Little Kids and peeing in the pool - what would you do?

[Granny square]

OP said something because the child was infringing upon her enjoyment of the pool/hot tub. Just because it is a child doesn't mean all adults have to let the child disrupt their enjoyment.

It isn't about a child. Or adult. It is about minding your own business. The chance the child was going to per in the hot tub was very small.

The op had just stewed on an attitude and wanted to spew it.

 

[AndreaA]

I love how "it takes a village" when it comes to helping/teaching/being kind to other people's children, but when it comes to some slight discipline it's all "don't talk to my kid!"

Guess what, if your kid is doing something objectionable around me and MY kids, I will darn well tell him/her to stop without searching around for a parent/guardian. If the child can't handle being told to stop an objectionable behavior by someone other than a parent, then I fear for them in future life.

 

[mrzrich]

I love how "it takes a village" when it comes to helping/teaching/being kind to other people's children, but when it comes to some slight discipline it's all "don't talk to my kid!"

Guess what, if your kid is doing something objectionable around me and MY kids, I will darn well tell him/her to stop without searching around for a parent/guardian. If the child can't handle being told to stop an objectionable behavior by someone other than a parent, then I fear for them in future life.

Truthfully I hate the "it takes a village attitude". The village's values don't necessarily jive with my family's values. It take 2 responsible parents to raise a child, not a village.

 

[Julylady]

It isn't about a child. Or adult. It is about minding your own business. The chance the child was going to per in the hot tub was very small.

The op had just stewed on an attitude and wanted to spew it.

If a child peed in a pool I was in, it just became my business. OP, I think you handled this appropriately.

 

[aaarcher86]

I have a pretty high tolerance for other children being unruly, but there comes a time when enough is enough and in certain situations I will say something. This particularly incident I doubt I would have said anything such as the OP, but I wouldn't have a problem with her saying something if I were in the hot tub as well. I'd also have tossed in the 'I heard it too' if OP decided to say something. Say something myself? Eh, this one isn't really on my radar. The incident needs to be a bit more extreme for me.

There were 2 young children running around like banshees in Cape May during our dinner on the last trip. Absolutely insane. Yelling, screaming, throwing themselves on the floor, touching tables... and the parents sitting next to us - you'd think they were on a date solo. They paid no mind at all. After touching our table, bumping into me, screaming loudly for a good 30 minutes, and eventually taking a french fry off my daughter's plate, I finally looked at the mother and said 'can you please keep your kids from touching our things.' She just looked at me, sipped her wine, and turned up her nose. Alright then. Mr. McGrabby Hands came back and try AGAIN to take something off one of our plates, but instead knocked over my drink. Enough. I finally just sternly said to the child 'NO. Please keep your hands off of our table and do not touch our food.' He just looked at me shocked and carried on with his piss poor behavior. Didn't come back to our table though.

I'm sorry - but your lack of respect for others around you is a ridiculous reason for me to have a meal, or any situation really, ruined. I wouldn't have a problem with someone saying something similar to one of my kids, however, you'd never have to I'm around because it won't be tolerated FROM ME. If someone felt the need to approach me after I spoke to their child then you are more then welcome - you'll come out of that one looking far worse than I will. I can assure you. If it gets to the point that I've had to resort to saying something you can bet that that child has disrupted everyone in the immediate vicinity and they'll speak up. It takes one person to say something and others will back them up.

 

[EMom]

If a child peed in a pool I was in, it just became my business. OP, I think you handled this appropriately.

Bingo. If you don't want others "parenting" or correcting your child, then do it yourself and save them the trouble.

A few years ago, we went to the Candlelight Processional. Seated directly in front of us was a mother with two young boys. Each boy had a freaking LIGHT SABER and they were doing what any little boy would do with one. Not only were they blocking the view of several people with their antics, they managed to whack some people around them. The mother KNEW what was going on. Heck, they whacked her too. It was just too much trouble for her to do anything about it. CP is NOT the place for horseplay.

So when they looked back at me with one of them managing to get his light saber too close for comfort, I gave them a stare down and said firmly, "Put......it.......down.......NOW." They got all bug-eyed, but did it. One did report my actions to his mother, but she shushed him. And then several people around me THANKED me for letting him know he was not acting acceptably.

Could I have spoken to his mom? Sure. But I had watched her and she had the backbone of a jellyfish. Those kids were the boss and they were a mess. I was not going to have the evening ruined because their mother couldn't bothered to make them mind. If she had, I wouldn't have had to speak to them.

Again, correct your children and others won't have to.

 

[Granny square]

I love how "it takes a village" when it comes to helping/teaching/being kind to other people's children, but when it comes to some slight discipline it's all "don't talk to my kid!"

Guess what, if your kid is doing something objectionable around me and MY kids, I will darn well tell him/her to stop without searching around for a parent/guardian. If the child can't handle being told to stop an objectionable behavior by someone other than a parent, then I fear for them in future life.

I believe parents need to parent. The parent screwed up here. But the op wasn't preventing a behaviour. She was just creatively venting because the parent had ignored the behaviour.

 

[AndreaA]

I believe parents need to parent. The parent screwed up here. But the op wasn't preventing a behaviour. She was just creatively venting because the parent had ignored the behaviour.

How do you figure? She was preventing the kid from peeing in the hot tub. Are you really suggesting that she should have let the kid into the hot tub and then gone to find the father who had already laughed it off? Why should SHE be inconvenienced by a child's misbehavior?

I will say that I myself don't like the "it takes a village" attitude, but many people seem to subscribe to it which is why I mentioned it in my previous post. I agree that "the village" values may not agree with mine. However, respectful behavior and good manners should be part of EVERYONE'S values, so I don't see how that argument can be made in this case.

Pee in a pool isn't going to make you sick. In fact, urine is sterile (and probably cleaner than the pool it's being released into!) but the fact of the matter is that public urination is not a socially acceptable thing to do, and it should not be shrugged off by parents.

 

[superdisneydork]

For the record, no, I don't think it's OK for kids (or adults) to pee in pools.

But I also would never talk that way to someone else's child. If I were that bothered by it, I would have said something to the parent or grandparent, quietly, and without embarrassing the child.

I personally don't find it laudable to publicly humiliate a small child, but again, JMO.

I sincerely doubt the kid was upset because he was embarrassed, he was upset because he got caught probably. Though, even if he was embarrassed he should have been, and hopefully he learned a lesson there.

Matt

 

[luvmy3]

Saying something to someone else's child to prevent injury or death is one thing, and can't be compared to correcting the behavior of someone else's child just to embarrass them.

Bottom line, it isn't up to me to correct someone else's child just because I don't like the behavior, nor is it up to someone else to correct my child's behavior.

If I hear your child say he pee'd in the pool and you condone it, I'd have no problem correcting that behavior. Like a pp said, if I'm in that pool it is most definitely my business.

OP, you handled it perfectly.

 

[nkereina]

Good for you for speaking up, OP. We shouldn't be held at the mercy of other parents' bad parenting. And good for the grandfather for apologizing, rather than becoming defensive, which many people probably would have.

I know people are on vacation and have an anything goes mentality, but people and their children should not stand in the way of other people's enjoyment with their own actions.

 

[Dopey420]

If we are renting DVC points, can we visit other Disney resort pools so our kids can pee in them?

 

[aaarcher86]

If we are renting DVC points, can we visit other Disney resort pools so our kids can pee in them?

Make this your signature immediately

 

[plumsiren]

I would have been put off by the little brat announcing it, but aside from that, I don't think it's a big deal. People swim in the ocean, and the ocean (at least here in New Jersey) is disgusting. At least there are chemicals in a pool!

If we are renting DVC points, can we visit other Disney resort pools so our kids can pee in them?

"Mom, I need to pee!"
"Greg, call us a cab for Old Key West! Joey needs to pee!"

 

[marahmarie]

Some young children may not be able to control their bladders. That being said, it is a parent's responsibility to ensure the safety of his children and those his children comes in contact with. Now some children, like my brother for example, can be a hassle when you scold them for doing something wrong, and that could put both the people around and the child in some form of danger while in the water. When parenting while on vacation, if you make your child angry and screaming, you're the bad guy. However if you ignore your child's behavior, you're the bad guy. Sadly it is almost always a lose-lose situation. Was it right for the father to brush it off, no. Do you have exact evidence that the child was not later scolded for such behavior, probably not. Was the issue eventually handled by the OP, yes. Was it effective in getting the "Don't pee in the pool" message across, probably not. I believe that a CM or lifeguard could have handled it a little better. Also, they put enough chemicals in the pool to balance out any types of body fluids that may be in the water.

 

[Bob NC]

I've read at least twice on this thread people saying urine is sterile.

Where is this info coming from?

 

[OurBigTrip]

I've read at least twice on this thread people saying urine is sterile.

Where is this info coming from?

The move "Dodge Ball"

 

[OurBigTrip]

I sincerely doubt the kid was upset because he was embarrassed, he was upset because he got caught probably. Though, even if he was embarrassed he should have been, and hopefully he learned a lesson there.

Matt

Granny Square had it exactly right - the OP stewed over this, and then took when the situation presented itself, he pointed to the kid, spoke loudly and did what he could to embarrass him.

It's so much easier to bully a five year old than to speak with the parents about the behavior...

 

[luvmy3]

Granny Square had it exactly right - the OP stewed over this, and then took when the situation presented itself, he pointed to the kid, spoke loudly and did what he could to embarrass him.

It's so much easier to bully a five year old than to speak with the parents about the behavior...

I can't believe it took so long for someone to throw out the old bully label. No, this is not a case of bullying. Its a case of the OP calling out bad behavior by a child who is old enough to know better. It is a case of the OP ensuring that the hot tub she was in wasn't going to be used as a toilet by the kid who so proudly announced he had used the pool as one.
And like she said, if the parents are quick to condone such behavior, talking to them won't do a thing. Talking directly to the culprit is going to be much more effective. Kudo's to grandpa but if it were my kid or grandchild I would have made him apologize himself (which I'm sure you would see as bullying too).

 

[OurBigTrip]

I can't believe it took so long for someone to throw out the old bully label. No, this is not a case of bullying. Its a case of the OP calling out bad behavior by a child who is old enough to know better. It is a case of the OP ensuring that the hot tub she was in wasn't going to be used as a toilet by the kid who so proudly announced he had used the pool as one.
And like she said, if the parents are quick to condone such behavior, talking to them won't do a thing. Talking directly to the culprit is going to be much more effective. Kudo's to grandpa but if it were my kid or grandchild I would have made him apologize himself.

The adult that condoned the behavior was not the adult that was with the child at the hot tub, so the OP could just as easily spoken to the adult, but he chose to be loud with the child instead. His choice obviously, but he asked what we would have done, and I told him. My choice is every bit as valid as his, and has the added bonus of not making a little boy cry.

That matters to me, YMMV.