Mkrop
I just cant go on demand
- Joined
- Feb 26, 2007
Frankly, I think our cultural discomfort with accidents and things outside our control lead us to look for a systemic answer to every freak occurrence. The conversation about the 13yo who drowned at Pop was ridiculously similar to the conversation on this thread - berating a lack of parenting and calling for round the clock lifeguards - so it clearly isn't just an issue of the child's age. It is the generally risk-adverse mindset of our society. No matter how old the child, the conversation automatically seems to turn to finding fault and placing blame rather than accepting/understanding that sometimes accidents just happen.
The same common sense that tells us a 4yo needs to be supervised around water should also remind us that preschoolers are unpredictable and have a way of getting away from their parents at times. Since the parents were in the pool area and reportedly in their swimsuits when they left the ship, they probably weren't letting the kid swim without them - more likely, Dad thought the child was with Mom and Mom thought he was with Dad, or he simply slipped away in the chaos of the sail-away party and they didn't find him quickly enough.
I dont disagree that even with a 4 year old you can have a true accident, but you can also have parents who were not properly supervising their child for the age they are and for the risk involved.
This may truly have been as you described, each parent thought the other had him or there was chaos and he slipped away and this accident occurred but there are parents out there who are not as vilgiliant as they shoud be with their children at certain ages around certain risks.
The investigation and interviews will tell the story, whether we ever hear it is another thing.