Pool Time!

[ckacherm]

When my son was 6 I lost him at the grotto pool at the Swan Hotel. He was with his big sister and I guess she got too far ahead of him running to go down the pool slide and my son could not find the entrance. I was at the bottom of the slide and watched my daughter go down, then 2 more kids but my son never came down. I became hysterical. Got out of the pool and screamed to the lifeguard at the slide my son was missing. I think it only took 5 minutes for them to find him but it felt like an eternity. All I could think about was I lost my son and will never see him again. I was looking at the pool water hoping he didn't drown but the water was too glassy and could not see into the pool. Dramatic I know but I was hysterical. When I saw him I was crying so hard. I asked him what had happened and he said he got turned around and couldn't find me or his sister. By memory he started to walk back to the hotel to find our room to see if we went back to the hotel. After that incident I went down the slide with him and never left his side. ( I am not the best swimmer. Pool slides scare the crap out of me. ) We laugh about it now but I never want that feeling again. So I agree that a 6 year old should never be left alone at a pool. Even in WDW.

 

[princesspeach]

that girl who was molested had parents at the pool. They probably were letting her just run around and just didn't know where she was, but were comfortable she was in the general vicinity. It takes a minute to be molested... she wasn't missing for an hour or anything.

That is a very rare incident. It still not going to turn me into a helicopter parent. Every parent no matter how viligint cant lose track of their child for a few minutes. Any parent that says they never have..well frankly I don't believe them.

 

[bellebud]

When my son was 6 I lost him at the grotto pool at the Swan Hotel. He was with his big sister and I guess she got too far ahead of him running to go down the pool slide and my son could not find the entrance. I was at the bottom of the slide and watched my daughter go down, then 2 more kids but my son never came down. I became hysterical. Got out of the pool and screamed to the lifeguard at the slide my son was missing. I think it only took 5 minutes for them to find him but it felt like an eternity. All I could think about was I lost my son and will never see him again. I was looking at the pool water hoping he didn't drown but the water was too glassy and could not see into the pool. Dramatic I know but I was hysterical. When I saw him I was crying so hard. I asked him what had happened and he said he got turned around and couldn't find me or his sister. By memory he started to walk back to the hotel to find our room to see if we went back to the hotel. After that incident I went down the slide with him and never left his side. ( I am not the best swimmer. Pool slides scare the crap out of me. ) We laugh about it now but I never want that feeling again. So I agree that a 6 year old should never be left alone at a pool. Even in WDW.

that is very scary!!

In the MK, we were w/ extended family (9 of us all together), and I "lost" my dd who was 9 or 10 at the time. It was very dark and very, very crowded (MNNSHP). She was actually w/ my db and sil the whole time, but I didn't know it for the 10 minutes I thought she was lost. My ds7 (at the time) and my mom were with me, frantically screaming her name and searching, and telling the cm's we lost her. Then I thought to call my sil, and she had her. We were SOOO shaken up. When we met up w/ them a few hundred feet ahead of us, I couldn't stop crying and my ds was completely hysterical. My only thought was "I'll never see her again"... I know - I have issues! (I actually truly do from my childhood). So everything's magnified to me when there's a stressful situation, especially w/ my kids (hey, that's one of the very few things I learned after $$$$$$$$$ and years of therapy - LOL).

So yea, I don't take my eyes off my kids - I may watch from afar to give them some independence to run around, but I'm watching... always watching.

 

[princessmom29]

Personally, I am NOT a parent that has to have constant control, or fears the boogie mand behind every corner. We are all strong swimmers and spend a lot of time in the water so I would say that it is perfectly fine not to follow them around constantly. We are at the lake at least once a week during the summer, and DD7 goes into the water by herself. I check on where she is and what she is doing peroidically, but don't watch her every second. I don't like for her to go where I cannot seeher without telling me, however.

 

[princessmom29]

That is a very rare incident. It still not going to turn me into a helicopter parent. Every parent no matter how viligint cant lose track of their child for a few minutes. Any parent that says they never have..well frankly I don't believe them.

Exactly. We HAVE to learn to let go of our kids. Al some point we will have to, and I would rather know she has the skills to handle herself. Me following her around all the time and never letting her out of my sight doesn't teach that.

I am curious. For everyone that says the never let thier children out of thier sight, how do you handle letting someone else watch them? Do grandma and grandpa get to take them to the park for example, and are you really sure they are doing exactly as you would, following them around every minute?

 

[AZMermaid]

That is a very rare incident. It still not going to turn me into a helicopter parent. Every parent no matter how viligint cant lose track of their child for a few minutes. Any parent that says they never have..well frankly I don't believe them.

I totally agree. I teach 3rd grade. Last year I had a really bad helicopter mom. She was very nice and meant well, but never let the kid do anything. One day he was first in line for lunch. He started yelling "Mrs B, Mrs B, I can't get my milk." The kid behind him looked at him like he was nuts and lifted up the lid for the milk cooler that had been closed between grade levels. For some reason, that really stuck with me. This poor kid has been so conditioned that he can't do things for himself that he did not even think to lift the lid.

Kids need freedom to explore and learn. I am not saying drop off the 6 year old and come back in an hour, but letting him run around and explore is healthy. I don't really get the "it's my job to protect them." Yes, that is true but isn't it also your job to teach them to be independent and have confidence in themselves?

And I know it may be wrong to judge kids in floaties and vests, but I do. I don't say anything about it. It is just a pet peeve of mine. I am sure every person has something they are extra judgey on. For me, it is kids who can't swim. But, I live in AZ where most kids are on a summer swim team by age 5.

 

[maxiesmom]

I totally agree. I teach 3rd grade. Last year I had a really bad helicopter mom. She was very nice and meant well, but never let the kid do anything. One day he was first in line for lunch. He started yelling "Mrs B, Mrs B, I can't get my milk." The kid behind him looked at him like he was nuts and lifted up the lid for the milk cooler that had been closed between grade levels. For some reason, that really stuck with me. This poor kid has been so conditioned that he can't do things for himself that he did not even think to lift the lid.

Kids need freedom to explore and learn. I am not saying drop off the 6 year old and come back in an hour, but letting him run around and explore is healthy. I don't really get the "it's my job to protect them." Yes, that is true but isn't it also your job to teach them to be independent and have confidence in themselves?

I'd have to say their is a HUGE difference between getting milk for yourself and being allowed to be unsupervised at a swimming pool. Huge! I get that you are trying to make a point on teaching kids to be self-sufficient. However I disagree that they should thought to be self-sufficient at a swimming pool. Is no one taught they should never swim alone anymore?

Being as close to Lake Michigan as we are, and as warm as it has been, there have been a lot of close calls and drownings lately. In fact, another child drowned yesterday. Ten years old, swimming with a bunch of other kids, and he still drowned. Another child is was air-lifted to the hospital. And the child that drowned was four years older than the child the OP mentions. Four years!

You will never be able to convince me that leaving a child unsupervised at a pool is a good thing. No strange adult will watch your child as closely as you will. It is to easy for things to go wrong, and they quickly can. You cannot rely on others to notice or understand that your child is in distress.

 

[princesspeach]

I'd have to say their is a HUGE difference between getting milk for yourself and being allowed to be unsupervised at a swimming pool. Huge! I get that you are trying to make a point on teaching kids to be self-sufficient. However I disagree that they should thought to be self-sufficient at a swimming pool. Is no one taught they should never swim alone anymore?

Being as close to Lake Michigan as we are, and as warm as it has been, there have been a lot of close calls and drownings lately. In fact, another child drowned yesterday. Ten years old, swimming with a bunch of other kids, and he still drowned. Another child is was air-lifted to the hospital. And the child that drowned was four years older than the child the OP mentions. Four years!

You will never be able to convince me that leaving a child unsupervised at a pool is a good thing. No strange adult will watch your child as closely as you will. It is to easy for things to go wrong, and they quickly can. You cannot rely on others to notice or understand that your child is in distress.

Honestly who swims alone at a wdw pool. Its wall to wall people with several life guards, and I am pretty sure the kids parents are in attendance. This thread was about wdw pools. Not lakes or oceans. No one of any age or swimming ability should swim alone. Many kids are self sufficient at swimming pools. Its called knowing how to swim and follow pool rules. I don't think a child needs a parent to be 5 ft away in the water at all times. The rule at our gym is if your kids can swim 20 meters they can be in the pool without a parent.

 

[maxiesmom]

Honestly who swims alone at a wdw pool. Its wall to wall people with several life guards, and I am pretty sure the kids parents are in attendance. This thread was about wdw pools. Not lakes or oceans. No one of any age or swimming ability should swim alone. Many kids are self sufficient at swimming pools. Its called knowing how to swim and follow pool rules. I don't think a child needs a parent to be 5 ft away in the water at all times. The rule at our gym is if your kids can swim 20 meters they can be in the pool without a parent.

The kid who died yesterday wasn't alone either. Neither was the mom who drowned in a pool a few days ago, with 3 lifeguards poolside. The point being it doesn't matter how great a swimmer you are, or if you are alone or not. Drowning happens quickly, and the best person to be watching a child in the pool is that child's parent, or another responsible adult. It is not responsible to send a 6yr old off to swim without and adult along to watch that child.

And as big as some pools are at WDW an adult being in attendance at the pool dosen't mean they can see their child, or even know what section of the pool they are in.

I wanted to add that the woman who drowned wasn't alone at the pool either. She was with friends. They just assumed when they didn't see her after a while that she had gotten bored and walked home. It didn't even cross their minds that she would have drowned! Who even thinks someone would drown at a pool, full of people, and surrounded by lifeguards, right? People think it just doesn't happen.

 

[maxiesmom]

For those who think it never happens

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/sw_mich/5-year-old-drowns-at-covert-twp-park

Don't read just the main article, but look at the list of drownings and near drownings at the left.

No, not pool accidents, but just shows what can happen at any body of water.

 

[nrpofp]

The kid who died yesterday wasn't alone either. Neither was the mom who drowned in a pool a few days ago, with 3 lifeguards poolside. The point being it doesn't matter how great a swimmer you are, or if you are alone or not. Drowning happens quickly, and the best person to be watching a child in the pool is that child's parent, or another responsible adult. It is not responsible to send a 6yr old off to swim without and adult along to watch that child.

And as big as some pools are at WDW an adult being in attendance at the pool dosen't mean they can see their child, or even know what section of the pool they are in.

I wanted to add that the woman who drowned wasn't alone at the pool either. She was with friends. They just assumed when they didn't see her after a while that she had gotten bored and walked home. It didn't even cross their minds that she would have drowned! Who even thinks someone would drown at a pool, full of people, and surrounded by lifeguards, right? People think it just doesn't happen.

Drownings happen everyday. Kids get molested everyday. Kids die everyday. Statisically drownings in public pools are extremely rare. The reason it makes the news is because it is so rare. If it was a happenning all the time we would not hear about it. I live in CA where everyone has a pool. We have a lot of drownings, but they are usually kids under the age of 4. Who slipped out ot the house and drowned in the back yard pool. I can't remember anyone drowning at a public pool. There are two types of parents those that hover and those that take a little more laid back approach. Neither one are bad parents. Each type are concerned for their kids safety. I don't believe kids are any safer because their parents are hovering over them.

 

[jodifla]

During our April Spring Break, we stayed at the AKL. We had a room at Jambo, but went over to the pool at Kidani Village. My children are 6 and 4. I was watching my 4 year old daughter. My husband was watching my 6 year old son. All of a sudden I saw my husband, but not my son! When I asked my husband where my son was, he said he was "around" and he would be fine. I needed to RELAX!! I found him in the water gun area. He was excited with the freedom his father gave him and was running amuck! I began following him with my daughter in tow.

I don't believe 6 is old enough to be "all over the place." My husband believes he is old enough and is fine. I think the slide entrance is behind where you can see and he can be snatched and easily brought to the parking lot right there. Same for the splash area....

How do you handle your kids at pool time? Any advice to help convince my husband of him still needing to be watched at 6---especially in a water area? Ugh!!

Depends on the pool area, depends on the 6 year old. A disadvantage at Kidani is that the water play area is largely out of sight of the pool area, where the lounge chairs are. But what 6 year old wants a parent shadowing them when they are trying to play, especially with newfound friends?

It's actually much easier in the Jambo area, where the pool and slides are all together, and you can sit in a chair, sip your drinks and keep an eye on your child pretty much at all times.

I always think about the pool layout and my son's stage of development. Right now, we are staying away from BCV because he's 9 and would like to roam, but that area just seems too spread out for me.

OKW has a nice setup, as does Saratoga Springs, BLT, BWV and Jambo. Easy sight lines to give your child a lot of freedom.

 

[lucyem]

I agree that it depends on the pool area and the child involved. Yes kids need some freedom but you have to also use common sense for when you let them go off on their own. I agree with jodifla that at WDW it depends on the pool, some are certainly better for supervising kids while allowing them some freedom. I also prefer Jambo's pool for this over kidani's. We are at SAB a lot and we have more hands on supervision there then we do at Jambo.

Last fall my 8 yr old was approached at SAB at the BC by an older teen who was trying to expose himself to my son. Luckily I was nearby and realized what was happening. My son did say "no" very clearly. I grabbed my son and pulled him out and we reported the incident to the lifeguards. They did nothing but watch him closely and at the change of the lifeguards the new ones were not watching him and I saw him approach other kids.

 

[AZMermaid]

I'd have to say their is a HUGE difference between getting milk for yourself and being allowed to be unsupervised at a swimming pool. Huge! I get that you are trying to make a point on teaching kids to be self-sufficient. However I disagree that they should thought to be self-sufficient at a swimming pool. Is no one taught they should never swim alone anymore?

.

I agree and disagree. It is a slippery slope of hovering. I never said the kids should be totally unsupervised. I just said he didn't need his Mommy shadowing him like a little baby. If she is watching from the side, fine. If Dad knows he is in the play area, fine. He is 6. He goes to school. Does Mommy follow him there? What if he climbs too high on the playground? What if a 6th grader calls him names (or worse)?

 

[Belle5]

I've got to tell you all that I have the most confidant, over-the-top independent adult kids on the planet. Really. They travel the world, even alone, have lived in remote areas of wilderness with no phone to contact us for weeks at a time during more than one summer, etc., etc., etc.

OK...I hovered when they were six, seven and eight at pools. Period. I do not want young parents to worry after reading this thread that they are going to stifle their kids' independence because they watch them carefully at the pool.

Mom to 24, 23, 21, 18, 13 and 7 year old sons. BTW, two weeks of swim and diving lessons for the younger two is starting next week. BUT...I will still hover at the WDW pools (and my seven year old will still be a confidant, independent young man)!

 

[sk!mom]

If my child was telling me they were bored at a resort pool at WDW they would be sitting out in a chair for a while for being so ungrateful!

Amen to that!!! My children learned at an early age that saying you were bored was a risky move guaranteed to get you an undesired task to fill your time- think clean the garage, rake leaves.

I just find that, especially, kids being raised with the priviledge of lots of activities, entertainment, vacations can fall into the trap of "needing" to be entertained every minute. I wanted mine to learn to entertain themselves and embrace downtown and relaxing.

Doesn't mean my kids didn't get bored they just learned not to annoy me by mentioning it.

Sorry- back to discussing pool supervision!

 

[mjkacmom]

The kid who died yesterday wasn't alone either. Neither was the mom who drowned in a pool a few days ago, with 3 lifeguards poolside. The point being it doesn't matter how great a swimmer you are, or if you are alone or not. Drowning happens quickly, and the best person to be watching a child in the pool is that child's parent, or another responsible adult. It is not responsible to send a 6yr old off to swim without and adult along to watch that child.

And as big as some pools are at WDW an adult being in attendance at the pool dosen't mean they can see their child, or even know what section of the pool they are in.

I wanted to add that the woman who drowned wasn't alone at the pool either. She was with friends. They just assumed when they didn't see her after a while that she had gotten bored and walked home. It didn't even cross their minds that she would have drowned! Who even thinks someone would drown at a pool, full of people, and surrounded by lifeguards, right? People think it just doesn't happen.

And how many drowning victims have there been at WDW over the past few decades? Several people drown in the ocean here every year - I watch my kids like a hawk, and make sure they are in front of the lifeguard stand. At the pool, I like to read my book (and tell the kids to have a buddy, and stick together).

 

[maxiesmom]

And how many drowning victims have there been at WDW over the past few decades? Several people drown in the ocean here every year - I watch my kids like a hawk, and make sure they are in front of the lifeguard stand. At the pool, I like to read my book (and tell the kids to have a buddy, and stick together).

Just trying to point out that an accidental drowning can happen anywhere, at any time. I doubt any of the people who drowned around here, or had family members drown, thought that there was a huge risk of it happening.

 

[princesspeach]

Just trying to point out that an accidental drowning can happen anywhere, at any time. I doubt any of the people who drowned around here, or had family members drown, thought that there was a huge risk of it happening.

I think people are aware that accidental drownings occur. From the posts I have read I still haven't found any parents that leave their kids unattended at the pool. I guess it really comes down to what your definition of unattended is. IMO letting your child play in the water while you watch from a lounge chair is not unattended.

 

[bellebud]

I think people are aware that accidental drownings occur. From the posts I have read I still haven't found any parents that leave their kids unattended at the pool. I guess it really comes down to what your definition of unattended is. IMO letting your child play in the water while you watch from a lounge chair is not unattended.

I don't think anyone else here thinks that watching from a lounge chair is unattended either. The OP was about a 6yo and both parents did not know where he was.

You just stated "you watch from a lounge chair"... you're watching your kid in the pool. The OP's husband was NOT watching their 6yo. He had no idea where the child was.