Anonymous wrote:What about ages 6 and 4, but good swimmers?

Is...is...this a joke? Another former lifeguard, my kids will be well into double digits before I ever take my eyes off of them in any body of water. Get a sitter or an audio book! This isn’t hard.

My kids are 3 and 5. The 5 year old is a very strong swimmer (can swim the length of the pool, floats, treads water for a few minutes, etc) but I do not take my eyes off the pool at all. I’m also a former lifeguard and I have had to rescue kids who were strong swimmers. I’m not taking that risk for my kids at this point.

I started doing this when my son was around age 9.

Anonymous wrote:Yes, 9 and 12. I look up regularly.

Ditto. But if it's a busy say I'll watch closer.

Am I the only one that doesn't trust the lifeguards that much?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. Drowning is silent and takes 60 seconds.

My kids are 7, 5, and 2 but I will do this for life. I was a lifeguard and I know how quickly even good swimmers can get in trouble and how lazy some lifeguards are.

For life? I think it’s hard for you to imagine having teenagers someday. My 11 and 14 year olds are on swim team and regularly spend time at the pool without me even being present.

NP. Fine, but they should look out for each other and their friends, and their friends should know to do the same.

I grew up on the coast and am an excellent swimmer. My husband is a very good swimmer. Our kids are good swimmers. My parents are excellent swimmers.

All of us look out for each other when we are in the water. It's not some anxiety-driven action. It's just like when you're driving, you keep your eye on the road and all the other cars. It's part of water safety.

If you don't have this as an "automatic" action, then I would strongly suggest always having one adult as the designated swimming supervisor. It's best if you can give this person a lanyard to wear so both s/he and the kids remember who is looking out for the rest of the family.

Undertow is real (in the sea/ocean), and muscle cramps are real, and sun stroke in the water can also happen and make you pass out. It doesn't matter how old someone is or how competent they are in the water--or rather, it DOES matter, but not in a way that renders it unnecessary to keep track of them and make sure they are OK.

Save your reading for when the kids are playing basketball or whatnot.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about ages 6 and 4, but good swimmers?

Are you the OP? No absolutely not. Others, please pile on - this is concerning that someone would even think this is ok.

When my 4 year old almost drowned, there were about 6 adults in and around the pool. It’s completely silent. The other kid in the pool didn’t notice because he was playing himself. His dad has gotten out to get something and left him on the side, he reached for a toy and went under. It was the most terrifying experience of my life and I will watch my kids in the pool forever.

Yes. Dd is 10 and a competitive swimmer. She is responsible, doesn’t engage in horseplay, and is always swimming with a friend at our community pool. There are always 2 lifeguards watching the same pool.

Anonymous wrote:What about ages 6 and 4, but good swimmers?

Are you the OP? No absolutely not. Others, please pile on - this is concerning that someone would even think this is ok.

Anonymous wrote:No. Drowning is silent and takes 60 seconds.

My kids are 7, 5, and 2 but I will do this for life. I was a lifeguard and I know how quickly even good swimmers can get in trouble and how lazy some lifeguards are.

For life? I think it’s hard for you to imagine having teenagers someday. My 11 and 14 year olds are on swim team and regularly spend time at the pool without me even being present.

Kids been on competitive swim team since age six but can’t trust their judgment (eg jumping on each other) so know reading until they were 12.

This is one of my biggest pet peeves about our HOA pool. Last week when we were there I pulled two kids out of water that was over their head, while their mom sat in the shade, happily reading her book. These kids were probably 6 or 7. I am always in the water with my kid because he's not a great swimmer, and frankly, it's too damn hot, but if your kids can't swim, you don't have the luxury of poolside book reading.

My kids are 10 and 12 and swim team kids. They’re also never swimming alone—always with at least one friend. The likelihood of one friend drowning and the other kids not knowing is unlikely. Also, our lifeguards seem attentive, I’ve never seen them staring up instead of in the pool. So yes I do read sometimes.

Anonymous wrote:What about ages 6 and 4, but good swimmers?

Hard no. I’m another former lifeguard. I know a kid who is alive today because a mom at the pool intervened. The guards didn’t see that one girl was sitting on another. Listen to an audiobook with earbuds. Sorry.