at what age do you stop supervising swimming pool? - Page 3

[velochic]

Originally Posted by confustication

Having been a lifeguard, teenagers almost scare me more than little kids because they really do seem to believe that they are immortal. 'No Diving' has absolutely no meaning to some of them...

Yeah, in a swimming area that has no lifeguards, I agree that even teens... especially teens... need supervision. Older teens also may mix alcohol and swimming when there is no supervision, which is a recipe for disaster.

However, at a public pool, where there are lifeguards, I'd let a teen go to the pool by themselves, without my direct supervision.

[Cavy]

Wow, I guess I'm one of the few who sees value in letting them having autonomy.

Anyway, not least because of the competing demands of my other DC, I often find I need to turn my back on DC in the pool. Our pool lets them go in without parents from the age of 8yo.

One day I watched DS (then 5yo) swim about 30x8m lengths, and I decided it was probably okay to take my eyes off him some of the time. So now I would do things like swim 20m lengths and only check on him every couple of lengths.

I am only talking about situations with life guards around, mind. Wild swimming... I guess I'd prefer them to only go with several adults.

I let them cycle on the road with me from the age of 4-5 so of course I am clearly insane, anyway .

[Linda on the move]

Some people in the thread are talking about pools with lifeguards, and some are talking about pools without life guards. It's a totally different thing. My kids were allowed to swim without *me* there when there was a lifeguard once they were solid swimmers. By the time I was comfortable with that, they could both swim a 200IM. My idea of solid swimmer is different than some folks.

It was a pool that wasn't overcrowded where the lifeguards stayed on top of things. We've been in situations with lifeguards that I didn't trust -- just too chaotic for me to trust that they would realize if my child did need help.

I don't see that as "not supervising" them. Someone else was supervising them.

Originally Posted by GoBecGo

used to swim competitively and i was once hauled to the surface when cramp hit as a began my 63rd length of a training session. She (a random stranger sharing my lane) did it without thinking, and almost certainly saved my life. I'm HAPPY to be monitored by those around me.

I think that the more time you spend around water, the more realize that odd things can happen and a person can need help, regardless of age or swimming ability.

Originally Posted by Cavy

I am only talking about situations with life guards around, mind. Wild swimming... I guess I'd prefer them to only go with several adults.

oddly, children are more likely to drown when there are several adults. Everyone thinks somone else is watching the kids, so in reality, no one is watching the kids.

you guys will love this story.... We have a community pool with no lifeguard. One mother, whose DD is 8, watches her swim from inside her car, with the windows rolled up, on the other side of a locked gate. Seriously.

(which is part of the reason we have a "you must have a family member with you to swim, other people's parents don't count" rule in our family)

[EarthMamaToBe]

Never!

[lerlerler]

It REALLY depends on the pool and the life guard situation. We belong to the JCC and it's rarely crowded, well guarded and ALL the lifeguards know my 6 year old DD and her swim ability - at one time almost each of them have taught her swim classes or coached her water polo clinic. She's level headed and a good swimmer.

Just this month I started leaving her for the 2 minutes it takes for my son to go pee - after insisting she stay in the shallow end....

and THAT makes me nervous...

Our pool rules make you get in with them until they can swim to the center of the pool and turn around and get out via the side of the pool

[childsplay]

I keep my eye on my younger ones who are 6, 6 and 7 when they're in our pool.
But my 16 y/o? I don't supervise him. In fact, he often supervises the younger ones.

I'm shocked at the number of people who don't think adults should ever swim alone. I've been swimming alone - completely alone - for years, often at night, mostly in lakes. (although more recently in our pool) I used to swim in the ocean when we were anchored in tempting water early in the morning before anyone woke, and I'd go far, to islands and back, etc.....I've never in my life thought of it as dangerous (nor will I) , more like peaceful and sanity saving but not dangerous.

[velochic]

Originally Posted by childsplay

I'm shocked at the number of people who don't think adults should ever swim alone. I've been swimming alone - completely alone - for years, often at night, mostly in lakes. (although more recently in our pool) I used to swim in the ocean when we were anchored in tempting water early in the morning before anyone woke, and I'd go far, to islands and back, etc.....I've never in my life thought of it as dangerous (nor will I) , more like peaceful and sanity saving but not dangerous.

I spent the first 18 years of my life never putting on a seatbelt. I'm really shocked that people think that seatbelts are necessary today. I never needed a seatbelt. I don't need one now. I'm a really safe driver, and I know how to drive really well, so I don't really think of driving as dangerous. Riding in the car, standing between the bucket seats, saved my mother's sanity by not having to deal with a seat belt every single time and having me there to talk to her.

Um, yeah... my argument is equally as plausible as yours. ETA: It's not about the fact that nothing has happened so far, but about what is known to be safe and using common sense about staying safe. Of course, there may be less than optimal circumstance, but all things being equal, it's always prudent to take the safest route.

[LynnS6]

Originally Posted by amcal

Wow. Sometimes I wonder how we made it to adulthood alive.

Velochic beat me to it! But I was about to say: I was raised without seat belts or a car seat. I rode in the front seat between my parents without a seat belt (the back seat was filled with my sibs, who were also not wearing seat belts).

Thankfully, we were never involved in a serious car accident. My grandmother, aunt, uncle and great aunt were. They all died.

We've learned a lot in the last 40 years. Yes, there is such a thing as being too paranoid, but not around swimming. You swim with a buddy, and there should be a responsible adult monitoring you. That goes for 2 year olds, 12 year olds and 42 year olds.

Monitoring doesn't mean never taking their eyes off of you (though it should for a 2 year old!), but it does mean checking often. If there's a lifeguard, then I'd assume an adult would be OK, but still monitor children and teens.

[Ceinwen]

Between 10 & 12 for me.

My sibs and I grew up swimming in the lake by ourselves from around that age.

I still hike out to camp to swim on my own and hike back. That'd be the day I didn't swim if there wasn't someone else there!

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by LynnS6

Velochic beat me to it! But I was about to say: I was raised without seat belts or a car seat. I rode in the front seat between my parents without a seat belt (the back seat was filled with my sibs, who were also not wearing seat belts).

I'm so old they didn't even have car seats when I was a baby, and no one had ever heard of a bike helmet!


(my mother also never feed me fruits or vegies as a child and still don't have cancer or heart disease, so they must completely unnecessary! )


When you know better, you do better.

[childsplay]

Originally Posted by velochic

I spent the first 18 years of my life never putting on a seatbelt. I'm really shocked that people think that seatbelts are necessary today. I never needed a seatbelt. I don't need one now. I'm a really safe driver, and I know how to drive really well, so I don't really think of driving as dangerous. Riding in the car, standing between the bucket seats, saved my mother's sanity by not having to deal with a seat belt every single time and having me there to talk to her.

Um, yeah... my argument is equally as plausible as yours. ETA: It's not about the fact that nothing has happened so far, but about what is known to be safe and using common sense about staying safe. Of course, there may be less than optimal circumstance, but all things being equal, it's always prudent to take the safest route.

An unrestrained child in a vehicle has nothing to do with an adult swimming alone by choice.
Plus, seatbelts are law....swimming with a partner/supervision isn't....so really, there's no comparison.

And my common sense may be skewed but I guess I'm ok with not always taking the safest route. I really don't want to let the 'what could happens' rule my life.
Now I don't break the law or endanger my children but swimming alone, at night I'm ok with....along with another arms length list of 'dangerous' things I enjoy.

[velochic]

Originally Posted by childsplay

An unrestrained child in a vehicle has nothing to do with an adult swimming alone by choice.

Sure they do... they are both unnecessary risks. Law or not.

[LynnS6]

Originally Posted by childsplay

An unrestrained child in a vehicle has nothing to do with an adult swimming alone by choice.
Plus, seatbelts are law....swimming with a partner/supervision isn't....so really, there's no comparison.

Seat belts weren't the law when I was a child. I'm old enough to remember having no seat belt laws, no child restraint laws and darn little car safety. Why? Because we didn't know better. We do know, so we've changed our behavior. Why not around swimming too?

I don't let 'what could happen' rule my life. Our kids actually have quite a bit more freedom than many kids in the neighborhood. But I don't take chances around swimming.

[ewe+lamb]

A little boy of 5 drowned this summer in my parents village - his mum had just gone to the loo! Less than 2 minutes she said - it can happen to anyone - for me the answer is never, accidents happen and we all need help with some situations at any time in our lives. My ds's friend also 5 was killed on the 10th august riding his bike for the first time by himself, on the small road just by his house, they thought he was fine - bike helmet, pads all over the place, but he just didn't know how to handle the situation and panicked seconds later he was dead. Things that are preventable I'd rather be there to prevent and then sometimes horrible horrible things happen too, we take risks at any point in our lives, encouraging autonomy is something that is of the uptmost importance when growing up but in doing that we also take risks - it's a really hard balance to find.

[geekgolightly]

Originally Posted by childsplay

I keep my eye on my younger ones who are 6, 6 and 7 when they're in our pool.
But my 16 y/o? I don't supervise him. In fact, he often supervises the younger ones.

I'm shocked at the number of people who don't think adults should ever swim alone. I've been swimming alone - completely alone - for years, often at night, mostly in lakes. (although more recently in our pool) I used to swim in the ocean when we were anchored in tempting water early in the morning before anyone woke, and I'd go far, to islands and back, etc.....I've never in my life thought of it as dangerous (nor will I) , more like peaceful and sanity saving but not dangerous.

ITA. Maybe we should never ride a bike alone in the city? Or never allow our children to ride bikes in the neighborhood? Or skateboard in the neighborhood, either. Maybe our adult spouses should be told to never ever ever ride a bike again unless I am with them supervising. I am really shocked at some of these answers.

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by childsplay

An unrestrained child in a vehicle has nothing to do with an adult swimming alone by choice.
Plus, seatbelts are law....swimming with a partner/supervision isn't....so really, there's no comparison.

I don't wear a seat belt or buckle my kids in because it's the law, I do so because I value our lives.

I really can't imagine parenting my kids doing the bare minimum required by law.

[childsplay]

Originally Posted by Linda on the move

I don't wear a seat belt or buckle my kids in because it's the law, I do so because I value our lives.

I really can't imagine parenting my kids doing the bare minimum required by law.

Wow, thanks for pointing this out! I never realized how little value I place in my children every time I buckle them in my vehicle.

And just a question, would you consider rear facing them until they were three the bare minimum required by law?
Or keeping them in 5 pt harnesses well beyond the time when it was mandatory?
No?
Didn't think so.

I really think it's unspoken that I buckle my kids in because I love them and want them safe I really shouldn't have to explain.

I was simply pointing out that it's the law to wear seatbelts as opposed to adults swimming unsupervised, which isn't the law.

[starrA34]

well one i jus  had this argument with someone they tried lettin my lil cuz swim by himself n the pool and he four, i dnt think  children should b in the pool unsupervised at all it takes two  seconds to drowned, or hit there head or anything.  all i can say is if u  cant  sit outside with ur child or children while they swim they  have no bizz out there. this aint directed to  anyone but this is jus my  point of view, i  feel 14-15 resonable but check on them here and there!!!

[lilyrn11]

From my experience taking care of the amount of near drowning victims that come into our hospital. I will never allow any member of my family to swim alone or my children to be unsupervised in the pool. Anything can happen. I have seen healthy adults hit their head. One patient I had was a preteen that got stung by a bee. He proceeded to have an allergic reaction and couldn't get out of the pool in time. When I was a child my parents would not let us swim unsupervised so it really isn't a concept I had to get used to when I became a parent.

[*bejeweled*]

Thank Goodness this thread was revived. It's really important. We never ever swim alone.