Yeeeeeeeet!!!
Don't toss the baby out with the pool water! Or maybe do?
Krystal Meyer, a 27-year old mom of two boys, posted a video on TikTok of her 8-month old's infant survival training class at the Little Fins Swim School in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The video depicts her baby boy, Oliver, being unceremoniously tossed into the pool—where the baby resurfaces and floats capably on his back under the supervision of an instructor. The video clocked in over 51 million views on TikTok and another 22.5 million on Twitter.
The mom captioned the video: "Oliver amazes me every week! I can’t believe he is barely 2 months in and is catching on so fast. He is a little fish."
@mom.of.2.boyss Oliver amazes me every week! I can’t believe he is barely 2 months in and is catching on so fast. He is a little fish. ##baby ##swim
♬ original sound - mom.of.2.boyss
And it made a splash.
Over 100,000 people commented on TikTok, ranging from jokes to alarm and anger. Memes and outrage alike followed on Twitter.
First year medical post-grad student's orientation class during COVID19 -pic.twitter.com/u76SKuT0ma
— The Zucker Doctor (@DoctorLFC) June 23, 2020
"A lot of people are seeing a kid being thrown into the water and thinking, 'That's not good! You shouldn't be doing that!'" Meyer said. "I've gotten death threats. I've had people tell me I'm the worst kind of mom, that I'm endangering my children, that I'm traumatizing them."
Meyers and Little Fins co-owner Lauri Armstrong insist the practice is safe and helpful.
"The whole premise behind what we do is safety," said Armstrong. "We teach 8-month-olds to assess their situation and find an exit strategy [in water]. I know it seems crazy."
Though there are mixed scholarship and reception on the practice, Meyers has enrolled her boys in these classes for some time. Another one of her videos from March garnered some interest as well (no doubt in part to the music).
@mom.of.2.boyss one of the best decisions I ever made was putting Jayce in swim classes. Gives me a peace of mind my child is safe around water.
♬ Seven Nation Army [Remix] ( Battlefield 1- Trailer Music) - The White Stripes
Sync with the drop
In response to the backlash, @mom.of.2.boyss posted this TikTok:
@mom.of.2.boyss For all the hate on Oliver’s viral swim video. Sorry not sorry 💁🏼♀️
♬ Ccb - kiorecosplay
What's your reaction to yeeting babies into a pool? Does it seem constructive or traumatizing? Comment below!
