blowing it. I looked for my kids as soon as I heard it and my heart sank when I saw that it was Evan struggling for air. Once the whistle was blown, his instructor rushed over to the boys. I rushed down to the pool, handed Alana to a lady I barely met four days ago, and got my boy out of the pool. I wrapped him in a towel and held him while he cried.

It didn't last long, and the whole thing just scared everyone real good.  But you can bet I will hold my son a bit longer today.

Evan lost his first tooth 3 days ago. He is very excited.