As I wrote in the birthday post, we went to the city pool yesterday, and had a great time. The only down side to the day was the slides, the pool has 3 large slides. My best friend was there with us, to give me a hand keeping an eye on them. He was going to catch the kids at the end of the slides, since they aren't strong swimmers. Well, the lifeguard told him he would catch them, since the slides let out into a roped off area where he was standing in the water. As they were climbing, the lifeguards swapped, and the new guy was not paying attention, he was watching some girls on the other side of the pool. Miah went to the bathroom, and I stayed to watch them go down. Well, the kids went down 2 of the slides, hit the water, and Mads started to panic. I yelled for her to start moving towards the edge, and that I would get her. The whole time the lifeguard is 3 feet away and oblivious!!! I had to jump in from the other side of the slides in order to reach her, and by this time Shane is flailing, too, because he's scared. So, I run around to the other side of the slides, drop my stuff, jump in, and grab both kids. It's not until I hit the water that the lifeguard looks at us, even after me yelling and both children crying. I get them out without any help from him, and after calming them down I go talk to the head lifeguard. There are tons of lifeguards on duty, and the one in question was specifically there to watch the end of the slides, since there was another at the top helping kids get on them. The head lifeguard immediately pulls the slide lifeguard out, and we go back to the kiddie pools, the kids are shaken but get over it quickly. Later on, the lifeguard that was responsible for this came over to me and apologized. I told him I appreciated his apology, but these are my children, my entire world, and what if they had drowned, on their birthday no less, so he could check out girls in swimsuits. I could tell he felt really bad, and he SHOULD, because there was just no excuse!! What if I hadn't been standing by the edge of the pool? I shudder to think what would have happened!!! We didn't let it ruin our day, although I had to stop Miah from jumping in and beating the lifeguard up, Shane and Madison are life family to him, and he's very protective of the 3 of us. I am still just shaking my head in disgust, someone whose *job* is to watch swimmers nearly let my kids drown, what is wrong with people?!

By Luvn29 on Thursday, June 5, 2008 - 08:42 am:

We've had a bad experience with the lifeguards at our local pool. They hire highschoolers and expect them to take things seriously. That's why I never rely on them to keep my children safe.

This year, the pool is under new management and the lifeguards have been terrific! I feel totally confident in their abilities and that's a first!

I'm so glad that both kids are okay and that you guys were able to get over it quickly so it didn't ruin your day. I totally understand how you feel though. Our pool had a big floating alligator tethered to the pool floor. It was intended for the little kids to play on, as it was in the three and a half foot pool, but the big kids (teenagers) liked ganging up on it and rocking it and such. I let my son on it when he was about four because no one else was on it at the time, and a bunch of older kids came over and started rocking it. He fell off and ended up under it and couldn't get out because of the tethers. Lifeguards never noticed, and I had to jump in with shorts on and get him out. They've since taken it out of the pool because it is a safety hazard. So I totally understand where you are coming from and yes, it outrages you that they are being paid to let you do their job!

By Happynerdmom on Thursday, June 5, 2008 - 10:22 am:

Oh, my. I'm just so glad you were there. I'm glad the boy feels bad, I'm sure it was a wake-up call for him to take his job more seriously.

By Dawnk777 on Thursday, June 5, 2008 - 11:18 am:

Crystal, I'm so sorry. I'm glad you were paying attention. When we've been to the local indoor water park, I've never seen the lifeguard in the catch pool NOT paying attention. These are big slides and the water is about 3 to 3-1/2 ft deep, so most little kids are going down with mom or dad, anyway.

Maybe it was a wake-up call, for that particular guard. Sheesh.

By Bobbie~moderatr on Thursday, June 5, 2008 - 11:30 am:

Lovely... agree maybe it will be a wake up call.

By Rayelle on Thursday, June 5, 2008 - 01:23 pm:

Oh my! Thank goodness you were there. It's good that he feels bad, I agree it should be a wake up call to him how serious his job is. At our local pool they have someone who says when it is ok to go down but no one at the bottom. I think it's because you have to be tall enough to stand up in the water to ride the slide there. I'm usually right there anyway or at least very close to where I could get there if i had to. You never know.

By Dramamamma on Thursday, June 5, 2008 - 01:31 pm:

Oh my... I'm glad that they were okay. I agree I'm glad that the boy apologized and knows he messed up BIG TIME. I hope he takes his job more seriously from now on.

By Bellajoe on Friday, June 6, 2008 - 07:54 am:

Thank God you were there! I hope it is a wake up call for that lifeguard!

Our lifeguards seem to be very good. I have been there a few times when one had to jump in to help a kid. It's like a well oiled machine. One lifeguard jumps in and immediately another two come running from nowhere to fill in the first life guard's position. One to stand guard while the other climbs the ladder to the chair. It's really nice to see how seriously they take it. Most of them are college kids but I am sure there are high schooler's too.

By Claire on Friday, June 6, 2008 - 01:48 pm:

I can understand your frustration and fear. That said, lifeguards are no substitute for parental supervision.

Why weren't you in the water with them? Our pool has a rule that unless your child has passed a swim test they are not allowed into any water without a parent being within arms reach at ALL times.

By Happynerdmom on Friday, June 6, 2008 - 02:38 pm:

Claire, they had just gone down the slide. I can't imagine having to be in the water at all times with my kids! Not when they're school-aged. Unless the pool doesn't have a lifeguard, I guess.

By Bobbie~moderatr on Friday, June 6, 2008 - 03:28 pm:

We have four pools, a toddler pool, a Olympic size, a diving pool and the pool at the base of the slides. The pool that the slides exit into is basically big enough for the life guards (one at the base of each slide) and the people exiting the slide. They have signs posted for no swimming and the rules on the slide say exit the water quickly. So standing in there and catching your own child wouldn't be an option, you would have to either not allow your children in or trust the life guard to do his/her job...

By Dawnk777 on Friday, June 6, 2008 - 06:02 pm:

I spent many summer afternoons, at the city pool, with just my sisters! My mom wasn't even there with me! My sisters and I were old enough to ride our bikes the mile or so, to the pool. She signed us up for the latest morning swimming lessons, then we would eat the lunches we'd brought and spend the afternoon swimming! (How nice for my mom, huh?)

By Crystal915 on Friday, June 6, 2008 - 08:58 pm:

Claire, my friend was going to be in the water to catch them, but the lifeguard said no, because it was his job to catch them at the end of the slide. Bobbie's pool sounds a lot like ours, with the different areas. If you read my post, I explained that, and that's the reason I was right there on the edge of the pool. I didn't send them off on their own. If I sound upset, it's because I am... you judge me for not being in the water without even bothering to read the whole post.

Dawn, I learned to swim young, and spent summers at my grandparents' house in FL, needless to say I was a water baby!! I spent so much time barely supervised in the pool, it would make us cringe with fear now!!

By Claire on Friday, June 6, 2008 - 10:18 pm:

Crystal I suppose that sounded judgmental I am sorry I upset you.

I also said MY pool has different rules and I am not comfortable sending my six year old down the water slide and MY OPINION is that no child needs to be going down a slide until they are strong swimmers no matter whose catching them. That opinion is mine and I'll stand by it

By Debbie on Saturday, June 7, 2008 - 11:15 am:

How scary!!

Unfortunately, most of the lifeguards that work at these pools are high school students. A lot of them are not old enough, in my opinion, to understand the magnitude of their job.

Most pools that we have gone to, you could not go down the slide if you could not swim to the side on your own. This is how it should be. What if a child that couldn't swim came down one slide, and the lifeguard was at the side with them, when another child came down that couldn't swim. I think, it is too much for them to have to "catch" kids. JMHO. And, I am in no way blaming you, you went by the the pool rules. Thank God, you were cautious enough to stay close by. I was always too scared to let my kids go in the water without me when they couldn't swim well. I never trusted the lifeguards to keep them safe. Two different times I have pulled kids out of the water at public pools, when they have "sunk" to the bottom! In both situations there were no parents around. The lifeguards were doing their jobs, but just weren't looking in their direction at the time.

I am glad that the lifeguard came to apoligize to you.

By Nicki on Saturday, June 7, 2008 - 02:35 pm:

Ditto, Debbie. I question the rules at this pool. It doesn't make sense that one lifeguard is responsible for the welfare of two children coming down two slides. If neither can swim, how can he make sure he can be of aid to both of them at the same time?

I'm so glad the kids are okay, Crystal! Thank goodness you are the kind of parent you are, caring and very attentive. I hope the pool thinks about changing the rules. I know my dh would have insisted to go in the water with our dd in this situation. Of course, they wouldn't have allowed it, and our dd would have been so upset. Not fair to the parents or the children in my opinion.

By Dana on Sunday, June 8, 2008 - 07:51 am:

I too am shocked that your city pool allows "fair" swimmers to use the slide. At our public pools, every child must pass a swimming test to enter certain areas of the pool, as well as use the slide. And they even use size as a guide as well. Last year my daughter, an excellent swimmer and 9 yrs old, was not permitted on the slides because she was small. Their reasoning is she can easily get knocked down and under by the number of kids in the water and not be seen.

Needless to say, she hated going. I don't blame her. I also won't go to that particular pool becuase it is SO CROWDED! Almost body to body, esp on the "fun" side of the pool.

glad your kids calmed down and were still able to enjoy their special day.

By Karen~admin on Monday, June 9, 2008 - 06:33 am:

Thank goodness they are both OK.