BBC interview with the mother who lost her son in Burnham at the weekend

[davinci]

I can't believe that they interviewed her, she is clearly in a state of shock and should be left to mourn. The voyeuristic nature of the interviewer whose only goal appears to be to upset her even more for the benefit of his viewers made me ashamed to be watching. I can't see any justification for this type of interview

Ffs give it a rest

Oopsie, do you know this boys aunt is a MNer? Even if you think it maybe don't say it? His family don't need to be reading stuff like this.

It doesn't matter if it was on the beach or the dunes or the pier or the sea wall.

Children have walked into holiday apartments and straight over the balcony before parents have put their suitcases down!

When we are in a familiar environment and aware of potential dangers accidents like this are less likely. People do not alway immediately size up potential dangers and I really think there is a mind set that bad things do not happen in nice places.

People behave differently on holiday. Most people do not ride mopeds around whilst wearing Bermudas and no crash helper in Chorley. But take them to Kos and it seems like a great idea.

Fwiw I really do not like the interviewing of victims so soon after a tragic event. They did it to that poor woman whse husband was killed by a shark. She said things I feel she wouldn't have if she was not in such great shock.

I hate the way these threads go. I bloody hate them

Accidents can happen in the blink of an eye, I'm sure many of us have had a close call with our children.

There was a terrible accident near me last year.
A child and parent were walking along the promenade, the tide was right in and the waves were coming over the wall, they were holding hands and jumping in the puddles.

Tragically as they passed an opening in the wall where the steps go down to the beach a huge wave came right over and swept the child away into the sea.

RIP Dylan.

Jetty, pier sane, currents, rip tides. Doesn't really matter what is was.

A small boy is still dead and a family and community are griefing.

Very, very well said, MrsDeVere.

I think everyone is ignoring the elephant in the room here .

4 yrs old and he was at the edge of the jetty jumping up and down FFS!! She keeps going on about how he was only a metre away! What difference does that make if you not restraining him.This accident was entirely avoidable!

You vile heartless cow.

"I think everyone is ignoring the elephant in the room here .

4 yrs old and he was at the edge of the jetty jumping up and down FFS!! She keeps going on about how he was only a metre away! What difference does that make if you not restraining him.This accident was entirely avoidable!"

you vile heartless cow

Twenty years I have been a parent, five children and years of working with children.what has that taught me?

Accidents are a breath away. The fact that some of our children make it to adulthood and beyond is a miracle.

I know of children who have died choking on grapes, pen lids, have fallen off quad bikes and horses, had walls fall on them, have been thrown from cars seconds after their seatbelts have been undone and yes one wonderful, beloved young man who was swept out to sea while on holiday.
His poor mother is reliving the agony yet again as these two recent incidents are dissected by the general public.

Smuggery about being clever enough to have live children is lower than worms.

I thought about this thread this morning. I had two toddlers to look after, one my own and one someone else's. In an hour, one of them had jumped, gone sideways and hit his head and the other had climbed on a chair and fell and hit her face. They are both fine. I was supervising (obviously not well enough) and doing that constant risk assessment that we all do... The child is testing boundaries and trying something new, they are enjoying themselves, they seem safe. All it takes is one second.

It is very hard to be a parent. Helicoptering is bad and so is risk-taking. This poor woman is having to live with her choices. I am glad that no one was hurt today but it wasn't because I am better than her, it is because I am lucky.

Exactly MrsDV and MrsTP (is there a theme here ) - we are all lucky every day that our children don't fall victim to accidents.

I'm sure that statistically driving to the beach is more dangerous than spending a day there.

Twice my son has wanted to so something. Once when 4, the other time 5 or 6. Both times I didn't want him to do it, both times I heard my DH's voice saying you have to let them do things. Both times he hurt himself with one needing a trip to A & E and then an emergency dentist.

I am super careful with my kids. We went for a walk on the pier. No way could any of them be swept up by the wind and over the wall but I hated every minute we were on that pier. The 8 year old thought she would kneel up on the bench to look over into the sea, I hated her doing it.

I was in a boat that got into difficulties when I was about 7 and I have always assumed that is why I am terrified of the sea and water in general and would happily never swim again.

I may wrap my kids in cotton wool but if anything did happen I would know I tried my best while feeling as guilty as hell.

This poor woman would have kept a very tight hold of her boy if she had had any inkling of what could happen.

I have kind of lost oy train of thought now but all we can do is our best. No one would let their kid do something if they thought for a second they would end up dead.

All our children are at risk, all of the time. There are so many, many ways that children can be injured or killed but we make risk assessments and judgements and trust that the worst won't happen. Sometimes it does and most of the time, as in this case, it is nothing to do with a failure in parenting but just a tragic accident.

It's comforting to think 'oh that would never happen to me because I do XXX' but in truth, that's bollocks.

True.

I am uber careful and all my kids have still ended up in hospital after an accidents.

Life is one long risk.

Yes, well said Mrs DV and Mrs TP.

It is terrifying to think how one day we might all be unlucky and lose our beloved DC.

I have a one year old who puts everything in his mouth. I seem to spend all day fishing random items out of there. I am constantly filled with low level anxiety - if I am in the bath for example and he is silent in another room I suddenly panic that he has choked on something. I try very hard to ensure that he won't but I am only human and things can be missed, or I might be distracted one day, or his big brother might give him something to chew unnoticed by me...

And I have a three year old. I read this terrible tragic story with my heart in my mouth. I know how difficult it is to keep a child of this age safe but also allow them a little independence and the freedom to explore their environment and their own abilities.

I could completely imagine something like this happening with my DS. It wouldn't matter that I was watching him and only a few steps away. In a matter of seconds he slipped and fell in. The currents did the rest

It could so easily have happened to any of us.

It is very difficult to keep hold of an excited child's hand for any great length of time imho. I can manage it whilst crossing the road with DS [and I insist on it]. But I could imagine that in this circumstance I might have let him walk free believing it very unlikely that he would fall in. And also being ignorant of the currents and how quickly he would have been swept away...

It is a terrible terrible thing and I am so sorry for Dylan's family.

If there is any small good to come of this tragic event it would be that so many of us now are more aware of the dangers inherent in a trip to the seaside and will be more vigilant perhaps.

I know I will be.

All the I "I would never..." stuff is just our brains trying to protect us from the randomness of life. The idea that we all take calculated risks all the time and just occasionally randomness kicks in.

We could all, for instance, all take carbon monoxide detectors on holiday with us after those two children were killed in their holiday apartment by a faulty boiler. I imagine poorly maintained holiday homes are not uncommon. But we don't. I bet Oopsi doesn't. Why not? Because she thinks it's probably pretty safe. Just like everyone on that jetty.

This really is one of those hideous accidents that could happen to anyone. In fact all the horrible accidents I know of personally (one causing the death of a child) were so utterly random that they could never have been foreseen.

I feel chastened by this accident because I think I'm guilty of thinking "oh we'll be fine because I never would xyz" but this accident showed me how deluded I am.

I am shocked and disgusted at some of these threads. Shame on you.

I nearly lost one of mine in my sisters swimming pool, which is gated and bolted, I was talking to her in the kitchen, heard a splash and thought to myself, I wonder how the dog got over the gate.

Then something clicked and I realised it was my DC, I charged out there and DC was rising to the top, the cover was on the pool and DC had gone under, if I hadn't heard that splash, well, words fail me tbh ...........

This weekend we were at the seaside, DC was running about, then I heard about this poor little boy and his family.

There but for the grace of god go I, and many others, my heart absolutely breaks for them.

(when I say rising, it seemed like it took forever to me, but it must have only been a split second as they were on the upward kick).

could i just point out that according to his mother he was not just walking he was jumping up and down near the edge . Now Also there are signs on the jetty warning oe the dangerous currents. I accept that the parents just did not think.it happens.

Oopsi give it a rest please and have some respect ffs