I worked at a camp that included swimming in DC and a waterpark themed camp that took dozens of kids to different water parks every day.

I would be very very careful if i was a parent. I saw an egregious lack of safety. At one waterpark we were told to take all of our kids out of the water because it was so chaotic and unsafe and not nearly enough counselors were anywhere near the water.

This thread is FIVE years old.

Your fears are not silly. Last summer a 4 YO died at a pool with his daycare center. And just 2 days ago, a 6 YO died while at a pool with the park district summer camp. It happens. The best thing to do is NOT send your child to camp if he cannot swim.

See, this is one of those places that it's right to worry. If you'd said you were worried about your child being kidnapped from a car you were keeping an eye on in the middle of the day while you picked your younger child up at school, I'd laugh at you for your paranoia. But for children, pool safety actually IS one of the biggest issues out there! If it's a spray park, then no issue. But I would not let a child go swimming without MY supervision until I was very confidant in their abilities. Keep your kid home those days.

Add me to the don't-send-them group, until they are strong swimmers and can be responsible for themselves. I used to lifeguard when I was a teen, and had to rescue a little 3 year old who'd been clinging to the side of the pool, in the shallow end (about 3 feet or so). He let go and just slipped under. Was doing something like a doggie paddle underwater but couldn't get back to the surface. At first I thought he was swimming deliberately, but then it became obvious he wasn't, and that he couldn't get back up to the top. His mom was RIGHT THERE chatting with friends and not watching the child. It just always stuck with me, because I always thought nobody would watch a child as closely as a parent. But even parents mess up.

And I panicked once myself when I was about 10. The water was much deeper than I had expected after heavy rains, and I couldn't touch the bottom. Someone had to pull me out.

Fortunately, there were always adults around who were alert. But I worry even more today with iphones, ipads, etc. taking their attention away.

I am not a helicopter parent and I will not send my kids that are not very proficient swimmers to any camp with a pool. Period.

Sadly, we know of a few tragedies with pools.

We belong to a pool and my friend had to dive in to fish her 5 year old out of the deep_end (he slipped in). It was very crowded and the lifeguards did not notice. He was already near the bottom. She got there in time.

I don't rely on ANYONE else to supervise my kids at the pool. My 6 year old is a so-so swimmer. 4 year old has had lessons but not there yet.

When I know they are proficient it will be a different story. I would worry too much. I did pass on a popular local campthathas a pool.

How about you get her some private swim classes and work on her skills and confidence? You do want her to learn how to swim, right?

Signed, mom who grew up in Florida and went to every lax summer camp pool and survived

Ah these posters who somehow manage to drag up 2 year old posts drive me nuts!! Thank you pp for pointing this out before i posted and looked like an idiot. As for 22:59, why and how did you manage to dig this up. I'm curious as to your motivation.

Anonymous wrote:Do not send her. 6 is way too young, and drowning takes a few seconds. There are many, many drownings at camps. Google this. I chose a camp each week all summer for my kids, but none where they take them to waterparks. That is dangerous! Also, how are they transporting them? If it's a van, my kids don't go. They ride in boosters until age 11 or 12. School bus is fine. The things that kill kids are car accidents and drownings. I am laid back as a mom, but not with those 2 things. Ever.

Well, she's 8 now. Can she go?

Teach your child to swim - it is a pretty key life skill if she is going to summer camps. Will help with some of your paranoia too. There are hundreds of thousands, probably millions of kids in summer camps who are swimming every summer - you hear about a very occasional drowning. Kids aren't drowning left and right.

Do not send her. 6 is way too young, and drowning takes a few seconds. There are many, many drownings at camps. Google this. I chose a camp each week all summer for my kids, but none where they take them to waterparks. That is dangerous! Also, how are they transporting them? If it's a van, my kids don't go. They ride in boosters until age 11 or 12. School bus is fine. The things that kill kids are car accidents and drownings. I am laid back as a mom, but not with those 2 things. Ever.

Anonymous wrote:how about hire a babysitter you know well and send them with your child as her personal swim buddy. I did this last year at a very large swim park during my ds camp. I did go too but I had my dd to watch and did not want my ds to go anywhere without supervision 100% of the time. I used someone that I regulary use and she not only got paid for the time she was there, she had a good time too. You are not be over protective. You can not erase the drowning accident. If you are not comfortable sending your child to a waterpark with out you...you know your child better than anyone.

NP here - this is a great suggestion. Thanks.

Also, a bit off topic, but this is a really important and helpful article about what drowning does - and does not - look like: http://mariovittone.com/2010/05/154/

I would not be comfortable with it either and would keep my child home on those days. There were two teens who recently drowned in Iowa at a camp. I've seen large groups of summer camp kids at local water parks and the majority of time, as a parent I would not be comfortable with the level of supervision.

Anonymous wrote:Your not being ridiculous because your concern. My child attended a summer camp that at first didn't offer swimming but when the camp was getting ready to start, they offered swimming. I talked to the director and explained my daughter is not a good swimmer. The director said they would have plenty of people there to make sure the kids are safe. I didn't care if a hundred people were going to be there, I wanted to check it out myself. So I followed the bus. Only one person from the camp was in the water, only one was outside watching the kids. The other five were under umbrella's. On swimming days, I let her stay with her grandparents. The only thing I would recommend is to check the pool out the first day when the kids go swimming. Are their enough life quards? Are the counselors watching the kids. I know exactly how you feel.

my kid was at merritt academy summer camp this past summer and nearly drowned when his counselor was too busy yapping instead keeping an eye on him - thank god for the lifeguard! i feel it should also be the camp counselor's reasponsibilities to look after my kid while he was in the pool! read on about merritt academy summer camp! it is horrible!! http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/124937.page

I'm very paranoid about drowning, probably overly so... but I agree with PP that every summer there seems to be a drowning in the paper. One year (maybe two summer ago?) it was at the JCC summer camp. That being said, I don't want my fears to affect my son's confidence in the pool. I would consider sending a babysitter with my kids to the pool when I couldn't be there.