Swimming Babies

I've spent a good deal of my life babysitting or hanging out with kids, but it wasn't until I was about 24 that the full force of the responsibility of keeping another person's most precious possession alive hit me. After that moment, I became the moderately anxious babysitter who convinces little tykes with slippery socks that it's super fun to wear bike helmets in the house while running. I worry about their wobbly frames, and their ability to remain upright, because if either of these fail, their little mouths/teeth and/or noggins are certain to feel the possibly irreversible consequences. That's what I worry about when kids are just WALKING AROUND. Put a swimming pool in the mix, and that kiddo is getting an inflated body suit, no questions asked.

Needless to say, when I saw this video I was anxious.

It takes a little while for the baby to actually fall in the pool, so I spent more than a minute preparing myself to be horrified, but then the most amazing thing happens. The little incapable, ingenuous bugger becomes a thinking, responding, ingenious example of a grown human who has only some control over his extremities. He kicks his little legs and swings his tiny arms with what seems to be a fully formed comprehension of the laws of motion and balance, and then, when finally on his back, he begins to cry until the father returns to fish him out (which is far too long for what this training video requires, if you ask me).

Babies can learn to not drown. I wonder what else we can teach babies to not do so that babysitters such as I can rest a little easier while on duty.