We were saddened to learn of the drowning death of a 2-year-old child on Wednesday near Poole’s Bluff.

It seems the youngster simply wandered away from his guardians and wound up in the water. Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office personally responded to the scene and located the child face down in the water.

The area around the Pearl River is swampy and is no place for a child to fend for himself.

If there is a lesson in all of this it is that we adults must maintain a watchful eye on our children at all times, especially when the terrain poses dangers that a little one might be inquisitive about — or when that terrain is new and particularly enticing to a young explorer.

As we all know, it doesn’t take long for a little one to scurry away from those who are watching them. Youngsters seem to discover another gear whenever they see something that fascinates them and want to check it out.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the child’s family and officers who worked this case. Innocence was lost and can’t be recovered.

But let us all learn from this tragic event. Keep an eye out on our children and treasure each moment you get to spend with them.