Snake in the Pool    
    
   On Sunday, a juvenile snake found its way into our swimming pool. Little wigglers can't crawl back out, but they can live in water for a long time. 

Kids in the Pool
   When young children slip under the water, there are only seconds until their brains suffer lack of oxygen. Last year, 88 kids drowned in Florida pools, a most preventable tragedy. 

   Some survive, with or without permanent damage. In 2017, there were 107 near drownings, mostly ages 1-4, requiring hospitalization. 

In That Moment  
   A family in Clearwater went beyond careful to prevent a pool accident. Mom lectured her children, and showed them stories of kids who drowned, explaining, "This is why we're careful." 

   She put three locks on outside doors, and ADT alarms set to alert her when doors were open. Young friends knew; when you're in the pool, you shut the door. 

   Mom and dad had talked of an additional layer of security. What could possibly go wrong?

   On July 22, dad, a truck driver, was in Georgia. A teenage daughter and her friend were in the pool. A teenage son was around. Mom had come home from work and started preparing dinner. 

   Then she went to get her things from the car, for less than three minutes, knowing her daughter and friend were swimming. In that moment, the older girls left the pool. In that moment, Royal, 15 months old, slipped through a door that was left open a crack. 

   Tootie, a seven-year-old sister, discovered her.

   Royal is mostly unresponsive. "When" - the report says - she comes home, she will need a nurse and 24-hour care.

   Tootie, who "swims like a fish," plays with Barbies and tells her dolls to watch out for the pool. Neither mom or dad have returned to work.  

😢

       Jimmy