it's 90 degrees--- GET WET already!

[Flynn]

....so we belong to this great pool. One side is larger and goes from 3-5 feet. The other side is a zero entry up to three feet and is also good sized.

We have had swimming lessons all week there and my kids are doing fantastic. They are learning so much in the short lesson, then playing for hours and having lunch with me.

My problem? After lessons, I'm THE ONLY parent in the kiddy pool or on the side with my feet in the water. My kids are 4 and 2. The four year old is safe in the kiddy pool and the shallow end of the big pool, the two year old is doing fantastic but I wouldn't feel right NOT watching or playing with him. HE'S TWO!!!!

Yesterday I was "watching" 9 kids including my own and four were obviously NOT safe. The parent (usually mom) got off butt or phone long enough to check things out only AFTER lots of coughing and choking noises. The lifeguards are shocked and have had several conversations with these people for the kids' sake.

I'm tired. I'm happy to play with kids but hearing "watch me watch me" from five kids who aren't my own for HOURS is not really what I had in mind.

Yesterday I finally handed a 20 month old to her mom and said, "She needs a life vest or something. She's gone under five times now. "

Mom's answer as her head rises from the lounger 10 feet from the kiddy pool, "Yeah I know, we left them at our cabin."

I guess this is a vent more than a question.

What CAN these people be thinking? Are we back to "I don't want to get my hair wet" or does "Life guard" now mean "nanny?"

I'm disgusted.


I'm a little worried my filter will be at an all time low today. Deep breath. The kids are sweet -- they just want an adult to really "see" them and give them some positive encouragement. It's really sad.

[planet]

Wow.

Our pool would never allow this! Don't they have a policy about kids? Is it just not enforced?

[DCJenn]

I would imagine that the lifeguards are probably intimidated but the pool manager needs to step in at that point.

and I say don't worry about the filter. You need not be responsible for other people's kids. (although thank goodness you were!)

If it happens again (or when)- go to the pool manager and tell them that they need to reinforce safety.

Jenn

That's a bad situation. Not only can you not enjoy the pool with your kids, but it sounds like the little kids may be in danger. What IS wrong with these parents????

I don't stand RIGHT next to my DS in the 0 depth pool but I'm always within 5 feet of him in the water...and if we're in the 2-3 feet water, then I'm within arm's length of him. Yesterday I was at the pool with DS who is 2. This little boy who was about 4 kept bothering my DS. Each time my little guy was playing on one of the steering wheel things that controls some water thing, this little boy would take it over and push my DS's hands off of it. I called DS over and told him to play somewhere else because that little boy was not sharing very well. I suggested that DS go play with these little hose things. Next thing you know, the little 4-year-old boy goes over to the hose things and sprays it right into my little boy's face. I took two giant steps back to where this boy and DS were and I got eye level with the little boy and said, "He's little and he doesn't like that." The little boy ran away to the other side of the little pool. This boy was bullying my DS. My question was where was this little boy's mother? I never could figure it out.


So I completely understand your frustrations.

[Momo]

This is obviously one of those situations where I am grateful I live here. Pool safety is drilled into our heads by the local govt. One of the local cable access channels, would repeatedly run a piece about the drowning of a boy, and an almost drowning of a little girl. The ones that actually survive are often in nursing homes for the rest of their lives, on vents, feeding tubes, and their little bodies grow in atrophied fetal positions. Sadly enough there are too many tragic deaths repeated weekly here in the valley. Last week it was 12 yr old autistic boy. Upon hearing these stories constantly, I have become hyper vigilant! BTW we never frequent public pools, but we do have our own. I think too many people are lax and assume lifeguards and others surely see their little ones !

[PrincessFiona]

Flynn,

This is something that I have noticed too. It really is shocking! I know that several of the *beaches* here have a policy that the little ones can't wear life vests because a lifeguard told me that if they allow them, the parents won't watch their children at all and the lifeguards do turn into nannies. At the time, I had a lifejacket on Aidan AND was walking with him hand-in-hand in the water. I was made to take his lifevest off despite the fact that I was actually out there with him in the water.

I have noticed a lot of moms using cell phones, reading etc instead of watching their kids. I have been guilty of that with my older ones, but I can't imagine letting a 2 year old into the water like that without watching like a hawk/interacting.

Maybe we moms are just overwhelmed and burned out and aren't doing a good job of taking care of ourselves....so we're not...on top of our game? I don't know.

Kris

[Deebs]

We have a similar issue at our pool. Here, there aren't really park district pools, so many people belong to golf clubs that also have pools, which is what we do. At ours, the lifeguards are at the main pool, but not the baby pool, which is 1 foot deep. Many parents come, dump their kids in, and spend the time chatting on their cellphones. The other day, I pulled a one year old out who was pretty much unsupervised, even though her mom was only a couple of feet away. When I handed the baby over, mom just kind of giggled. Because it's a private club, the management is reluctant to "discipline" the members for fear that they will join another club. On another amusing note, the lifeguards have no sun protection, and are allowed to wear bikinis to work. Just a little different than what I'm used to. The facility is beautiful, though (and I"m sure the men enjoy the bikini-clad lifeguards).

Bad things just happen much to fast in a swimming pool.

When Bryn was taking swim lessons, I pulled one of her classmates out of the pool ( he was ok, just scared). It was a class of five kids with an instructor, lifeguard nearby, me and the other parent nearby. I'm not saying any of the adults were negligent -- I was just the first to see him and things happen SO FAST.

The next year, my friend was in the baby pool (not more than 18") with her 4yo and 18 month old. She turned to check on her older daughter, just turned her trunk, feet in the same spot, and when she turned back, her younger daughter was face up laying under the water. She also was ok but swallowed some water.

Anyway, those two things have changed my philosophy on swim lessons and I'm all about the classes where the kids learn to go under and hold their breath. It doesn't mean they can swim but buys a couple of seconds.

Bad things happen too fast! That is so scary, Flynn! Is there a lifeguard there? I think I would wave them over to the struggling kid and point it out and follow up with the pool manager, as Jenn mentioned. That is just a bad accident waiting to happen.

[DCJenn]

I almost refused to buy this house because of the pool. I absolutely cannot relax when Nikolai is in the pool. Luckily all of the other people who use our pools are all in the pool with their kids or the parents tag team with one out and one in.

and- no one gets in without an adult because none of them can open the pool fence. and once one person decides to get out- all the of the kids have to get out and the fence is locked. No one needs a little person sneaking back into the pool.

We have pool issues here (usually- not this summer thanks to the rain) and they run the commercials often.

Jenn

[rainbabies]

ug! i feel your pain.

we have gone to an attendings house for a pool party twice now. guess who was the only adult in the pool with 8 kids...three of them ours...my dh. guess who was on pool side duty...ME!!!

me: honey, get dd.
look out for ______.
look ds needs your help.
dh, get other dd..she is moving away from the floaty.


dh: hey, tell that kid not to run.
here, take dd while i help _____.
can you help______, he/she needs to go to the bathroom.

WTF??!! people. dh and i are not your personal friggen babysitters!!!

oh, and the "look at me...look at me" crap!! or the, "hey mister, throw me too....can you help me"

Oh, Flynn. That is terrible. I would have zero tolerance for that junk, too.

Maybe we moms are just overwhelmed and burned out and aren't doing a good job of taking care of ourselves....so we're not...on top of our game? I don't know.

I don't think so. . .I think it is just one more indication of how completely SELF-absorbed we are as a culture. I think *some* mothers now feel that they are entitled to a tremendous amount of "me" time to the point of being oblivious to what their kids are doing.

License

This is a perfect example of why people should have a lisence to have children.

[houseelf]

I'm freakkkkky about water. Seriously. I live for water sports but will only ride with certain drivers. I can't believe that some boat drivers don't specifically assign a single spotter when there is a tuber/wake boarder/skier off the back of the boat. Everyone thinks, oh, someone else is watching, I'll drink another beer.

Several times we were invited to boat with friends I wouldn't let DS tube or knee board even though it was known that he has done this before. Hey, it's nothing personal, I just don't know what kind of driver you are and I don't know how busy this lake is.

My kids are obligated to take swim lessons until they can swim across the pool twice and tread water for a minute. I heard that in 90 percent of all child drowning cases there was some sort of supervision. This is so sad because for the most part it is preventable.

Now I'm all freaked out about drowning incidents again.

ACK!

Kelly

[Flynn]

Three were several incidents AGAIN today.

I'm writing the club manager to ask for who is in charge of the pool. The college kids running the pool are GREAT. They are trying so hard to keep order and have the pool be safe.

Ug. SOME parents are so clueless.