Backyard Pool Question

[mhsjax]

above.. below ground makes no difference for us.

An adult always needs to be near, Accidents happen...and kids panic, even adults do
All it takes is a simple fall and a hit head.... can be tragic so quickly...
Or a funny Jump (when no jumping is is allowed etc) Simply Not worth the risk....
So for our house rule was, adult is always present........

I was never allowed to swim alone or with my friends without an adult. My friends were even certified life guards. I am surprised that people allow their kids to swim alone. My kids aren't allowed to swim without an adult at the house. and they won't be.

 

[mhsjax]

With me too- I know for a fact once the kids were in 4th grade at most houses the kids were swimming in each others pools with no adults out there. On the 4th of July my daughter (13) had 2 friends over and I was out at a party so they were here all swimming on their own. When I was a kid we were always going from one pool to another without parents even knowing where we were at. I am shocked that at 18 and 19 people don't let their kids swim in the pool alone. I was out there in my pool today 4 hours alone (and it was HEAVEN!). The kids here are taking the bus to the beach on their own (with friends) without an adult at 14/15!

Aren't there life guards at the beach? I know we have them. I can't believe that the other parents didn't give you an ear full for allowing 13 year olds to swim alone. To me that is crazy.

 

[JVL1018]

I don't let my kids in the pool when I'm not home, but I definitely do not stay outside with them.
They are 11 and 13. We have an Intex 48 inch x 15-16 feet(?)pool. No deck, just a ladder, so they can't be jumping in doing flips or anything.
They're so freaking LOUD when they're in there together, I would hear if there was a problem from the house because of the silence.
As long as there is more than one kid in there, I don't find it necessary to be in the yard. I'm pretty sure more than one kid won't happen to drown at the exact same time in a pool where the water is about chest high on them.

When my kids go to friends houses to swim, I never ask if an adult is going to be watching. If my kids have friends over, I'll stay in the kitchen where I can see/hear them, or sit on the deck.

I go in the pool by myself all the time. I'm usually laying on a raft floating around. I like my odds.

 

[Cantw8]

I don't let my kids in the pool when I'm not home, but I definitely do not stay outside with them.
They are 11 and 13. We have an Intex 48 inch x 15-16 feet(?)pool. No deck, just a ladder, so they can't be jumping in doing flips or anything.
They're so freaking LOUD when they're in there together, I would hear if there was a problem from the house because of the silence.
As long as there is more than one kid in there, I don't find it necessary to be in the yard. I'm pretty sure more than one kid won't happen to drown at the exact same time in a pool where the water is about chest high on them.

When my kids go to friends houses to swim, I never ask if an adult is going to be watching. If my kids have friends over, I'll stay in the kitchen where I can see/hear them, or sit on the deck.

I go in the pool by myself all the time. I'm usually laying on a raft floating around. I like my odds.

same here, to do so seems pretty helicopterish There is safety in numbers

 

[JoiseyMom]

My older two when they were 18. My youngest are 12 and 17, and I will be in the house (kitchen where I can see them) or on the deck...

 

[ten6mom]

My kids are only 6 and 9 so not for awhile yet but I am fairly certain I swam alone at around age 10 if not younger. I can't remember whether I ever went outside totally alone or whether my dad was always doing yard work or something.

Also I probably had the first of many pool parties the summer after third grade.... my parents were home and in and out of the house during that one.

 

[Colleen27]

I'm the bad mom on this one I guess. For my own children, buddy system swim is fine once they hit double digits. We had a smallish pool - 18' across, 4' deep - and they're both strong swimmers so I saw no reason they couldn't go for a swim without me actively watching.

If friends are over the rules change. No other people's kids in my pool unless there's an adult supervising. And that's the biggest reason we don't have a pool at this house - I simply don't care for feeling tied to my back patio when there's housework to be done or work waiting for me in my office or even gardening that would have me out in the yard but not paying attention to the kids. Our town beach is just a few blocks away and has lifeguards on duty all summer; they can bike over there when they want to swim.

 

[wdwmom0f3]

There is safety in numbers

For the most part this is very true, but accidents still happen. I go back and think of the little boy who almost drown on the Disney cruise ship recently. The pool was crowded yet he still almost drown.

I made the mistake of doing a google search. There have been so many already this year. I also saw where a grandmother and her grandchild both drown in the back yard pool. So did a father and his little boy. Also a 19 year old who was swimming alone. There were countless little children from toddler ages on up who have drown. I had to stop looking. You just can't be to careful around water.

My children are very good swimmers, they are like little fish, but I still keep an eye on them just to be safe. I don't act crazy about it or anything, they just know that I am going to be out there if they are going to swim. They don't even mind at all.

I don't think that anyone who lets their older children swim without an adult out there is a bad parent, it's just not something that I am comfortable with at this time.

 

[ironpig70]

I was swimming with my brothers with out adult supervision before I was out of grade school. Grandparents had a pool when I was born and I was swimming by the time I was walking.

Parents or grandparents had to be home was the only rule.

I have an above ground pool and since its shallow enough I let my kids who are 9 swim/play as long as I am home.

 

[Aliceacc]

If it's just my own kids, I'll go in and out of the house. We have a 4 x 15 foot pool, so all my kids can stand.

But to be honest, I adore summer and spend 10 months of the year waiting for it. In addition, I'm a teacher, so I'm home all summer. So for me to be in the yard with a book and a cold soda is a treat, not a punishment. I tend to jump at the opportunity.

The basic rule is that I have to know you're in the pool. I don't want the kids swimming if they're home alone; they tend to get a bit rambunctious and that's an accident waiting to happen.

If other people's kids are in the pool I tend to be a bit more vigilant-- more likely to be out there with a book than inside folding laundry.

 

[aprilgail2]

Aren't there life guards at the beach? I know we have them. I can't believe that the other parents didn't give you an ear full for allowing 13 year olds to swim alone. To me that is crazy.

The other parents were well aware that no one was going to be home- guess we just don't have a bunch of helicopter parents as friends . I have never heard any other parents that I know have rules about teenagers needing a parent watching them swim in a pool, especially if there was more than one kid there!
The beach has some lifeguards but its like one lifeguard stand for a thousand people- I would feel safer with my kid in a backyard pool alone!

 

[kacaju]

The other parents were well aware that no one was going to be home- guess we just don't have a bunch of helicopter parents as friends

I have a pool.. I do not consider myself a Helicopter parent...but owning a pool is a liability, and I will not lose my house because my older teens let their friends swim when I was not home...Sorry.. I do honestly believe even if my college dd had her friends here and one of them drown and I was not home I would end up being held responsible for it.
Could something happen while I was home...sure it could, and I could still stand the chance of losing my home. But as long as I am the owner of the house with the pool...my kids and their friends will not be swimming when me or hubby are not home.

 

[Aliceacc]

guess we just don't have a bunch of helicopter parents as friends :!

Why is that necessary??

 

[aprilgail2]

I have a pool.. I do not consider myself a Helicopter parent...but owning a pool is a liability, and I will not lose my house because my older teens let their friends swim when I was not home...Sorry.. I do honestly believe even if my college dd had her friends here and one of them drown and I was not home I would end up being held responsible for it.
Could something happen while I was home...sure it could, and I could still stand the chance of losing my home. But as long as I am the owner of the house with the pool...my kids and their friends will not be swimming when me or hubby are not home.

I even let my neighbors (adults, no kids living home) use my pool when we are not home or away! They have free rein to come over whenever they went an use it. Before I got a pool when my daughter was 2 they used to let me use theirs whenever I wanted to even if they were away so just returning the favor now that they don't have a pool anymore.

 

[kacaju]

I even let my neighbors (adults, no kids living home) use my pool when we are not home or away! They have free rein to come over whenever they went an use it. Before I got a pool when my daughter was 2 they used to let me use theirs whenever I wanted to even if they were away so just returning the favor now that they don't have a pool anymore.

I do too.. My brother, wife WITH their kids are allowed to come any time...that was not what this whole thread was about..it was about KIDS being alone in the pool...totally different then another adult using the pool when we are not home.

 

[krcit]

My daughter is having some friends over today. They are 14 and 15. I'm home but won't be sitting out there the whole time they are in the pool. I also go in by myself when I'm home alone. I guess I like to live on the edge

 

[4HppyCamprs]

Public pools post no swimming without a adult (over age 18 ) present under the age of 14 and non swimmers should not swim alone. These precautions seem reasonable to me.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[luvsJack]

Not mine but my mom's pool (she is my neighbor)--dd and her friends have been swimming without an adult out there since about 12. If any of the younger kids go out then an adult goes with them.