Putting Attention Where It Belongs

In response to the recent news coverage of Shellie Ross twittering about her son's fall into the pool and subsequent death, I want to convey a few messages to our JADES followers.

First, Shellie Ross deserves support, sympathy, compassion and love during this very difficult time for her and her family. Her personal reaction is irrelevant. Many parents during crisis reach out via telephone to their families, or church communities, or friends - that fact that Shellie's primary support community was available via Twitter - or Facebook, or MySpace, etc.. - shouldn't be of issue at all. Remember, everyone grieves differently and there should be no judgment placed on personal avenues to garner support.

The fact is that drowning remains the second leading cause of accidental child death to children in the United States. And studies have shown that most child drownings occur during a very short lapse in supervision - usually while a parent or caregiver is engaged in routing household activities. In fact, a parent or caregiver claimed to be supervising the child in almost 9 out of 10 child drowning deaths. Yet, parental surveys have shown that the high majority of parents DO believe they supervise their children enough to prevent injury. It is this belief that needs to change. If parents believed that there IS risk, and that a drowning CAN happen to their children, it would help motivate parents to take preventative actions, such as adding more layers of protection around pools and spas.

If we could only harness all the energy and attention this "Twitter" issue is receiving, and redirect that energy towards preventing the next tragedy, we actually might make some significant progress. Help us redirect the attention back to where it belongs - Drowning IS Preventable and Layers of Protection can help save lives.