To think she should have rescued her own child instead of raging at me?

[drowningyouout]

Name changed for this. Regular poster and don't want this attached to my normal user name.

Weather here crap, as everywhere, but warm enough so DS (7) and I don wellies and waterproofs and take a walk down the beach.

Wind and tide conditions are making it very rough and tide was mid height and on it's way in.

We see a mum, dad and their 2 DC's on some rocks - which as you imagine are wet and slippery.

Suddenly a wave crashes up to the rocks and one of their DC's (a lad of 6) slips and falls into the sea.

The parents are understandably in a panic and the dad starts to take the smaller DC back over the rocks towards the shore whilst yelling at the lad to swim to rocks and hold on.

I can see he's in trouble take wellies and waterproofs off yell at DS to stand back from water and go in to rescue him. The tidal conditions made swimming really difficult so I take the lad towards the rocks, calling for the mum to come help him up.

She starts saying she may slip, it's too near the water and can't I take him to shore. Out of breath and not wanting to waste it talking I get to the rocks and with great difficulty get the lad out. As I did this he slipped a bit banging his head and cutting it. I cut my shin quite badly climbing out myself as waves crashed me against the rocks.

Get to the beach and coastguard have arrived and called paramedics. (There's a beach watch thing right by where we were).

Anyway the paramedic arrive after a bit a said the boy needs to go to A&E as he has a head injury and they need to check his lungs. They dressed my shin on scene.

The boy got really upset saying he'd miss his friend party this afternoon - he was actually hysterical but I suspect it was more the shock. The mum looked up and said " well you wouldn't have had to miss it if that stupid cow had taken you to shore instead of throwing you onto the rocks"

I was quite impressed with the coastguard who replied " what the stupid cow who most probably just saved your DS' life?"

AIBU to think she should have done something herself if the way he was rescued was such a problem.

Well done you for saving her son and I hope the gash clears up okay.

Sounds like she was completely unaware of how trecherous the water actually was and how much you were struggling!

That's a point, maybe you could get in the local paper and shame her for her comment only half joking

Well done you! I guess you caught the full force of her anger at herself for putting everyone in such a dangerous position. No excuse though

The stupid parents obviously had no understanding of tidal conditions, they sound mad!
Well done OP!

Good god, what an awful woman.

Being charitable, I imagine she will burn with embarrassment when she thinks back to that moment.

Being uncharitable, some people just aren't very nice.

That bitch isn't even worth a post.

You on the other hand, bloody well done. for you.

Well done you. What a wonderful and selfless thing to do.

I wonder if the mother felt utterly impotent as she wasn't able to stop her son from going in the sea (ergo she put him in peril) and then couldn't save him herself.

So she lashed out at you when really she was mad at herself. Just a thought.

First of all well done you almost certainly saved a life today. The mum was very likely reacting in shock and when she reflects will realise what a terrible and ungrateful thing she said.

Secondly something very similar happened to my cousins 12 year old son. He's been involved with the local surf club since the age of 6 and had done life saving techniques. He saw a 4 year old in trouble on a beach where he knew there were very bad currents, went in on his surf board and managed to get her out but the little girl got cut as he pulled her onto his surf board. He got screamed and raged at by her mum because of the cut and was understandably really upset by it. Two days later he saw the same family again on the beach and they couldn't thank him enough and the mum kept apologising for being so awful and said she was just so frightened and shocked she said all the wrong things.

Well done have a well deserved glass bottle of wine and hope your leg recovers quickly. That family were extremely lucky you were there

Well done OP you are a star. When she is the one in water rescuing the child, She can make decision on how it is handled. I get she was in shock, but how rude.
Well done again.

She stood back and watched her child struggling/drowning?
there are people who don't think swimming is a life skill...

Wow well done u and what An idiot she was as for her husband who went off in the other direction what the pissing hell was he doing? Mum could have taken care of other lo.

Hope ur leg not too sore!!

Bet she couldn't swim and felt utterly impotent. No excuse though.

Well done op you are a bloody star,I have a 6 yr old ds and to think of him in danger like that makes me shudder.
You are a true hero.

A friend and I had something similar, rescued a little boy from drowning in a swimming pool. His mom was right there and just watched as he sank, my friend and I jumped in and got him out. Her response? To scream abuse at us and slap my friend. It was really awful, and then she slapped the little boy too, right across the face. It wasn't in the uk though, and she didn't speak English so never really got to the bottom of it. Either way though, people do react really strangely during stressful situations.

She starts saying she may slip, it's too near the water and can't I take him to shore.

Sounds more likely that she was embarassed and shocked at her instinct for self preservation and that it took a stranger to save her child's life.

Well done you - very very brave - remember that rather than her reaction.

Out of interest did the dad say anything? Did she respond to the coastguard?

FFS - stupid bitch

not you OP the so called mother of the child

She wasn't actually watching her child drown - tbf to her I can imagine she was paralised in shock. Apparently her DS can swim - my DS can swim too. He could swim 25m at 6 but in waters like that there was no chance - I guess though that just didn't enter her head. She was yelling at him to swim.

The beach shelves quite suddenly so although only 20m or so out it was deep where we were. If I had swam in with him we would have struggled in the breaking waves - I was afraid I'd lose my grip on him.

I use to be a lideguard, my dad was a lifeguard and coastguard so rescuing him seemed natural to me. I know the water well and knew I could get to him and him to the rocks. I would say safely but more as the safest option.

TBH I am angry that she yelled, and angry that she didn't consider that now I have a shin with no skin, a pair of ripped and ruined trousers, more washing to do that I cannot dry quickly in this weather and a car that now has a soaking drivers seat that I have no idea how I'll dry.

ontheedge I do suspect it was shock. Perhaps guilt that she didn't help him?

I really didn't and don't want thanks but was very taken aback by her reaction and could have kicked her with my good leg

BTW I have had a lovely bath and coffee now so warm and dry again!

so not a Thank You but only abuse - great mum she is :(

well done to you for helping the child, I know Iwould do the same as Icouldn't stand to watch someone in danger, but I am not sure if Iwas v.polite if someone commented the way she did

What you did was brave and courageous. Nevermind a party if it were not for you, she would be walking behind her sons coffin. She should hang her head in shame, and be grateful and thankful to you.

I very much doubt she would do the same as you

I think it wasn't shock that made her speak like that, it was embarrassment that they'd been stupid enough to let their children onto slippery rocks in rough weather.

Well done to you xx

Well done that coastguard for putting that vile woman in her place