Enjoy the Beach!

Summer isn't summer until you and your kids feel the sand between your toes and the water splashing against your skin. It isn't summer until you hear the waves crashing against the shore (stopping, miraculously, just short of the kids' sand castles and your new beach towel), or smell that uniquely summertime blend of sunscreen and salt air. If there is a destination your kids love more or one that better nurtures your own body, mind, and soul, then you haven't discovered it.

That's not to say, of course, that a day at the beach is without concerns. Those same waves that lend themselves to great bodysurfing can also be dangerous.

"Parents need to be aware," says Lucy Cohen, M.D., medical director of the pediatric rehabilitation program at HealthSouth Sunrise Rehabilitation Hospital in Florida. "No matter how good a swimmer a child is, the parent needs to be around."

To avoid mishaps large and small:

1. Never swim alone. Adults and children alike should use a buddy system. "Parents assume that just because they've put Swimmies on their children, they will be safe," says Cohen. "But a flotation device doesn't take the place of a parent."

2. Be aware of currents and undertows. "Waves can come in and knock people down," says Cohen. "The reality is it can happen to anybody, at any size and any age, depending on the roughness of the water. Before your kids get into the water, talk to the lifeguard, or test the waters yourself to see if there is an undertow. If it's bad, warning signs will be up, but even without them, you have to be careful."

3. Learn CPR (cardio pulmonary resuscitation) in case of a near-drowning. "The faster you can get water out of the lungs and establish respiration, the better your chances of avoiding brain damage," says Cohen.

4. Keep a cell phone with you in case of an emergency.

One final piece of advice as you head into the summer: Don't let these precautions keep you at home.

Get out there and have fun!