Jabari of the Water and Children’s Water Safety
Did you know that drowning is the second leading cause of death in children ages 1-14? I didn’t! And it’s completely preventable by taking a few simple steps towards better water safety…which is why I love the website, Jabari of the Water! The goal of the site is to significantly reduce the number of children’s drowning accidents. What unique about Jabari of the Water is that the folks at Jabari (one of whom is a single mom too by the way) have developed a new approach to delivering important water safety messages in a positive way that are easily understood by kids. And the very sweet character at the center of it all is Jabari, the lion cub.
Check out my Q&A below with single mom and Jabari of the Water co-founder Rebecca – and then jump on over to their site!
- Swati
Q: Why should I be worried about my child and water in the first place?
A: I’ve rarely seen anyone who was not shocked by the following statistic: Drowning is the second leading cause of accidental death of children in all developed countries. In states like Florida it’s number one.
Q: Where do children drown?
A: For babies, it’s usually the bathtub. Just because they can sit up, don’t ever leave the room to answer the phone, grab their jammies or anything else. And those bathtub seats? They can easily flip and trap your baby under water. Toddlers? Overwhelmingly home swimming pools. If you have any type of pool, have a fence around it. Better yet, a fence and an alarm. Too many stories of kids who escape out the doggy-door, or just escape, and head for their favorite place. Older kids? Rivers and lakes – teach them to know where they are swimming and always have a buddy. Teenagers? Not surprisingly, alcohol-related.
Q: Why the panic? I’d notice if my child was drowning!
A: If you were expecting waving arms, yelling and panic, you’d be mistaken. Check out this blog by a Coast Guard/military veteran. http://gcaptain.com/maritime/blog/drowning/. The Australian lifesavers teach to watch for ‘Climbing the Ladder’. If someone is vertical in the water, moving their arms slightly, head looking upwards, little leg movement and NO NOISE, they’re drowning. It can happen in under a minute and is totally silent.
Q: Now I’m freaked out and I’m not going near water – why did you ruin my summer vacation?
A: Sorry, exactly the reaction that people usually have to those very real and scary facts. It’s exactly the reason we have introduced Jabari, a lion cub who loves being in the water because he knows how to be safe. Jabari means ‘brave’ and his friends all think he’s cool because he actually loves the water, and cats usually don’t! We believe that if we teach children, starting as early as one, how to be safe in the water while they are having fun in the water, that they will grow up knowing how to balance the danger and the fun. We believe basic water safety should be as basic to children as fastening their seat belt. Think about it – fire is dangerous, but we still let our kids roast marshmallows for s’mores. And we let them cross the street, we just teach them to ‘look both ways’. Being in the water is one of the great joys of childhood – let’s teach our kids to be safe at the same time.
Q: So how will Jabari help me teach my child?
A: Our goal is for Jabari to be recognized and loved by children around the world. For all of you who have gone through the Thomas or Princess phase you know how children can become attached to characters that they relate to. Jabari and his friends are adorable African animals and they try to be good, but they don’t always know how, just like all children. If children love Jabari, they will listen to the important water safety messages that he is teaching, and they will learn and, eventually, internalize those messages. Water poses different dangers in different places – if you know Jabari can tell you the best way to be safe maybe you’ll look to him for advice. And besides, wouldn’t
Q: Anything else I should know?
A: Have fun in the water! From the first splash of a baby’s fist in the water to stomping in puddles, playing with noodles and splash bombs, diving into a cold pool on a hot day, swinging off tire swings in to a river, a lazy-inner tube ride down a dappled creek or just having water gun fights in the front yard it’s the best fun I know of and probably the source of most children’s best summer memories. So get in there and splash – just teach them how to be safe too!
10 Comments
Leave a Reply
-
More Ways to SUBSCRIBE
Swati, thank you for this post. My 1 year old nephew drowned in his backyard swimming pool. We can never be too careful around water. I am absolutely going to check out the links you have provided in this post.
Oh my goodness that is so sad…I am so sorry Mrs. Mayhem. Very, very tragic.
I hope the information in this post helps people with kids be safer.
Swati
[...] link came to my attention through Swati, at The Single Mothers Chronicles. Her recent post, Jabari of the Water and Children’s Water Safety, should be required reading for every parent as it provides essential water safety information and [...]
Thanks so much for sharing this important post with your readers Common Sense Tips! I really appreciate it!
Swati
Mrs. Mayhem, I am so sorry for your loss. It’s stories like yours that keep me going when the task seems insurmmountable.
And Common Sense Tips – thanks for sharing the post – I know all of us moms want our kids to have fun, and to be safe. It’s a constant balancing act, but worth it.
What a great post, Swati. And such a fun and creative interview on a serious subject. You are truly brilliant. I am so sad to hear about Mrs. Mayhem’s nephew. That is so devastating. It is awful to think about how many children die from drowning. Now I really want to get swimming lessons for my kids. We are about to spend a week at the beach and I’m petrified!
Oy – thanks for the sobering information. Good to keep in mind!
What a great idea! I’d love to get some literature on Jibari for use in the classroom. As usual you have such terrific and creative suggestions–how do you do it all??
Ok the truth is that Rebecca and I were connected by a friend because we are both single moms and this incredible site is her business idea…so ummm…I kinda did the least work
SO glad it will help you!
Swati
Tia – I’d love to get in touch. We would love to see Jabari in the classroom. Our trial runs of reading the book aloud in preschools and kindergarten has had an overwhelmingly positive reaction from kids, who even followed the rules and talked about what Jabari would do when they went to the pool! You can reach me at rebecca@jabariofthewater.com to learn more. Thanks!