I'm writing this to help me make sense of it and work through it (i'm feeling very upset at the moment) and to warn others. My darling, darling boy almost drowned today.
I met a friend at the local park to feed the ducks. We're new to the area and hadn't been to this part of the park before. As we were walking to the duck pond I noted another pond nearby that wasn't fenced off and was covered in algae so it actually looked like a green 'carpet' and not water. I thought it looked dangerous.
We were standing feeding the ducks when my son, who's 2yrs and 2 months ran off with my friend's 3 year old boy. I chased after my son and when I finally caught up with him I smacked him and told him not to run off as there were ponds, explaining I wanted to see him at all times as he could drown. I know that he didn't quite understand what I meant but I wanted him to see that mummy was serious.
I went back to my friend and we stood chatting. The next thing I knew I could hear a man shouting. I turned and saw he was running towards the pond with the algae, shouting at the top of his voice. My friend's boy was pointing at the pond and I couldn't see my son. Utterly horrified, I realised that he must have fallen in. Where my friend's son was standing were some tall grasses so I ran to the side of them and saw that my son was completely under the water and battling to keep his head out. I jumped in, waded the few metres that he was from me and pulled him out. We were both crying and I held him the tightest I ever have, realising that I'd come within seconds of losing him. It's the most terrifying thing that's ever happened to me.
The man told me that he was walking with his son and his son started pointing to the pond. He looked and saw my son's head in the water. I realise that if the water had been much deeper my precious boy would have gone completely under and would have been undetectable.
I am so, so thankful to God that that man was there at that precise moment to see what was happening and alert me to it. If he hadn't seen, my son would have died. My friend's son knew something wasn't right but being so young he didn't grasp the enormity of it and didn't tell us.
These things take seconds. I was chatting to my friend, laughing and joking, completely oblivious to the awful thing that was happening behind us. It's reminded me, in the most dramatic way, to always be vigilant and careful. Tragedies happen in the blink of an eye.
I have the most awful images in my head, the image of my son thrashing around under the water, drowning. My darling boy. He's had lots and lots of extra kisses and cuddles today.
My lovely friend phoned the council this afternoon and reported what happened. They're going to contact me to discuss making the pond safe. I don't blame them, my son is my responsibility, but that part of the park is, at the moment, treacherous. Toddlers run off, they're curious, and are oblivious to danger. Parents let their guard down and forget to keep constant check on their children. Today could so easily have been a tragedy.
Please, especially during these school holidays, be vigilant about looking after your little ones around water. They are just so precious xx