Public Outdoor Pool Question

[DisneyFan32WI]

At what age do you think it would be OK to drop off your child at the local public outdoor pool? There are times during the summer when my almost-12 year old daughter would like to go there, but I need to be at work. My husband thinks she is too young to be by herself, but I disagree. Anyone have any opinions or experience?
The pool is only 10 minutes from home and work, and we live in a very safe community.

 

[Kathi OD]

I think that's hard for someone who doesn't know your child to say.

When my kids were younger, our community pool allowed the kids to go without an adult when they were 10. I let my daughter go at 10, but made my son wait until he was 12. He was much more irresponsible at 10 than my daughter was.

It's hard to say what I'd do today. You have to take into account the level of supervision that the pool provides for those children who are unaccompanied by an adult and how responsible your DD is.

 

[golfgal]

In our old town the pool policy was 9 and above without an adult present so that is what pretty much everyone in town did.

 

[BEloveDisney]

I was allowed to go without a parent at 11 or 12. I always had to have someone with me, but it could be my friend. Buddy system and all. We were all very good swimmers so that made my mom worry less.

 

[minniebeth]

We are fortuante to have one of our town pools in our neighborhood. We started letting my DD11 last year (almost 12) go with her brother, then 14. They can ride their bikes there and they call when they get there, call periodically while there, if they are there for a length of time and then call on their way home. They are strong swimmers. We have excellent lifeguards too, so we're comfortable with this.
I agree with the buddy system as well if possible.
I think it's a good way to give some independance, monitored closely, a little at a time. Pools do make me nervous though, so I'm still a Nervous Nelly until I know they are home safe and sound.

 

[Mickey's Minion]

At what age do you think it would be OK to drop off your child at the local public outdoor pool? There are times during the summer when my almost-12 year old daughter would like to go there, but I need to be at work. My husband thinks she is too young to be by herself, but I disagree. Anyone have any opinions or experience?
The pool is only 10 minutes from home and work, and we live in a very safe community.

It all depends on many factors:

Assuming there are lifeguards on duty (no lifeguard, I wouldn't send at all):

What are the pool rules? Is an 11 year old allowed to be there unaccompanied by an adult?

How strong a swimmer is she? Is she a strong enough swimmer to get out of minor predicaments? Lifeguards are there to save when somebody is drowning, but they are human and their eyes cannot be on every single inch of the pool at all times. If your child is a very weak swimmer, she should not be in the pool without the additional eyes of a parent. For instance, if she has the rule of not going into the deep end because she is not a strong enough swimmer, she should not be at the pool without a parent's supervision.

How mature is your daughter? Is she mature enough to follow the pool rules, such as no horsing around outside the pool?. Lifeguards are not babysitters. They are there to save swimmers in trouble. They should not have to take their eyes off the pool, ever, to reprimand children for fooling around on the pool deck. That is a parent's job.

Are you available to pick her up immediately if the pool is closed for weather? Are you available immediately if something would happen? What is the communication availability at the pool? Is she able to contact you. Our pool does not have a pay phone and it is absolutely forbidden to use the office phone unless a medical emergency. So, if the child is dropped off, they need to have a cell phone to be able to contact parents.

If the pool allows unaccompanied 11 year olds, your daughter is a strong enough swimmer to not need supervision in the water, she is mature enough to behave correctly when out of the pool, then 11 is fine to leave them at the pool by themselves.

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

OP here...thanks for the replies so far. Here are the answers to your questions:

* My daughter is very mature and responsible. She is just finishing up 6th grade.
* There are always 3-4 guards on duty + a pool "manager"
* My daughter can swim fine. It is a zero depth entry pool and the deep parts are only at the diving boards. She doesn't have any problem with that.


I wouldn't be using the pool as a "drop off babysitter" since she can be home alone and she has gone on independent babysitting jobs. I could easily have her at home alone, but the pool is a treat since we only have 3 nice months of weather here. She would have much more fun at the pool than she would just sitting around. I don't think she would go more than once a week since she is signed up for summer activities such as tennis, volleyball, etc.

 

[java]

I wouldn't let her go alone. Make sure she is always with a buddy. All alone at the pool at 12 would freak me out.
I have a 12 year old daughter and I think I would let her go as long as she had her cell phone and a swimming buddy. I of course am assuming she is a strong swimmer.

My concerns would be you never know who is going to be at the pool. So while she may be responsible what about the gang of teens that are hanging around goofing off at the pool- throwing each other in ect.

Is it a busy pool. Is there a lifeguard on duty at all times? Will there be other people there that you and she will know?

Too many questions to answer yours in just a post. You know her best and the situation way better than I do. Me I would make my dd be with someone at all times.

 

[K and K's Mommy]

When I was growing up in the 70's, the age requirement for our neighborhood pool was 8. I went about every day. It was a five minute bike ride.

I am not even sure what the age requirement is where I take my kids. I think it is 12. I have a 5 year old so it will be awhile. My DS 11 would have no desire to go alone, but my DD 8 would love it! I actually think she would be fine if she had her brother or a friend.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

Will there be other people she knows there? We're moving to a new neighborhood this summer, and my 11 year old won't know anyone at the local pool, so I wouldn't leave him. But if he was going with a friend or two, or if there would likely be lots of families there that he knew, then I'd be fine.

Having said that, every pool in my current city has their own specific rules about ages to leave, and it's always 12 or 13. I wouldn't break a posted rule.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

One more thought -- I'm a big believer that busy kids are safe kids, so if my choices were leaving her at the pool, or being home alone, I'd pick the former.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

At what age do you think it would be OK to drop off your child at the local public outdoor pool? There are times during the summer when my almost-12 year old daughter would like to go there, but I need to be at work. My husband thinks she is too young to be by herself, but I disagree. Anyone have any opinions or experience?
The pool is only 10 minutes from home and work, and we live in a very safe community.

How long are you talking about? All day? No way. I do have an issue with her going alone. I would not be comfortable with that part of it.

I would not allow it, but that is just me.

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

How long are you talking about? All day? No way. I do have an issue with her going alone. I would not be comfortable with that part of it.

I would not allow it, but that is just me.

The age requirement is 10 to be alone at the pool. I would probably leave her alone maybe from Noon when it opens until about 4:00-4:30.

 

[java]

Oh another one as a skin cancer survivor! Make sure she is good with applying SUNSCREEN!!

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

Oh another one as a skin cancer survivor! Make sure she is good with applying SUNSCREEN!!

Very good point!

 

[krcit]

I think I would be ok with it as long as she was with a friend. I would not let either of my dd's there all alone, they would have to have a friend or two with them.

 

[mom2travel]

We let DS go to the pool when he was about 12 with a friend (not a public pool, members only). DD is 10 and very mature, but I don't see us letting her go to the pool without an adult for a few years. I would never endorse any child going to the pool alone. Definitely need a buddy once above the "allowed" age by the pool management and after a reminder of pool safety.

I would also have a plan for what to do under different emergency situations - from bad weather to illness to injury. I telecommute, so if my kids were at the pool we use I could be to them in 5 minutes. I would be nervous if a responsible adult couldn't be there quickly if needed. Would also have the child have a cell phone and copies of emergency contact info and insurance info (or stored in her phone)

Good luck - it is a tough call, dependent on the child in question's maturity level and swimming ability

 

[shortbun]

Our pool rules say anyone under 12 MUST be supervised on site.

 

[momof1princess]

i could not let my DD12 go alone; however, she is not a very good swimmer. she had 2 summers of lessons, but they just didn't "take", i guess. if your DD is a good swimmer and will have other kids there to play with, i see no harm in it. a friend of mine lives just a couple of blocks from our community's public pool, and she lets her 11 and 13 yo sons ride their bikes to the pool.

 

[*JoGo*]

I used to go to our town's pool when I was 11/12. My brother was 7/8 and he went with me. My bff lived in a different town but spent a lot of the summer with me, so my mom bought her a pool pass also. So there were 3 of us. We didn't know anyone else in town as we went to a private school, so we stuck together. We didn't go in the deep end b/c that's where all the rowdy teens were. So we stayed where we could touch. It was also zero entry, and that end of the pool was usually pretty empty so we'd just play around and we kept our cooler/towels under a tree near that end.

And this was before cell phones. We had a few quarters and we could call home for my mom to come get us. We didn't stay all day, she'd drop us off and tell us we had until X when she'd pick us up. She'd come, and sometimes she'd let us stay longer or she'd sit with us.

All that to say... I would let her go if she's mature enough. but I'd have a friend go with her.