Hello and welcome to the Dr. Nurse Mama show, prescribing Hope for healthy families here on American Family Radio. Here's your host, professor, pediatric nurse practitioner, and mom of four, Dr. Jessica Peck.
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, hey there, friends, and welcome to my favorite day of the week. It's Friday. It's Friday, as my kids like to say. And we are getting to the middle of August already, which I just cannot believe. We are starting in the last quarter of the year. We are in the thick of back to school season, and we are just around the corner from fall. Now, if you live in the south like I do, fall is a little bit interesting. It just means that it's still 90 degrees. But we drink pumpkin spice and pretend to wear sweaters anyway, even though it's hot. But in this last quarter of the year and in this week, we've got some great news for you. I want to thank each and every one of you who participated in the Truth for Youth campaign this week with American Family Association As of this morning, we are only 18,000 Bibles away from our goal. And yesterday we have, 46,000 Bibles that are already purchased to be given to teenagers across America, which is really exciting. And so we would love to be able to meet that goal. You can call 800-733-4737, that's 800-733-4737 Or go online to T F Y that stands for Truth4Youth T F Y.org and you can get a Bible to give away to a student who needs help and hope that is found in God's word. So thank you all again for participating in that. And as we're on Friday and ask Dr. Nursemama Friday, I'm going to be answering questions today about water safety. If you've been following along since January, we've been talking every Friday about a new habit for healthy families, about a habit that you, you can incorporate into your family life. We've been through spiritual disciplines, through schedule rhythms, through communication skills. We spent all summer talking about technology, and now we're moving into safety habits. We've talked about technology safety, we've talked about sun safety, and this week we're talking about water safety. And I have a lot of questions that I'm going to answer about brain eating, amoebas, about flash flooding, about swim lessons, a lot of common questions that I get about that. And I just encourage, encourage you to just think as we're going through this and just think about ways that you can make your family safe. Now, for me Having been a pediatric nurse practitioner, I have encountered a lot of very tragic situations where water safety was breached, where people, children, people, of all ages were experienced tragedy during water encounters. And that is something that we never ever want to see. Now water is one of God's greatest gifts. It's refreshing, it's life giving, it's beautiful, it's often can be the place where our best memories are made. I love being by the water. I love just the, the beauty of God's creation. I love the peace that it brings. But water can also surprise us. It can be dangerous. And drowning is silent. Floods move fast, currents pull without warning. And most of the time when we experience danger with water, it happens very, very quickly. So as followers of Christ, we're called to love and protect others and especially our families. That means spending some time preparing, learning and acting. So today I'm going to give you some really clear guidance and some resources and some faith filled encouragement so your family can enjoy water, safely, which is really important. Now as I start with this, I want to tell you that actually more U.S. children ages 1 to 4 die from drowning than from any other cause. And that is really important. So especially for those kids.
There were 107 deaths in the Kerrville floods, 37 of them children
But I would be remiss if I didn't start the program talking about water, water safety without once again acknowledging the devastating Kerrville floods that have happened in my home state of Texas. And it is extremely heartbreaking for all of us. And we know that. According to the latest statistics, I was able to find numbers that I was able to find there were 107 deaths in the Kerrville floods, and 37 of those were children. And anytime we see children who have lost their lives in that grade of numbers, any one number is just tragic. But that many is a family. Each number is a story. Each number is a life that God cares deeply about. And I don't know if any of you saw this viral moment, but just last week, a young girl, a survivor of the Camp mystic floods in Kerrville, Texas, she recently appeared on Fox News and she sang her own lyrics, a rendition of the song Hallelujah that she wrote. And it moved me to tears just to see her strength, her courage, her faith. I know I've heard from several of you about how much that moved you. And she was able to meet her favorite singer, who is Lauren Daigle, after the performance. But that girl who, she used the song to express her experience and her faith in the aftermath of devastating floods. And I thought, how many of us would be willing to go on National Television like that and to share what God had laid on our hearts. I think we can learn from her courage. And I also want to ask you specifically to pray for the family of a little girl named Cile I think it's Ciel Stewart. C I L E is how you spell her name. From the latest reports that I saw from the state government, she's an eight year old girl from Austin. And she is the only remaining missing girl from Camp Mystic. And I can't, imagine what her family must be going through just still looking for her. I want to thank all of the volunteers who have gone out to look for her. I just would ask you just to take a moment to pray for this little girl. Pray for her family, pray that she would be found so that her family can have some closure. And to every family who walked through any deep waters of loss from a water related tragedy. I know we had a really good friend who was lost in a boating accident a couple of years ago. We've talked with his family here. I think of so many families that I know and I know you know families as well. I just want to say my heart is really with you. Because no words can fully reach the pain that that brings. But I want you to know you are not alone. We are grieving with you. We pray for you. We honor the lives and the memories of those people you love, who you lost. And in moments when that grief feels overwhelming, I pray that you would find comfort in the promise of Isaiah 43. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. And when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. And I. Your story matters. Your loved one's life matters. And your healing matters. I saw another story from one of the floods. the girls who. Who? The girls. A girl, a teenage girl who was lost in the floods. Her parents were being interviewed and said that someone they didn't know had wok woken up a few days before the tragedy happened. And she felt like God had given her a vision of a girl with long brown hair who was being held by God's hands above the floodwaters. And she drew this picture and then saw the story of the girl who lost her life and sent that to her parents. And her parents appreciated that so much just knowing that her life matters and that God was with her. And we are really committed to learning from these tragedies because as I said last week, any time I see any life lost through tragedy, you see their family making an urgent appeal. Please let their life matter. Let their life Save another. And so I frame all of this to say, let's learn from those precious lives that ah, mattered and do what we can. Of course God is in control. But I pray that for those impacted, God's peace, which surpasses all understanding, which we definitely need because we do not understand the scale of tragedy, but may it guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus. And so that is what we're going to talk about today. And let me just dive in to talk a little bit. And I did mean that pun there, why it is so important we need to know that drowning is fast, drowning is quiet, drowning is most often preventable. So let's talk a little bit about how different kids can be at risk because you may have different ages of kids around you now. Toddlers age 0 to 4. One of the scariest things about toddlers and water safety is that they can in very small amounts of water. We're talking half an inch, an inch. We're talking a bathtub, a bucket, an inflatable pool, a toilet bowl, which because toddlers are top heavy, their head is much bigger than their body, they can fall in to the toilet and they can't get themselves out. They're also very curious, they're very mobile. They don't know that to be afraid of hazards and all of those things together means very high risk. So they need definitely supervision that your toilet lids are closed, that ah, your bathroom is closed. And none of these things are going to be absolutely, proof that your, your kids will definitely be safe. But everything buys you time and layered security is best. Now those preschool and early school years, about ages 5 to 10, problems with them are that they're overconfident, they overestimate their ability in the water and they love playing games like how long can you hold your breath underwater? Or let's play underwater tag until our bodies are so tired they can't move anymore. And sometimes as adults we have a little bit of overconfidence in what they can do. So we don't watch them as closely as we watch the younger ones. So that is really important. And when we have kids these ages swimming in the pools, it's really important to put them in brightly colored swimwear. You can go online and you can look at some pictures that will show you what different colors of swimsuits look like in the water. But generally speaking, bright orange, bright red, bright pink, all of those, bright yellow, those colors are going to show up best. And try not to have swimsuits that, that blend in with the watercolors. That can be really dangerous. Now when we get to the tween and in the teen stage, well, we've got peer pressure. We've got swimming at night more, which decreases visibility. We've got the potential for substance use. we've got risky stunts like let's jump off the roof or do a backflip, all of those kinds of things. And they definitely are swimming more unsupervised than younger kids are. So that can be really important. But even for those families of adults and seniors, look for family members who may be taking medication that will affect their ability to swim. Or, maybe you unexpected currents like you think, okay, I'm a pretty good swimmer, but I don't usually swim at the beach or the lake or the river. And of course, we just saw the tragic news of Malcolm Jamal Warner, who was a. A popular TV actor from the 80s, lost his life in a rip current. And I'll talk a little bit about that. So it's, it really is important. And especially for diving, this is one of the biggest things that I hear from, from families and from working in the emergency room. Never, ever, ever dive into water that you don't know the depth, because we do see neck injuries and paralysis from that. And many of you are probably familiar with Joni Erickson Tada, who was paralyzed as a teenager, you know, several decades ago, and now is this outspoken advocate for people with disabilities. So it's so important. So. And one of the hardest things about watching in water safety is that drowning is silent. So don't mistake quiet water for safe water. We need to make sure that we are on the lookout.
Flash floods are a storm killer because people underestimate them
So let's talk about some specific risk and some specific questions. I've been getting questions about flash flooding and how worried should we be about this? And flash floods actually move faster than you think. We are talking minutes, not hours. And there's a lot of people asking, how in the world could this have happened? But when you look at the way that the water rose in a matter of minutes, we're talking 10, the feet by tens, like rising in a minute. It is so fast because especially here in the Texas hill country, we have a lot of smaller bodies of water that feed into larger bodies of water like the Guadalupe River. And so if all of those are rising at once, you're talking about, it is just astronomical how fast that can happen. And they're a storm killer because people underestimate them. You think, oh, I can drive through that water or I can walk through that Water that doesn't look too bad. But we underestimate the power of water and flash floods and flood related incidents. They are something to really be concerned about. So you should make sure that you go to the National Weather Service and that you are signed up for local alerts that will come to your phone. Your city can usually help you with this, tell you where to sign up, but usually going to the National Weather Service, you can get those alerts on your phone and just make sure that you're weather aware, whether it's a tornado, whether it's a storm, whether it's a flash flood. Just be ready. And some ways that you can prepare your family are to make sure that you're subscribed to local emergency alerts. Now, I know in the Kerrville floods there's a lot of conversation going on about were those alerts sufficient. I think this is great because it is raising the conversation and raising the awareness and I think we're going to likely see more alerts going forward. But make sure all of your family has that. Build a family go bag. Have just an emergency kit that you can walk out the door with. Think about where would you go to get to high ground. Do you need medications? And when you are warned, move immediately to higher ground. Don't drive through floodwater. Floodwater as low as 2ft can sweep many vehicles away. And if you are trapped, get to the highest point in that structure and make sure that you're being careful with the water. Water can be contaminated after a flood. So. So make sure you know what to do before, during and after a flood. And we'll talk when we come back about Nigeria Fowleri. Now, I know that's a big word. I'll tell you all about it and how you can keep your family safe. When we come back. I want you to picture this. Her name is Kayla. She is 17, alone, terrified and pregnant. Sitting in a clinic, tears blurring, thinking abortion is her only option until she was offered a free ultrasound paid for by a hero just like you. The moment Kayla heard her baby's heartbeat, the decision was made. And today her little baby boy, Gabrielle, is thriving because preborn walked with Kayla every step of the way. Now multiply that by by 38,000. That's how many babies preborn has helped save just this year. How many mothers preborn has come alongside with practical and spiritual resources to make motherhood possible. But here's the most important thing you will hear today. Their goal is to save 70,000 by the end of the year. And they can't do it without us. Every $28 provides that ultrasound the moment moment everything changes. Will you be the reason the next Kayla chooses life? The reason Gabrielle fulfills his destiny. To donate, dial pound 250 and say the keyword baby. That's pound 250 baby. Or donate securely at preborn.com/AFR, that's preborn.com/AFR.
>> I Thank God by Housefires, JWLKRS Worship, and Ryan Ellis : Wandering into the night Wanting a place to hide this weary soul this bag of bones I tried with all my might But I just can't win the fight I'm slowly drifting a vagabond and just when I ran out of road I met a man I didn't know and he told me that I was not alone he picked me up and turned me around and placed my feet on solid ground I thank the master I thank the Savior because he healed my heart and changed my name Forever free I am not the same I thank the master.
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Welcome back, friends. That is I thank God by Housefires and I thank God for you. I thank God, for you as our listeners. Thanks so much for listening in. I know you have a heart to keep your family healthy and safe, and I'm right here alongside you for the journey. I also am very thankful for your participation in our Truth for Youth campaign. This is a campaign that American Family association is holding to give Bibles to teenagers who need them. You can call 800-733-4737, that's 800-733-4737 or go to TFY. That's tfy.org and you can donate Bibles to kids who need them now.
Water symbolizes life and spiritual cleansing and renewal in the Bible
Today it is Ask doctor nursemama Friday. I'm answering questions about water. And water is, is all around us. And it really holds profound meaning in the Bible because far beyond just physical necessity keeping us hydrated, keeping us clean, water symbolizes life and spiritual cleansing and renewal and God sustaining grace. And it's so interesting to me because from the very beginning, water is woven into God's story of creation and red and redemption. Because in Genesis, we know that the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters, showing that even before the world took shape, God's presence was active and he was working to bring order and life and purpose. And throughout Scripture, water is also a very powerful metaphor for spiritual renewal, for transformation, because Jesus tells the Samaritan woman at the well, whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst and points to the living water of the Holy Spirit that satisfies our deepest longings. And we and some at sometimes water can be A challenge. Even in the Bible, we about storms that happen. And in those moments, God's presence always remains steady and reminds us that we serve a God who calms the waves, who brings peace into the storm. And just as Peter stepped out into the boat on that water, by trusting Jesus, we too are invited to walk through life's turbulent waters with courage and faith. And we're talking today about some of the ways that water can be dangerous in our world. And I want to talk to you about a specific risk I've gotten a lot of questions about called Niglaria Fowleri. Okay, I have to look at that every time I say it, but this is going to sound really scary, but hang with me for just a minute. Some of you may have heard of it, but it is an amoeba. It is a tiny amoeba that lives in warm, fresh water, and it can enter through your nose and attack your brain. It is very, very, very rare. Very rare, but nearly always fatal. Fatal. And what we saw in Texas this summer was a report, a really tragic report of a Texas woman who was in her 70s, a healthy woman who died from an infection by this amoeba by using a sinus rinse from, some water at a campsite. And she got the infection and she, and she passed away tragically. And we're so sorry to hear about that. And so this is something that I do hear about, as I said, is extremely rare. But I do know a family who was impacted by this. And so anytime you know a family, it's hard to, to think of that as being rare and it is preventable. So this can happen, because the amoeba lives in warm, fresh water. So anytime you have water going through your nose, that can happen. Swimming, diving, any other water activities where you have water going up your nose and you're in that body of water, especially warmer bodies of waters. And so from the nose, that amoeba trav along your olfactory nerve, which senses smell. And it goes through the. What's called the cribiform plate. And that's a thin bone that separates it from your brain. And it is really tragic because it happens. It can happen really, really quickly. So now that all of you are super afraid and thinking, okay, you just had brain eating amoeba, that's horrible. Yes, it is absolutely horrible. But here are some ways to keep yourself safe from that. Avoid forceful head immersion. So if you're swimming in warm, untreated fresh water, natural lakes, rivers, warm ponds, during hot months, don't jump in and Let the water go up your nose, hold your nose, use a nose clip, which I say that that's the guidance. But let's be real. No kid is going to say, oh, yes, mom, please give me my nose clip. Now some of them will use it, but that's not the norm. But the best thing is just to keep your head above the water. It only goes in through your nose. So if you're boating, if you're playing in shallow, warm, murk water, just don't let any water get up your nose. That's a good way to prevent infection, and avoid stirring up the sediments. So if there's, like, you know, murky stuff on the bottom of the water, try not to stir that up too much because that can increase the risk. And for sinus rinses, you should always talk to your primary care provider before doing any sort of sinus rinse. But if you do, make sure you ask them about precautions for water using distilled water and not tap water or other forms of SAF water. So that's really important. And so for young kids, don't let their, them dunk their heads at all possible. And for teenagers, just tell them to take precautions about trying to have water not come up their nose. So rare doesn't mean impossible. Just, again, not getting your head under the water, not letting water up your nose, that can be a good way to prevent it. But it's something that I get a lot of questions about.
Since the tragedy of the loss of life of Malcolm-Jamal Warner, surf safety has become paramount
Since the tragedy of the loss of life of Malcolm- Jamal Warner, I've also gotten a lot of questions about rip currents and surf safety. Now, rip currents are invisible, deadly, and really very common at beaches. They can happen. And so what we see many times is families who may take a vacation at the beach who aren't used to the beach water, the Gulf water, the ocean water. And they underestimate the danger that is there because most surf rescues that happen do involve rip currents, and even strong swimmers can get pulled up out very, very fast. Now, again, you know, I, I think about my own personal experience, and my family was on a beach vacation on the Texas Gulf coast, and there was a father and a son who lost their lives to the rip current while we were there. It's just, it's something that really changes your perspective on how you look at things and think just to be a little more cautious. Now, I'll pause here and say that my family, gives me a little bit of a hard time, but that's just the, the lens that I see the world in because I See those things that can happen and I. Safety can just go a long way. Now rip currents and surf zone fatalities count for about a hundred deaths a year. And any one is is very tragic. But if you have a lifeguarded beach, that can really reduce risks. So, so first things that you want to look for. If you're a family with a beach vacation, try to go to an area where there is a lifeguard and then look at the advisories. Many beaches have flag systems or sign systems and pay attention to those warnings. I know growing up, you know, I would hear one, it's like, oh, it'll be fine. Oh, don't worry about that. But if those warnings are there, they're there for a reason. And so treat the ocean with respect, treat the Gulf with respect, treat that body of water with respect. That can happen. And how to recognize it is, you may or may not be able to see it, but it looks like a narrow channel of choppy water, like a little stream. There might be some foam on top of that or debris that's moving there or a gap where the waves aren't breaking there. It just looks like, it's almost like a glitch in, in what would be a pixelated picture. And if you're caught, the advice, the guidance is to don't fight it. You're supposed to just float and swim parallel to the shore until you're free of the current. And if you can't, just float and signal for help because you will get really tired really quick again. That's why it's so great to be on a beach where there is a lifeguard because they are trained to do resc use from rip currents and they know how to do that. So again, always swim near the lifeguards, obey the beach flags, obey the posted warnings and never ever swim alone, no matter where you're swimming. This is a really, really good piece of advice. And even I think of my mother in law falling in the pool once where she was just outside watering her plants by herself. So it's just a good safety safety for anybody to always make sure that you have somebody else around when you're around a bottle, a body of water. That's really important and especially for families with toddlers. If you're on the beach, stay in the surf shallow, stay above the high tide line. Sand play is safer than waiting in the strong surf. If they are there, they need to be in your hand, holding their hand, holding them, making sure that they are within arm's length of you and, and that's really, really important to do. And you can go to the National Weather Service and noaa. Noaa, they have a great resource, on rip currents. How do you, and they offer some advice on how to do that. And so that's, that's really important.
Swimming lessons are a layer of protection, but not a standalone fix
Now another question that I get about water safety is swim lessons and when should we do swim lessons? Now, swim lessons save lives, but no lesson alone can make any child drown. Proof. That is really important. Swim lessons are a layer of protection, but not a standalone fix. And each kid is different. So you should talk to your primary care provider about when your child will be ready for that. But generally speaking, the American Academy of Pediatrics supports swim lessons for many kids even as early as one, if they're developmentally ready. Again, that's where your primary care provider will help you with that and emphasizes that layered protection, making sure that there are barriers to bodies of water around your house, that you're supervising them, that, that they're using life jackets, that you know cpr. Because as I shared with you at the beginning of the program, drowning is the leading cause of death for one to four year olds. So you want to make sure that you have a healthy respect of the water and you start putting that layered protection. I get a lot of questions about something called Infant Swimming Resource. Isr. And ISR is a program where it's basically teaching safety. It's not teaching kids how to swim. It's for really young kids. And you may have seen some videos of this, that if a toddler, falls in the pool, it teaches them survival skills. How do they flip around, float on their back and yell for help? They do this even with full clothes on by the end of the lesson. And this is, this is a program that teaches again, survival skills. How do you roll to your back, how do you breathe? How do you buy time? Now, some of the caveats for this is that there are really no official guidelines. It may work for some families. It should not be used as something that is, drown proof. And you should talk to your primary care provider about if that's a good option for you and your family. And it is intensive. You've got to do a lot of lessons. You've got to have a highly trained instructor. And it can be expensive and it can be difficult to find an instructor. But I can tell you there are several families that I've had in my practice who have told me stories that they really firmly believe that their toddlers lives were saved through ISR and Infant Swimming resource. So that's something that you might want to check out, again, as a layer of protection. And so that, that's important to do. So lessons build skills which are really important to do. But supervision is what saves lives. So having a lesson isn't a substitution for supervision. And so isr swim lessons, they can create those critical seconds. But, barriers. An adult's hand, adult's eyes are still the first line of def. One of the things that we see with the advent of smartphones and mobile technology is that it's much more difficult for parents and grandparents to supervise while they're in the pool. Because you get out there and you get on your phone and you think, okay, well, the kids all know how to swim. This is generally pretty safe. I'll be here if there's any emergencies. But again, drowning is silent. And when you have some of those risk factors that I talked about earlier, where kids will exhaust themselves before they know it, or they'll do things that are maybe unwise or risky without knowing it, oh, let me just try this jump. Or having a jumping contest or that kind of thing. The phone is distracting. So you really should make it a rule in your family that anybody who is watching the kids around water should not have their phone at all. They should have it somewhere where they can call in an emergency but not be looking at it. Because the other dangerous thing about a phone and supervising kids around bodies of water is that the phone makes you mobile. So you get a phone call, hey, did you get this receipt? Did you check on this? Is it? so and so home, and all of a sudden you go to check and you get distracted and distraction matters. So it's really important to have somebody there who is assigned to make sure that they are watching, that their eyes are not leaving the water. And that can be exhausting too. So switch out, you know, and don't sit there the whole time. Just take 15 minute breaks and rotate. It's my turn to watch. It's your turn to watch. And especially kids who are not strong swimmers, who are young, they should always be within arm's length of that adult. That's really important. And I get a lot of questions too, about backyard pools. What do I think about them is usually what I get. I, I think pools can be great. Now I live in a place where it is hotter than hot in the summer, and the pool can be a really fun way to cool off. But private pools and even small baby pools are where many home tragedies happen. And so that's important. So some of the things to think about with your pool is making sure that you have a fence. A fence can be a best defense. Studies show that there's a major risk reduction with fencing around around the pool. But any kiddie pools or buckets, you should drain them immediately. Don't leave a kiddie pool out there thinking, oh, it's just a little bit of water or a bucket with just a little bit of water, because that can be really, really dangerous. Another thing that's dangerous is toys that are left on the surface of the pool because those can be an attractive nuisance. Little kids can go out there and reach for that toy and think, oh, I want to get that. And the next thing is, you know, they have fallen in. And so that can be important. And we should not over rely on inflatables or floaties. I actually don't recommend floaties on the arms. Those can slide off with sunscreen. And it gives parents kind of a false sense of security. And just think of what are your friends that buy time. That's your barriers, your safety precautions, your life jackets, life vests. But super vision is what closes that loop. And when we come back, I'm going to talk to you about boat, lake and river safety and I'm going to tell you what you need to know about cpr. See you on the other side of this break.
The war against biblical principles rages on numerous fronts
>> Buddy Smith Jeff Chamblee: We live in a day when America's families are under attack like never before. Buddy Smith, senior vice president of the American Family Association. The war against biblical principles rages on numerous fronts. The Internet, Hollywood, Washington, D.C. america's corporate boardrooms, and the list goes on. At American Family association, we're committed to standing against the enemies of God, the enemies of your family. And we recognize it's an impossible task without God's favor and your partnership. Thank you for being favored to pray for this ministry, to give financially and to respond to our calls for activism. What you do on the home front is crucial to what we do on the battlefront. We praise God for your faithfulness and may he give us many victories in the battles ahead as we work together to restore our nation's biblical foundations.
>> Up + Up by Colton Dixon: Even though I walk through the valley, sometimes it feels like a crawl through the valley. But I got a promise that I hold on tight too. I can't lose when I'm right beside you. Yeah God I know the plans you have for me when my cup is overflowing so all I'm in the end between Imma live my life knowing if I get down, you pick me up from the ground you give me love that don't give out give in no condition yes, you lift me up and up again no matter who surrounds I let my hallelujah get like a.
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Welcome back friends. That is up + up by Colton Dixon. And I hope that you are feeling up and up on this fry. Yay. As my kids like to say, we have made it through the end of another another week and we are talking about 52 habits for healthy families. We're in a segment where we're talking about safety. And I don't know about you, but my heart has just been so heavy. We have heard about so many high profile water tragedies. The Kerrville floodings, the loss of Malcolm- Jamal Warner, the loss of the, of the woman I told you about who died from a brain, a, brain amoeba, which is so traffic tragic. And then even hearing about the sailing tragedy that happened in Miami. It just feels like every time open the news, we can see news that is just so heartbreaking, so heart wrenching. But we're here today to remember that God created water. And it is beautiful. And water in the Bible represents God's sustaining power. And his power is tremendous. His cleansing grace and the renewal that he offers to our lives. And just as water is essential to our physical survival, God's spirit nourishes and refreshes our souls, just like what physical water does for us, especially during difficult times. And I remember going through a particularly challenging season in my life and just feeling worn out and uncertain about the future. And there's something about taking a quiet walk by a body of water. And I did this and I found myself really reflecting on Jesus words about living water, water. And that satisfies our deepest needs. And that moment, just that moment can help me, help me shift my perspective. Reminded me that even when life feels overwhelming, God's presence is steady and he offers us renewal and peace. And like water in our world, God's grace is constant. It is available to cleanse, to restore, to strengthen us so that we can move forward with faith no matter what challenges we face.
Boat, lake and river safety tips can pose unique risks
Now, now let me tell you one more thing and answer a few more questions about boat, lake and river safety before I talk to you about cpr. And this is really, really important. So hang in there with me. But let's talk about open bodies of water, lakes, rivers. again, I live on the Texas Gulf coast, so I am definitely surrounded by water. And there are some unique risks there. We've talked about rip currents, we've talked about submerged hazards. There can be sudden weather and boating adds the risk of falls and drowning. So here are some specific safety rules for families around boats. As we've been seeing some boating tragedies, I've seen them in our community and seen them in our world. Life jackets always, always, always, always, always for children especially and especially for non swimmers. And make sure that you have a Coast Guard approved life jacket, especially on small BO matter. Even if they're a really strong swimmer, those open bodies of water or lakes or rivers, they again have unique risk. The depth can be unpredictable. There can be submerged objects that you can't see. they could have another vehicle come by, a jet ski or a boat. And it's so helpful if the, if the person is wearing a life jacket that's going to increase the risk of survival. That's really, really helpful, important. Another message that I will give that is a little bit sensitive and may step on some toes but it's really important to avoid any sort of alcohol when you are operating boats or swimming or supervising kids in water because alcohol impairs judgment, increases drowning risk. And that's something to really, really think about when you're, especially when you're supervising kids. Make sure you check the weather before you go out on a boat because, because the weather can be really unpredictable and just be over cautious. Just head in at the first sign of a squall. And for rivers just make sure you're aware that swift currents and underwater obstructions can trap swimmers. So it's really important again just eyes on people at all times, making sure someone is watching for safety because it can take a couple of minutes to recognize that somebody, their head hasn't come back up above the water and that's all that it takes is a couple of minutes. So some other practical tips for boating and water safety. Keep an emergency kit on board. So get one with a whistle or with a emergency radio, a throw rope with a ring on it, some basic first aid supplies. That's a really good thing to have on board. Make sure everybody knows whose life jacket is who and who's going to wear it. When and if someone is swept from a boat. Throw the flotation device, call 91 1. Don't jump in unless you're trained or rescue gear is available.
It's really important to set boundaries in the family when swimming
Available now I know we saw a, a ah, really another story that just gripped our hearts again this summer of a girl who was with her family on a cruise ship and she fell over. I think she was four years old and her dad Heroically jumped in after her. And I know there are a lot of dads who say I would do the same. And I think in that moment, you know, dads are going to do what dads are going to do and, and praise the Lord, both of them, them were okay, but these kinds of things can happen. But I think it's really important just to set those boundaries in the family because the, sometimes your kids, especially your teenagers, they will resist that and think, I don't need a life jacket. A life jacket's not cool. Do you know how long it took me to pick this swimsuit or this outfit that I'm going to wear is going to give me weird tan lines? I mean I've heard all of those things, but just making it non negotiable, just saying, nope, we're wearing lines, life jackets. That's non negotiable. And don't be afraid just to hold fast to that. Don't be afraid to be that mom, to be that dad, to be that grandparent that just says, these are my non negotiable rules. You use my boat, use my pool, you follow my rules. I think that's really, really important.
Every minute counts in a drowning emergency and CPR doubles or triples survival chances
And the last thing that I wanted to talk to you about today in water safety is I want to talk to each and every one of you listening. I don't care if you're 18 or 80, I'm talking to you about CP. Now. In a drowning emergency, every minute counts and CPR doubles or triples survival chances. And so it's really a faith filled invitation just to be prepared. And outside of water danger, sudden cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, anywhere, including children and adults at home. And it's kind of amazing how much this happens. I remember one specific instance where I was watching my son, son, play little League. He was at a baseball game. And I was the mom in the stands just watching the game. And I was watching the umpire and he just started to look not well until the point where he was absolutely gray in the face. I saw him grab his left arm. The rest you know, I knew what was happening, ran over to him and thankfully we were able to intervene and, and his life was saved. Saved. But you never know when that can happen, including children and adults at home. And so again, that immediate CPR can really increase the risk of survival. So everyone should take cpr, especially grandparents. If you have little kids, CPR has changed. We do hands only. CPR now is what's recommended. And and especially helping kids who are choking. All of those things you can be prepared to go into action. And families are often the first responders. So being prepared can really save precious time. And so cpr, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, life saving technique, supports your circulation and breathing. It's really important. And again, we've moved to a really hands only kind of cpr, which they'll tell you about in the class, but it's just all about keeping that part, that heart pumping and how and when to use an aed, if you have one.
Every minute without CPR decreases your survival chances by about 10%, studies show
Now we talk about how CPR saves lives through the chain of survival, survival. And families are usually the first responders in this. So recognizing there's an emergency, calling 911-starting CPR to maintain that blood flow, and then knowing when or how to use the AED. And those things all happen before 91 1. First responders get there. And did you know the timing is critical because every minute without CPR decreases your survival chances by about 10%. Now that doesn't sound a lot. Minutes in, we're 30% down. So immediate action is really vital. And so knowing how to do that cpr, whether it's hands only, that's it's infant and child cpr using an aed, it's so important. And even choking, it will tell you how to respond to choking. So I really want to encourage every family listening out there to consider taking a CPR class. Having someone who is trained in cpr, you can find a lot of places for, classes you can go through the American Heart association, the you might try your local hospital or health clinic, call your fire department, your local ems, check with your school. there's all kinds of CPR classes that you can take and that will really build your confidence to act in an emergency. So if you're have parents, if you're as parents, you should do it. Older siblings who are watching young, younger siblings should do it. If your kids are babysitting, they should do it. If they're caregiving in any way, they should do it. That's really, really important. So I encourage you to think about that again. American Red Cross, American Heart association, the ymca, all kinds. But this week, pick a date, maybe sign up as a family. Might be a really fun thing to do as a family to learn CPR, teach older kids how do you call 91 1, when do you call 911, 911 and point to a trained adult. That is really, really important. So I encourage you to do that.
Water safety isn't just about avoiding danger, it promotes whole family health
And as we wrap up today, I just want to encourage you that water safety isn't just about avoiding danger. It's promoting whole family health and, and physical fitness and mental well being and social connection and spiritual formation, all of those things. So let me review some recommendations for safety by age really quick as we enter end here. For infants and toddlers, just introduce them to the water early for comfort, for sensory development, lots of parent child close contact and use some of those survival programs only as a compliment to supervision, not as a substitute for school age kids get make sure they have swim lessons, make sure they know how to swim, how they how to have stamina and recognize when they don't have it, what do they do when they're in charge trouble. Because having confidence in that is a great thing for kids. It can boost their mental health for teens. Teach them how to save lives, teach them how to do cpr, how to, how to watch other kids and help provide supervision. That's really important to do. And when we're looking at the, at the water and we're looking at our families in the context of interacting with the water, whatever else we're doing, that's active, healthy families protect bodies and calm minds and they nourish souls and that can be really, really important. So again one of those just reminder on some of those safety items, just having that safe, making sure that you're making your family as safe as possible. Everybody wants their family to be safe in the water. So make sure you've got barriers. Think about where your kids have access to water and what kind of barriers are in the way to get there. Whether that's a koi pond, a pond on your property, a bathtub, a toilet, a backyard pool. Where are the barriers in place to make sure that you have some time there and then supervision. How and when and where are you supervising when your kids are around the water? What are the rules or standards or just kind of take it as you go? Think about what are the guidelines that you're going to establish as a family for making sure that your kids have supervision around bodies of water. Now this can be really important, important in going to other kids houses where there are different rules. I remember very clearly taking my oldest to a birthday party when she was about 5 years old. And as I got there I recognized that they were going to swim and there were a lot of kids there and not a lot of adults there. And this was a party where the parents weren't staying, they were going to just drop off and come back. I always like to stay. None of the other parents were staying But I still said, you know what? I am staying. And, and that's okay. It's okay to do that. I've also had instances before where I've told my kids, nope, you're just not going to stay at this party or you're not going to swim. You're going to stay on the outside. I don't feel confident enough about your safety to let you engage in that. And I care enough about you to let you be mad at me. That's okay to do. Make sure. So barriers, supervision. Make sure that you're giving them the skills that they need, that they're learning how to serve, swim, that they have the supplies that they need. Do they have life jackets? Do you have rescue tools? Do you have those resources, that you might need for when you encounter water unexpectedly or in an emergency situation? And practice with your family. Talk about what would you do if that can happen. But most of all, I encourage you to pray for your family. Pray for your family's safety. I believe that prayers will work. I've heard so many miraculous stories of prayer just miraculously saving people. And it's important for us to do that from a holistic lens. Just pray over your family safety. It's so easy for us to be gripped by fear and then to try to control everything in our own power. We can do that. We can act as stewards of the life that God has given given us. But we can also trust in a God who knows, who sees, who cares. And we can pray that he will also help keep our family safe. And I pray that the Lord will bless you and keep you and make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you and that he will give you peace. Well, thanks for joining us on this Safety edition. We have a couple more weeks where we'll talk about some different kinds of of safety. And next week, we have a great week lined up for you. Enjoy the rest of your Friday and I'll see you right back here on Monday.
>> Jeff Chamblee: The views and opinions expressed in this broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.
