Forget Prestige; Pools, Children Just Don’t Mix

When will people learn? Swimming pools, Jacuzzis and children just do not mix.

Four years ago, my husband and I came close to purchasing a home with a pool. The price was right, and with a little work, we could have made a great profit in several years. So we discussed the pros: The fun! The pool parties! The barbecues! The long, lazy summer days by a cool, refreshing pool! The prestige! The profit!

Then we discussed the cons: Namely, Sean, Corey, and Paige--7, 4, and 3 years old. While the eldest could swim, the two others were learners. To make our family “pool safe,” we talked about swimming lessons, fences, locks and latches, alarms, and rules and regulations--to be followed strictly, of course. But we also knew that fences can be climbed, locks can fail, alarms can be turned off and forgotten and rules are made to be broken.

We reluctantly decided against this “home w/pool” and immediately felt an overwhelming sense of relief. The anxiety we had been feeling had been tremendous, and we did not realize it until that decisive moment.

The safety of our three children is the most important thing in our lives. We knew that life would be hell if an accident occurred involving the pool and our children, or anybody else’s children, especially since it would have been our own decision to purchase that “home w/pool.”

The choice my husband and I made is tragically reinforced each time we read of another child’s drowning or near-drowning.

We applauded the family in Mission Viejo who suffered a near-drowning about a year ago and then filled in their deathtrap. Their child was lucky; he got another chance. His parents were lucky; they also received a second chance to make the right decision.

Now two more children have lost their lives. They and their parents did not get a second chance. Our hearts and sympathies go out to these grieving families.

There will be more talk about rules, regulations and stricter laws for homeowners with pools . . . but rules are made to be broken. Can’t people learn now?

JAN BLACK, Anaheim