Well, it was until B decided to teach D about the importance of learning to swim. B at 12 year old swims like a fish. Her handicap may hold her back in some areas but she's a natural in the water. Because she's such a good swimmer I didnt' think much of her lecturing my toddler about water safety. I didn't bat an eyelash when she detailed how if you don't know how to swim you never go in the water without an adult and a her floaties.
So when she took D to the middle of the shallow end I honestly wasn't too worried about it because B knows what can happen without a floatation device when you can't swim. It wasn't until B decided to demonstrate what can happen when you go in the pool without a float or help that I had a heart attack. To drive the lesson home B... let go of D!
Thankfully I was there watching so as I jumped out of my seat screaming B reached down to the bottom of the 4 foot deep water and picked D up! I tried not to flip out. I tried to remember that part of the problem with B is she doesn't grasp consequences but this is just another example of how even when you think she fully understands something there can still be this disconnect.
In her mind she was teaching and being a good big sister. To me she was endangering D. I lectured her, explaining why what she did was so dangerous and told her it is not her job to teach lessons about things especially when they can result in death! Thank God I taught D how to hold her breath and I have CPR as a back up but still!
It scared me and to be honest it scared B too. I think oddly D was the least upset by the ordeal. At any rate, this was yet another lesson learned by all. D now realizes she has absolutely zero buoyancy (she sank like a rock) and to not trust B in the pool, B knows she can't teach D about swimming by drowning her, and I learned that no matter how comfortable and confident you feel in a situation, you can never be to careful.
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