Chapter 20: Another guest goes off on a lifeguard so Mommy doesnt have to.
This chapter begins with HHBG taking yet another nap. We SAID we were going to go back to the resort to go in the pool, but once we hi the room, he immediately laid down and went to sleep. The kids and I got changed, and the kids watched Stacy for a while, but soon they wanted him UP (I cannot take care of both of them in a pool....they go in different directions). After sleepign through being jumped on for a while, HHBG got up and changed, we tossed everything into our pool bag and we were off.
We grabbed towels and again, there were no free loungers at the pool, so I ended up just dumping our stuff in a corner. There wasnt much of value in the bag, so I wasnt too worried about it. HHBG had his room key card in the picket of his board shorts/swimsuit. If thieves REALLY wanted our
crocs and flip flops, coverups, and a half-empty tube of sunblock, they were welcome to them.
Again, we ended up looking all over the place for the place to sign out life vests. Wilderness lodge needs to do a better job of this. They supposedly have a place to sign out life vests, but there was NEVER anyone there, and the guy at the bar wouldnt go over there, nor call the person who was supposedly supposed to be signing out the life vests. The entire two days we were in the pool, we saw ONE kid with a Disney Life vest. If theyre going to advertise that they provide life vests, it would be nice to have them available. This will come into play later....
Now, our kids can swim. They cannot swim WELL or for very long, but if they had made all fo the parents step away from the slide and wait for the kids at the other end of the pool by the wall, our kids would have been fine, even without life vests, so we let them go on the slide. HHBG and I waited at the bottom and got them, along with all of the other parents who were all also griping about there being no one there to sign life vests out from.
After about 3 million times down the slide, the kids needed a break, so we walked them over to the baby pool. Now, the baby pool is on the opposite side of the pool complex from the steps for the slide, just letting you know. (NOOOOooooo, no foreshadowing here)
Soon, the kids were begging to go back on the slide. We said that was fine, and they took off, going the long way around the pool. Well, we yelled at them to stop running, which they did, but we just moseyed behind them, since we could see them, and we could see the line at the top fo the pool,s o we knew we had plenty of time to get there.
Until I saw something that stopped my heart.
The way the kids had taken off is past the deep end of the pool, where the water is about 6 feet deep instead of the usual 3-4 feet. BOTH of my kids NOT wearing lifevests climbed into the pool at the deep part!!!
WHY!?!?!?!?! Theyre trying to kill me, I swear.
We were abotu 50 yards away from them at this point. I took off like a mad woman to get to them. Yes, all of the guests sunning themselves on that side of the pool got an eyeful of a fat, extremely busty woman in swimsuit running full tilt.
I saw the kids go under water and pop up. Then they went under again. They went under a third time, and my son was NOT coming back up.
Since time slowed down to a crawl, I can tell you what I was observing during my mad 10 second sprint:
1. A lady on the loungers had noticed my little non-lifevest wearing kids jumping into the deep end, and my son having problems,a nd my daughter starting to have problems. She was about ready to jump in herself, but was keeping her eye out for the parents....
2. A lifeguard was standing at the other end of the pool, CHATTING ON HER CELL PHONE, and kept turning her back on the pool while talking. She spared a glance for my kids a few times, but ignored their obvious distress.
By now, I was close eonough for a running leap. I leaped into the pool, got myself under the water, and LAUNCHED my kids heads up and out of the water. Here I was, stupidly thinking at least the lifeguard would have noticed the huge fat woman sprinting across the pool area and into the water, and would help get my kids out, but NO.
I got the kids up to the side of the pool, and HHBG had run over and helped me haul them out of the water. The lifeguard NEVER EVEN CAME OVER TO CHECK. Honestly, she never even got off of her cell phone.
While I hauled my hacking and gasping self out of the water, and HHBG and I frantically checked to make sure the kids were OK, the lady who had been about to jump in and save my kids went over and started screaming at the life guard. She pointed out that two very young children had jumped in, even SHE had noticed them having problems, and that the lifeguard had better hang up her D**N phone and start doing her job, or she was going to go have her fired. Another lady stormed off of her lounger and disappeared, I later found out she had gone DIRECTLY to the front desk to report the lifeguard.
I was very thankful for that woman, because I would have been a lot less nice, and probably would have ended up paying for a new cell phone after I broke the one she had been talking on over the rocks, then threw the pieces into the pool.
NOW, BEFORE anyone flames me:
I am aware that this situation was partially my and HHBGs fault. Yes, we had two children who are weak swimmers in a pool situation without life vests. Yes, we let them get away from us. There is no excuse for us thinking well, they wouldnt jump into water over their heads, we should have anticipated it and not let them out of our reach. No, it is not the lifeguards job to jump in and help a child just because he/she seems liek they might be a little bit young for the pool.
HOWEVER, if a child is obviously having problems, OR if a child seems kind of young for an area of a pool that is OBVIOUSLY way over their heads, you could at least PAY ATTENTION to them, and/or hover there in case you are needed. Heck, even if older people are in the pool, at least PAY ATTENTION. Its your job!!
HHBG at that point convinced me to let the kids go one the slide a few more times so I could calm down. After about 10 times up and down, we were ready to go inside and get ready for dinner. We ended up going in the side door,a nd got separated. Spencer and I got lost, because I am directionally challenged.
Once we figured out how to get back tot the lobby, I decided to speak to the front desk about the lifeguard. I was VERY calm and basically stated that I was upset that the lifeguard didnt even seem to care about what was going on in her area, and was more concerned about the phone conversation she was having. I also said it was not her responsibility to watch my children and keep them from getitng into the pool, as she doesnt know their swimming abilities, BUT it IS her job to keep an eye on them. I also stated that, as a parent, when child is in visible distress, I would prefer a lifeguard jumping int o help a child who is NOT having problems than NOT jump in to help a child who is. We saw this a few times over at the slide where a lifeguard jumped in to help a kid who ended up OK. No one was upset about that.
That was when I was informed buyt he manager that I was not the first person coming over to speak to him about this incident, and that they would definitely address it. I thanked him for allowing me to share my concerns, and I was pleased that he seemed to take me seriously, and Spencer and I went back to our room.....
....to a sleeping HHBG and Brianna. Oh well, we had an hour before dinner. Spencer and I decided to join them.......
Coming soon: A Restaurant has similar taste in art as HHBG
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Did you hear about/read the hullabaloo here on the boards where someone was posting that Dumbo should be kids only to cut down on the long lines? 
everything happened so fast! Did you ever find out what happened to the lifeguard? 
