Enough about your pool!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would it kill you to just go once or twice?

+1 Seriously. After reading DCUM posts for several years, I can see that a lot of people just don't want to be inconvenienced when these are the types of things that can strengthen family relationships and teach kids the importance of those relationships.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yours are the first kids I’ve ever heard of who get pooled out. It’s my dream.

Same. My kids grew up in Florida with a pool in the backyard. They lived in our pool. We also had a huge community pool with a water park and they were there all the time as well. I don't think my kids would have ever become "pooled out".

My kid easily gets pooled out. You realize all kids are different, right?

That being said, I woukd take them to grandmas once or twice and tell them they are going to the pool to make grandma happy. They may not be excited, but it will not hurt them (assuming pooled out does not mean skin rash or something like that).

[Anonymous]

Your parents bought into that place thinking that the pool would be a draw for their grandchildren, they thought they’d get to spend lots of time with their grandkids; this was part of the dream.
Go to the pool no matter what your kids say, their grandparents won’t be around forever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I think the people pointing out that your kid's are spoiled are dead on.

But I can also relate. My sister in law has a community pool and lives an hour away. We get pressured to take our non-swimming toddlers to that pool. Yes, it's a great pool. Yes we go once a summer. But it's FAR. And my kids are just as happy at the spray fountain a block from our house which is a lot less work for me.

What I don't like is that it's somehow my responsibility to make my SIL feel like she's "getting her money's worth" at her community pool. And if we don't agree to come all the time than somehow it's being "wasted".

All that said, I do think just telling your kids that your going to grandmas. Oh and by the way, pack your suits because there's a pool. If you don't want to swim, fine, but we'll be sitting by the pool for an hour, let's go, no opinions please.

Op again, this is our exact situation. My mom calls every single week. She’s also about an hour away. I get that it’s a novelty to her, and we DO visit and use the pool from time to time to make her happy, but considering we have a pool at the middle of our own community, driving an hour to swim every week doesn’t make sense. Also, this pool is freezing and the kids just don’t like it for more than 15 minutes. But yes, we too get the guilt trips and are made to feel like the move there was just for us to have pool access.

My kids are anything but spoiled, but the cold pool isn’t novel to them. They’d rather ride bikes on the bike trail, play tennis, wander the woods, etc, than swim in a cold pool.

OP - you so so miss the point, and your kids are spoiled if you still think this is about a fun time for the kids. It isn't about the pool. Let me say this again. It isn't about the pool. It is about seeing grandma, which I think is less fun than it used to be for them. Do you notice that nothing on this list is anything that grandma can participate in or even watch? Just take the kids as often as you feel you should to go see their grandma. Don't get caught up with the language. Just be a mensch and let grandma have an hour visit. An hour. Be glad this is just about "hanging at a pool" for an hour, and not being trapped in a stuffy livingroom watching Ellen.

+1. Kids can't always get what they want, and part of being a family is spending family time doing activities that aren't naturally your first preference whether it's attending your sibling's soccer game or visiting Grandma's pool once a month or (gasp) once a week. If they find the pool cold, have them bring a pack of cards or a book or if there's a playground nearby they can play there. My visits to Grandma consisted of trying to understand her language (one I don't speak well) and nodding and smiling while she fed me. I don't think I loved it growing up, but now these are happy memories of family. Your kids will survive going to a pool.

[Anonymous]

It's not about the pool, she just wants to see the grandkids in a fun environment. Maybe you can do some of the other things with the kids and grandparents when the pool closes.

The pool bets going to visit dead relatives in the cemetery, and watching soap operas in a hot dark living room, which us what my grandparents wanted to do. On the plus side, I still really like cemeteries.

[Anonymous]

Bets should be beats.

[Anonymous]

If the kids don't want to swim, then find other things to do at the pool. Is there a ping-pong table? Can you bring dominoes and all learn to play (we do that as a family around the pool and have a lot of fun!), bring other activities to the pool such as crocheting or something easy that the grandparents can teach the kids?

Perhaps you can turn it into a meal of ordering pizza around the pool and then going out for ice cream afterwards?

I think it is the time spent together that is important and being in a fun environment will make it more enjoyable for everyone.

I wonder also if your parents see other grandparents around the pool with their grandkids and feel like they are missing out and want their grandchildren there too?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would it kill you to just go once or twice?

+1 Seriously. After reading DCUM posts for several years, I can see that a lot of people just don't want to be inconvenienced when these are the types of things that can strengthen family relationships and teach kids the importance of those relationships.

+1

Go to the pool, op. Making loved ones happy takes priority over placating what kids merely like now and then. And I say that as someone who hates pools, is disgusted by them, and finds them nothing more than a gross chlorinated communal bathtub.

[Anonymous]

You only get one life in this world, is this really how you want to treat your parents? Is this how you want your children to treat you?

It’s called selflessness. Instill more of it in your household.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would it kill you to just go once or twice?

+1 Seriously. After reading DCUM posts for several years, I can see that a lot of people just don't want to be inconvenienced when these are the types of things that can strengthen family relationships and teach kids the importance of those relationships.

+1

Go to the pool, op. Making loved ones happy takes priority over placating what kids merely like now and then. And I say that as someone who hates pools, is disgusted by them, and finds them nothing more than a gross chlorinated communal bathtub.

Then consider yourself lucky nobody is begging you to visit theirs weekly, and glad nobody is forcing you to swim.

[Anonymous]

You sound unnecessarily hostile. Who hurt you, OP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You don't turn it down. You make your children go and have fun with their grandparents.

Ha ha ha! Enjoy your grandparenting time with that mindset.