Most parents ensure that their little kids are protected around the swimming pools. But, the protection should not stop there. You still have to protect them as they get older. Protecting kids when they are older involves teaching them about pool safety. Teaching them early will follow them through their life. They will be independent and need to be responsible for their own safety, but they still need your guidance.
Decisions become more important as kids turn into teenagers. They are independent which means their actions will have important consequences. Bad decisions can stick with them for the rest of their life. This is where your guidance really helps. It is important for you to establish a solid foundation for water safety. As they grow, your teens need to explore their boundaries while staying grounded with a safety mindset.
Why Water Safety is Important for Teens?
Teens are of an age where they do not think they need supervision and they start leading their own lives. You give them more space and more responsibility and giving them sensible water safety education helps inform their decisions and actions. Before cutting your teens lose with their friends for a trip to the pool, lake, or water park, make sure they know the following:
- Identifying Dangerous Situations: Spotting hazards ahead of time is the easiest way to avoid getting injured in water. Identifying electrical hazards like phone chargers, extension cords, and shorted wires are of top importance. Additionally, they need to practice keeping the pool area free of tripping hazards like towels and other dangerous items like glass.
- Bullying: Bullying is something that should not be tolerated and can easily happen at a pool. Around water, bullying can be especially dangerous. People have different skill and swimming levels and playing rough can become dangerous very quickly. Water safety education will help them recognize signs of distress to prevent bullying before a serious accident happens.
- Life Saving Skills: Teenagers have the size, strength, and coordination to learn infant, child, and adult CPR. They need to be trained how to do this. They can get a certification through the American Red Cross which will teach them to recognize emergencies and how to respond. They can also learn valuable skills such as treating minor injuries and how to help keep drowning victims alive until emergency medical services arrive.
Teach Them Early
Teaching your kids about pool safety when they are young is the most effective way to pass along the knowledge. At the younger age, they will take early lessons as the passing on of knowledge and less like you imposing rules. To make sure your teen learns the basics of pool safety, there are a few things you can do around the pool as they are growing up.
Pool Safety Equipment: Using a safety pool cover and a safety fence creates a physical barrier to protect your kids. This shows that supervision is necessary for swimming fun.
Keep the Pool Area Hazard-Free: If you want the importance of avoiding hazardous swimming facilities to hit home in your teen’s water safety education, start by maintaining your backyard oasis as a great example. They will learn what a clear, safe pool area looks like, so they can easily identify when one is not safe.
Be Prepared For Emergencies: If you’re a pool owner, you should already have your CPR and first aid certifications. You also need to keep a well-stocked first aid kit in an easily accessible location.
What To Do If The Teens Won’t Listen To You?
Not every teen is going to listen and may rebel. If this happens, you can always call on the experts. Most public pool facilities offer water safety courses that are taught in a classroom environment. Your teens will already be used to this learning style and will be more likely to pay attention. If they can attend these classes with friends, they may be more likely to follow through and can help each other.
from Feedster https://www.feedster.com/lifestyle/talking-to-teens-and-young-adults-about-pool-safety/
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