{"id":358,"date":"2010-07-25T12:27:49","date_gmt":"2010-07-25T16:27:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.annakatedonovan.com\/?p=358"},"modified":"2010-07-25T12:31:31","modified_gmt":"2010-07-25T16:31:31","slug":"the-cool-of-the-pool","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/annakatedonovan.com\/?p=358","title":{"rendered":"the cool of the pool…"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the past couple of weeks, Hattie and Laura have been taking swim lessons at our local pool.\u00a0 They both did great and we are so proud of their progress.<\/p>\n

The pool we are members of has 2 indoor heated pools and a large outdoor water park geared towards little children.\u00a0 There are a couple of large slides and a deeper section for accomplished swimmers.\u00a0 We chose this facility because it fits our current pool needs.\u00a0 We’re not ready for the olympic sized pool inundated with teenagers.\u00a0 Not yet anyway…<\/p>\n

The swim lessons were held in the indoor pools but most days we went out to the water park after class for some fun before heading home.\u00a0 I have been taking my children to the pool every summer since Abigail was in utero.\u00a0 We love it.\u00a0 My girls have become part fish.\u00a0 As we were celebrating the end of swim lessons with a picnic and an extended swim, I began to reflect on my observations over the past 2 weeks.\u00a0 Big surprise, no?\u00a0 \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

I was astounded by the number of parents that suit up their children, watch them wade into the water and then cease to be parents.\u00a0 Just because the pool has lifeguards doesn’t mean that you are released from your parental responsibilities.\u00a0 This is not the time to tan, text or talk on the phone and completely ignore your children.\u00a0 Even if your children can swim, you are still accountable for them.\u00a0 I could not believe the parents who were so involved in conversations with their friends that they did not see their children mowing down smaller children left and right.\u00a0 The lifeguards are trying to make sure no one drowns.\u00a0 They are not there to babysit for you or teach your children the word respect.\u00a0 One woman asked me to watch her 2 year old while she took her older daughter to the bathroom.\u00a0 Of course I said yes.\u00a0 However, thirty minutes later, I realized that she was sitting in the shade talking on her phone.\u00a0 The nerve!\u00a0 I have no problem with children playing and having fun.\u00a0 But you still have to be respectful of the others around you.\u00a0 Especially in a public pool full of people.<\/p>\n

There are also pool rules for a reason.\u00a0 For instance, you are not supposed to bring toys.\u00a0 It is not fair to expect the line of toddlers at the frog slide to wait for your Barbie to go down first.\u00a0 It is not fair to leave your boat floating in the water while you go play elsewhere and then come yank it away from the innocent little boy who found it.\u00a0 It sounds like I’m standing on my soapbox trying to stifle the fun out of everything.\u00a0 I promise that is not my intention.\u00a0 Let me ask you this – how can I expect my children to obey rules and respect authority if I don’t lead by example?\u00a0 I can’t.\u00a0 I think this applies not only to the pool but also to life in general.<\/p>\n

I know that parents need a break.\u00a0 Trust me, I KNOW.\u00a0 But the pool is not the place for it.\u00a0 Maybe the pool in your backyard is, but the public pool teeming with little children is not.<\/p>\n

I feel sorry for the ignorant parents because the truth is that they are missing out.\u00a0 I spent over an hour sitting in the shallow water watching Abigail race down the big slides grinning from ear to ear.\u00a0 I watched Hattie practice all she had learned over the past couple of weeks in class – her confidence growing by the second.\u00a0 And I was repeatedly visited by mermaid Laura as she tried to figure out how to swim like Ariel<\/a>.\u00a0 It was wonderful and I wouldn’t have missed it for anything!<\/p>\n