In the wake of a constant flow of horrible and tragic accidents and encounters.....
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Whatever happened to that mom and the child, after the zoo incident? At one point, there were reports that the police were going to investigate her for negligence.
When I was a kid, it was known by all adults that toddlers could be gone in a flash; they can move a lot faster than adults, and can become fascinated with something and run off like a bolt in the blue. So everyone always held their toddler's hand when out in public. This was a general rule through about 5 or 6 years of age.
A friend of my cousin's took her small child to the zoo, did not maintain hand contact with her, and suddenly the child was gone. The mom panicked and went straight to zoo security. They began searching, and found the child leaving the park with a stranger, heading out to the parking lot. When the desperate mom asked her child why she left with that lady, she said, "It was ok, mommy, because she knew my name." The stranger had heard the mom talking to her child, learned the child's name, and used that to gain the child's confidence. It all happened so fast, somehow the mom didn't notice.
Always maintain hand contact with your child, especially in crowds!
I agree. Especially at night. I would not let my two year old into any body of water outdoors other than a pool (and even that would be under my close supervision with me right by his side in the water) after dark. To me, "no swimming" means no swimming, no wading, no being "in" the water. For a two year old to be in say a foot or two of water, that's like half their size - the equivalent of hip to waist deep water for an adult. For me, that puts it into perspective. For his size, that's deep swimmable water. If he fell over without supervision, he could have drowned. That alone could have killed him, forget the gator. That's why those signs are there. They don't want you swimming for a number of reasons.
But we know someone is going to take this literally - "but he wasn't technically swimming and there was no sign warning of gators" - and probably sue Disney or the resort and get them to change the signs. It's inevitable.
It will be a slam-dunk lawsuit, that's for sure. They will settle out of court for possibly millions, IMO. Sadly, I don't think that will ease the parent's pain.
I agree. Especially at night. I would not let my two year old into any body of water outdoors other than a pool (and even that would be under my close supervision with me right by his side in the water) after dark. To me, "no swimming" means no swimming, no wading, no being "in" the water. For a two year old to be in say a foot or two of water, that's like half their size - the equivalent of hip to waist deep water for an adult. For me, that puts it into perspective. For his size, that's deep swimmable water. If he fell over without supervision, he could have drowned. That alone could have killed him, forget the gator. That's why those signs are there. They don't want you swimming for a number of reasons.
But we know someone is going to take this literally - "but he wasn't technically swimming and there was no sign warning of gators" - and probably sue Disney or the resort and get them to change the signs. It's inevitable.
Actually, if I were a parent with an active toddler and were at a beach on a warm night and saw signs saying 'no swimming', I might think it was okay to accompany him wading at the perimeter of the shallow water, just getting his feet wet. (although I personally know that there are alligators in possibly all of Florida's bodies of water, perhaps this family, being from Nebraska, did not realize that). I think they might have an actionable claim against Disney; though I am not a lawyer and have no inkling of whatever case law might be pertinent.
Actually, if I were a parent with an active toddler and were at a beach on a warm night and saw signs saying 'no swimming', I might think it was okay to accompany him wading at the perimeter of the shallow water, just getting his feet wet. (although I personally know that there are alligators in possibly all of Florida's bodies of water, perhaps this family, being from Nebraska, did not realize that). I think they might have an actionable claim against Disney; though I am not a lawyer and have no inkling of whatever case law might be pertinent.
I honestly would not, but I am a very cautious person by nature who really analyzes things to death. I realize I'm in the minority. Most people would probably not think twice, like these parents.
I believe the lagoon was manmade. Was it self-contained or connected to a river or marsh? If self-contained, why would Disney allow alligators in it, and then have events on the beach where kids might decide to run into the water? Or is that just normally done everywhere in Florida where there are alligators? But if the lagoon is self-contained, not connected to any other waterway; I don't understand why a family entertainment resort would stock it with alligators...
I don't think alligators are 'stocked'. Alligators go wherever they want to. I was in a park in Florida some years ago and went to a rec center, then walked the grounds of the center some 50 feet away and there were a bunch of gators on the grass right where there were benches for visitors. I don't remember seeing any signs but I really didn't stick around long enough to care...
When I used to go to Florida I didn't go near the water. Alligators, sharks, Man O' War (poisonous jellyfish)--but that's ME. I read up about that stuff before I went. Where I live, if I ever see seals in the ocean, I'm not going swimming because they attract sharks.
A lot of people today deal with too many fake theme parks and fake stuff on computers, not real life nature. They think a bear is "cute" when they're in a national park. They think it's a movie or a tv show.
Combine the naive attitude of many people today with the fact that they were in HOT Florida where a kid would definitely want to go into the water to cool off, the sign said no SWIMMING but probably the kid was just wading, not swimming. The family was in a make believe theme park so they didn't read up on real life things like alligators. It all adds up and sooner or later something like this was bound to happen.
I don't think it's really anybody's fault but I do think that Disney needs to post more specific signs rather than just "No Swimming." It should have said, "DANGER! Alligators! Stay out of the water." But maybe that's just too realistic and they know that today's people want to live in a fantasy world, far removed from nature and real life.
And don't allow a younger child, say 11 or 12, to watch the toddler either.
That depends. My mom used to leave me with my sister once in a while when she was 12. I was a pretty quiet kid and my sister knew she was responsible for my welfare. Nothing bad happened.
I believe the lagoon was manmade. Was it self-contained or connected to a river or marsh? If self-contained, why would Disney allow alligators in it, and then have events on the beach where kids might decide to run into the water? Or is that just normally done everywhere in Florida where there are alligators? But if the lagoon is self-contained, not connected to any other waterway; I don't understand why a family entertainment resort would stock it with alligators...
I planted a new tree because my old tree was full of birds and I had to chop it down. Then after a year I look up into my new tree and sure enough there were birds in it. One even built a nest. I still wonder who stocked my tree with those birds.
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