Hey so I am a camp counselor at a family camp in California, one of the main attractions of this camp is the big river running directly through it. This river is not damned off at the moment and is extremely fast and unsafe and ends at a freaking waterfall!!!! When campers come we tell all adults “use the water at your own risk swimming is not advised and neither is tubing. Please supervise your own child as no life guards are on duty” today a parent approached my coworkers and I while we were in the middle of an activity and said “there’s a kid downing and screaming for help!” Immediately my coworker bolts for the river and heads down stream to try and find her. The child was 6 years old and tubing down the river by herself while her parents who WERE TOLD HOW INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS IT WAS FOR A CHILD TO SWIM IN THE RIVER ALONE were drinking in their tent instead of supervising their children. Keep in mind here, this is a family camp, meaning child care and supervision is not the responsibility of staff and campers sign an acknowledgement of this. These parents sent their child down what is essentially white water rapids. A 6 year old girl. Luckily the little girl was found within a few hours. She was banged up, cold to the point of almost hyperthermic, dehydrated, and clinging to a branch for dear life. All because these parents wanted to assume that they shouldn’t have to care for their own child. My coworkers and I shouldn’t have to dive into that water after your child risking our own lives because you can’t be bothered to parent your child and keep them safe.

I’m posting anonymously for security reasons but yeah case and point parent your fucking children.

Edit: yes this has happened before. Unfortunately this isn’t all that uncommon. We get injuries more than we’d like and 95% of the time it’s kids who caught hurt while their parents weren’t watching them.

Also my coworker who got into that water to find that girl said that when she got in even for her, a certified and experienced life guard, that it was so cold her lungs couldn’t expand fully and it was painful.