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It’s been well over a decade since I’ve lived in Wisconsin, so people are often surprised to learn that it’s where I grew up. Though my family wasn’t originally from there – or even the Midwest – and my tolerance to cold weather has been ruined by several years living in Nashville, Wisconsin still holds a special place in my heart. I experienced my first Wisconsin winter when I was in 2nd grade. One of the most vivid memories from that winter was my first time on a frozen lake. My dad was pulling me across the ice and snow on a sled. He was having so much fun. I was convinced we were going to crash through the ice into the freezing water below. Pretty sure my 8-year-old self had never been more terrified.
This post is sponsored by Goldfish Swim School.
Clearly, he knew what I didn’t. The ice was likely more than a foot thick and definitely solid enough to hold a pickup truck. Which, if you’ve never lived up north, this is generally the norm in the wintertime. Living in central Ohio is a totally different experience. Here, if it’s cold enough for ice to form on the water, it’s still not cold long enough for that ice to thicken. Which is a problem.
Our neighborhood has a couple of large ponds. While the water may give the appearance of being frozen over, it isn’t. Just last week, firefighters had to rescue a dog that fell through the ice in one of the ponds. This is a big reason why we’ve continued to talk with Liam about water safety. It’s not just a topic for the warmer months or when we travel. It’s still something to talk about at home even though it’s winter. Because you never know when water safety skills will become necessary – until they do. This is also why we’ve continued Liam’s swim lessons at Goldfish Swim School. Because in addition to teaching Liam how to swim, they’re also teaching him the tools he needs to stay safe around water any time of the year.
I found this post from Goldfish which takes about winter water safety myths and I think it offers some great facts about why water safety is an all-year-long thing.
What about your family? Are you still talking about water safety, even through the winter?
Living in South Florida we have water everywhere. Swimming lessons and water safety is so important. I was lucky enough to get free lessons from YMCA for my special needs daughter. I have actually never heard of Goldfish’s swim school
Hi we talk about water safety all year but we live in Arizona…. The pool is heated and open all year so we walk 5 min to the pool daily…
A wonderful podt. I do feel teaching kids safety around water and giving them basic swim lessons is key.
I live on Rhode Island so I understand how important it is to becareful with the ice and water.