OT: My DD is freaking me out!

[summersalt]

My DD14 wants to go with a group of kids to a nearby water park. There will be an adult with them but the park is not owned by the city or county. It is privately owned with no lifeguards on duty EVER.... I'm scared too death to let her go even though there has never been a time n her life that she couldn't swim. She has grown up in the water. I remember what it's like to be young. I want her to have fun with her friends but I'm scared to cut the apron springs.... WWYD?

 

[Dictator]

she's 14. let her go.

 

[Darcy03231]

My DD14 wants to go with a group of kids to a nearby water park. There will be an adult with them but the park is not owned by the city or county. It is privately owned with no lifeguards on duty EVER.... I'm scared too death to let her go even though there has never been a time n her life that she couldn't swim. She has grown up in the water. I remember what it's like to be young. I want her to have fun with her friends but I'm scared to cut the apron springs.... WWYD?

I agree with the PP. I'd let her go.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

A private waterpark with no lifeguards whatsoever? They must make guests sign a hell of waiver and release upon entrance...

 

[jmartinez1895]

Trust your gut. If you have that awful feeling in your tummy about it then just tell her why she can't go, but be sure to do something else fun with her like a shopping trip or a movie. I understand that she need to grow up and you shoudl let her do other things, but on some things saftey has to come first.

 

[All American]

Trust your gut.

 

[summersalt]

A private waterpark with no lifeguards whatsoever? They must make guests sign a hell of waiver and release upon entrance...

It's not like a Wet and Wild waterpark. It's a bunch of docks and ropes built over the sound. Very Homemade.

 

[MomToOne]

Just to clarify - what do you mean by "water park"? Is it a place with large waterslides and deep pools of water, a place with a few lower-key slides and no real deep pools of water, or a place with sprinkler type water features and no standing bodies of water of any kind? I've heard all of them referred to one time or another as "water parks"...

ETA: Never mind - your last post hit just as I was typing mine!

 

[disneycruising]

It is so hard to let them grow up.

Do you know and trust the other parent? If so let her go.

This is why I made (forced) all my children to take swim lessons for so many years.

 

[ceecee]

Is it a lake? There are situations that even a strong swimmer can not get out of. I would suggest a real water park with life guards on duty.

 

[Priorityonecb]

I would let her go. But, if my gut was telling me something was "off"...I'd ask the other mom if she woudn't mind having me along for the day. The more mom's the merrier!

 

[Gigi22]

My niece (14 yrs. old) is going to summer camp in Paris for 2 weeks this summer. You have my sympathy. Sometimes being an adult is hard.

 

[HunnyPots]

If I have learned one thing in my 22 years as a parent, it is to trust that gut feeling - even if it is not logical and even if it makes you the meanest mom on the planet! There have been quite a few times over the years that I have just known when something was not right; there's something to be said for mom's intuition.

 

[WeDisney4]

Trust your gut. If you have that awful feeling in your tummy about it then just tell her why she can't go, but be sure to do something else fun with her like a shopping trip or a movie. I understand that she need to grow up and you shoudl let her do other things, but on some things saftey has to come first.

I agree.

I would let her go. But, if my gut was telling me something was "off"...I'd ask the other mom if she woudn't mind having me along for the day. The more mom's the merrier!

or better yet.

As the mother of 2 DDs (right now only 9 & soon to be 7) you will be in my thoughts & prayers.

 

[patsal]

One part of being a parent that stinks is that we have to make choices that are not always easy. This is not about controlling her, but keeping her safe. It is your job to insure that she is safe as much as you can. This isn't about trust, or letting go. This is about safety. Trust your gut and say no for safety reasons and offer her an alternative.

 

[ajk912]

My cousin drowned in that situation at that age. Him and a bunch of friends went down to the river to celebrate school being out for the summer, and he ended up dying. Not trying to scare you, but that's the first thing that jumped in my mind. No lifeguards, yikes.

 

[jennyopenny]

My cousin drowned in that situation at that age. Him and a bunch of friends went down to the river to celebrate school being out for the summer, and he ended up dying. Not trying to scare you, but that's the first thing that jumped in my mind. No lifeguards, yikes.

I was not going to comment~did not want to be morbid. The above post made me change my mind.
The same thing happened to the boy across the street from me. He drowned at 18 years old.
Is there a legit waterpark close? You could offer to take her and a group there instead. Good luck~being Mom is hard.

 

[ksumn1]

I was not going to comment~did not want to be morbid. The above post made me change my mind.
The same thing happened to the boy across the street from me. He drowned at 18 years old.
Is there a legit waterpark close? You could offer to take her and a group there instead. Good luck~being Mom is hard.

I agree with jennyopenny. Normally I would say let her go, she's growing up and don't be so overprotective. but the situation you described does not sound very safe. Tell her why you won't let her go but as a goodwill gesture offer to take her and her friends to a local, SAFE waterpark, amusement park, shopping etc to show that you're NOT trying to ruin her fun but that you are trying to keep her safe.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

When I was 11 and in my second year of sailing class our instructor took us cove that would take a motorboat a good 20 minutes to reach and required crossing the international border. Once there we all climbed up a rock strewn, steep hillside. Years before some enterprising folks had attached a very long and thick rope to a tall tree. You took the rope to the top of the hill, jumped on the big ball at the bottom, allowed yourself to swing down the hill and out over the water, then let go to fall with a splash. It was great fun, and obviously something I've never forgotten.

Let your daughter go.

 

[Planogirl]

Why don't you go too? This sounds like fun and the other adult might be able to use the help.