By Marissa Khosh 
I was right there watching when it happened, thank God. My 14-month-old toddler was standing beside the bathtub her big sister was bathing in. She was reaching over the edge, playing with a ball and a cup in the water. My 6-year-old was playing her own game in the water.
I was watching them play, thinking about all the things I needed to get done. Some days, I would use my older daughter’s bath time as a chance to get some laundry done down the hall, checking on her intermittently. I would do my best to keep the toddler with me and away from the bath, but she would often run to where her sister was and I would catch up a couple minutes later.
I’m so grateful that is not what I was doing on this particular day. I’m so grateful God had me sitting there doing nothing while my girls played in the water. I’m so grateful I did not leave my toddler alone with water “just for a minute” to get something done as I was tempted to.
As I sat right beside the bath and looked on, my toddler dropped the ball she had been playing with into the water, and it floated away from her. She reached for it and, quite suddenly, her feet slipped out from under her as she unintentionally dove head-first into the bath full of water.
I let out a scream of fear at the same time as my hands shot out to pull her from the water. To my amazement, I apparently, somehow, grabbed her so fast that only part of her hair was wet, and she had not aspirated even a drop of water.
As I comforted both my crying girls, I thought over and over how thankful I was that I had not left my toddler alone with water that day. Prior to that day, she would sometimes briefly be alone beside the tub while big sister bathed. My toddler is impossible to contain, and I don’t normally sit through my 6-year-old’s entire bath time since she often plays for a while.
But on that day, I learned an important lesson: never leave your toddler alone with water. It only takes an instant for them to go under. Checking on them every three minutes is not enough. You must stay with them or securely lock them out of that space where there is water.
I shudder at the thought of what might have happened if I had not stayed right by her side. I know my 6-year-old would have done everything in her power to save her sister. But she’s still a child herself, and the bathtub is a slippery place. There is no way to know if she would have been able to rescue her little sister quickly enough or without experiencing her own injuries.
I’m so thankful I stayed. I’m so thankful that on that day, I did not leave my toddler alone with water. I’m so thankful God knew where I needed to be at that moment. Not doing laundry. Not getting some cleaning done. Not pulling some meat out for supper. No, I accomplished something far more important that day. I kept my child from drowning. And I will never leave my toddler alone with water again.
Please listen to this if you have a toddler in the house. I didn’t think my toddler was tall enough to flip into the bath when this happened. But she clearly was. Never assume your child will be fine for “just a minute” when there is water around.
by Christi Brown 
by Jenny Rapson 
by Natalie Livingston 
