Stepping up to the plate

I took my eldest to the water park this weekend. He still hasn't learned to swim yet but we are working on it. He loves the water, so after getting tired of the kiddie pool I (like the great dad that I am) carry my son on my hip through the deep water, down the "lazy river", over to the giant floating buoy, and generally all over the damn place. There are countless kids at a similar skill level being carted around by a parent. Occasionally you see a child with a parent that decided a life-jacket is a sufficient parenting tool, allowing them to sit in the shade near the cabana.

I used to be a lifeguard in high school so I can speak from experience when I say that it is shocking how little care some parents show for their children when they know the child is unable to swim. I also know how hard it is to keep a vigilant eye on all the craziness that goes on in the water when you are one of only a handful of guards on duty.

It was a blistering hot Sunday afternoon, which means you find many more parents keeping to the shade and trusting their children with more responsibility then they can usually handle. I had just exited the "lazy river" with my son in tow. I noticed that there was a verbal altercation between some young boys in the deep water. The lifeguard was distracted by this scene and that's when you can get yourself into trouble. Just as I was being reminded of the good old days at the city pool I notice a small boy (no older than my own son) drift between two crowds of kids. He had a life-jacket on but it was too loose and his head was bobbing in and out of the water. He was screaming but he couldn't make any sound because of all the water he was swallowing.

I was a few feet away and it was clear that nobody noticed what was going on. In retrospect, I probably should have called the attention of the guard on duty but instincts kicked in the likes of which I hadn't felt in years. I took two large strides and reached out, snatching the boy up in my arms, and pulling his body out of the water. Luckily he was still very lucid and he was more thankful for the rescue than afraid of being grabbed by a stranger. With my son in one arm and the young boy in the other, I asked him where his parents were and he pointed in the direction of the kiddie pool area. A few seconds later we found his grandmother. I doubt she even realized how much danger her child was in. The boy was surprisingly grateful for his age... probably a testament to how terrified he was at the time.

I'm very proud of my son too, because he took it all in stride and actually said "Yeah, Daddy!" when it was all over.

I must admit though, that above all other things I did manage to get one mystery answered. You see, I quit life guarding before Baywatch hit cable. I always wondered if (following that show) lifeguards would hear that theme song playing in their heads as they save lives. You know what? We do!