Mom criticised for allowing six-month-old baby to fall into pool on purpose
A mom has come under fire for allowing her six-month-old to fall into a swimming pool and 'fend for herself'. She says there is an important reason why she allowed this to happen.
While scrolling through the internet on Thursday, I came across this particular video which did the rounds back in 2016, and I must be honest, I was a bit taken aback by this mom's approach.
Drowning incidents are on the rise internationally and even right here in South Africa. According to Sea Rescue South Africa, almost 600 kids under the age of 16 die each year due to drowning, which is equivalent to 10 buses filled with children. Absolutely tragic!
Keri Morrison's son was a victim of drowning. Insider Edition reports that she tragically lost her almost three-year-old son Jake back in 2013 when he fell into a waterway and drowned.
Three years after Jake's death, Keri gave birth to a baby girl named Josie, and she promised herself to teach her lifesaving skills from a young age.
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When she was six months old, Keri recorded a video of Josie near a swimming pool attempting to grab a brightly coloured shoe. In an instant, Josie loses her balance and falls in face first. At this point, my maternal instincts kicked in and I started to get nervous.
It turns out that Keri intentionally allowed Josie to fall in and fend for herself to allow her survival instincts to kick in. For almost a minute and a half, you see Josie battling to keep her head above water.
As you can imagine, social media and the internet in general were furious, with some calling her crazy and irresponsible for her actions. Keri defended herself by saying that the child was in no form of danger, and she doesn't understand why so many were outraged after seeing the clip.
"I really don't understand all the negative feedback that we're receiving because to me when I look at that video, I see nothing but amazing," she told Insider Edition.
Watch the terrifying footage below:
As I watched the first few seconds of the video, I felt sick to my stomach thinking of the long-term effect this type of experience could have, and that people could stand aside and watch this little person struggle. In watching more and realising the story, I had more to ponder.
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The thought of a child drowning is one that used to wake me up at night, having at one stage two kids under the age of two.
So it begs the question: Would drowning stats be a lot less if this type of training was a given, and not seen as crazy? Do you think this mom is irresponsible for allowing her six-month-old to go through this training? Share your thoughts with me below.