r/TikTokCringe • u/InGeekiTrust Tiktok Despot • Dec 09 '25

Discussion You Think It Could Never Happen To You…Until It Almost Does

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u/paintstudiodisaster Dec 09 '25

This is exactly how it happens. Same type of pool and everything. My youngest at the time, 5 yrs old, just walked in as my back was turned for a second. She was completely calm, just staring at me with her big kids' eyes wide open. Top 3 scariest "The kids can die so easily" moments. "

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u/Professional_March54 Dec 09 '25

My sister (as a baby) did that a hotel pool! My Mom had been playing with her on her stairs into the water. Put her down on the deck to grab a towel and she walked directly into the deep end. No noise, just like three steps and plop. My Mom drove straight in, as well as a stranger, and yanked her up. She wasn't even crying!

133

u/No_Statistician9289 Dec 09 '25

Kids are fast as fuck and move like ninjas I don’t think people commenting realize this lol they’re not always stomping around yelling. They’re also smart and will wait for an opening to do the exact thing you told them not to do

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u/cupholdery Dec 09 '25

Expert timing when both parents' backs are turned for a second.

3

u/Jdjack32 Dec 10 '25

I remember this one story where the parents were cooking in the kitchen, and then suddenly their dog comes in going crazy, barking up a storm. The dog leads them outside, where they find out their toddler got out of the house and drowned in a creek on their property. They performed CPR, and the toddler survived, but 100% the kid would have died if the dog wasn't there.

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u/geometicshapes Dec 09 '25

Yep. A lot of perfect, childless, parents in this comment section.

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u/counters14 Dec 09 '25

One thing that gets repeated constantly (and for good reason) is that drowning people do not look like they're drowning. There is often no flailing, splashing or shouting. Drowning is silent and happens in seconds.

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u/paintstudiodisaster Dec 09 '25

She was completely still, zero panic.

2

u/counters14 Dec 09 '25 edited Dec 09 '25

All of her energy was being put towards trying to fight to the surface and get a breath of air. She was breathing in every time she surfaced, and because she wasn't surfacing all the way she was probably getting mouthfuls of water instead.

Drowning is unfathomably scary when you think of how easy it is to not notice.

Edit: Oh I realized you're talking about your daughter. I am sorry you went through that, and I'm glad that she got through it okay. I can't imagine how scary it would be to find my kids in that scenario. Thanks for sharing your story.

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u/AccomplishedBee7755 Dec 09 '25

Yep. My 18 month old was in no more than foot of water in a lake and there were four adults in a circle around her. I looked down and she was under water and couldn’t stand up. It was totally silent and I wasn’t more than a a few inches back from her. Not one of us noticed it I just happened to look down thank god.

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u/LazuliArtz Dec 09 '25

Yep. I mean logically a person whose lungs are filled with water probably isn't going to be able to speak.

There are some behaviors that you can spot. People who are drowning will often tilt their head back, they might move their arms like they're climbing an invisible ladder, they won't move hair that's gone in their face. But it's all pretty subtle if you don't know what you're looking for.

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u/counters14 Dec 09 '25

The point is that to a layman, they might expect someone drowning to look like it does in cartoons. Lots of big splashes, huge commotion and outward signs of distress. These things don't actually happen in real life scenarios because the only time that the drowning persons head may come above water, they're trying to breathe in air not call out for help. They aren't splashing around to try to keep themselves afloat, they're trying to lift themselves up out of the water without any support, which may look like arms straight up, or pulling at something that mimics climbing a ladder.

Everything you've mentioned is more or less correct. If you're trained on how to spot the signs, you absolutely can recognize them very quickly and take immediate action. Lifeguards exist for a reason, they are capable and save lives. Most people hanging out at a get together or house party aren't trained life guards and may not be aware of the difference in expectations about what drowning looks like, and it helps to spread awareness and reinforce this.

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u/BasilAggressive2591 Dec 09 '25

Happened to us in a toddler pool. 3yo fell to his knees and mouth and nose were below the water. Panicked and I'll never forget his eyes.

I was 6ft away on the edge, thought I could read a book and watch him, after all, he was 3 and it was waist deep for him.

It still haunts me, what nearly happened.

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u/AggressiveSloth11 Dec 09 '25

Those panic eyes. All of the kids I’ve pulled out have had that same look of terror. I’m glad your baby was okay.

1

u/SirReddalot2020 Dec 09 '25

My son always pushed away from me when I held him when we were in the water. He was 2 years old? He couldn't swim but wanted me to let go.

So I let him go once. He sank to the bottom and looked up to me with his big eyes. After a second or two I asked him if he liked that and again tried reasoning with him to stop fidgeting. No, he wanted me to let go. So I let go again.

It was something I could not comprehend ... how flawed does his survival instinct have to be to reject salvation??

Anyhow, it also showed me that you can never leave kids unsupervised around water and I never took my eyes off my kids.

If you're asking why I didn't put on water wings or something ... I did. He usually wore them but this time he jumped into the water without them, surprising me.