Parents leaving DC alone in pool!

[mandymeans]

Abroad at the moment. It's the English and Irish families doing it.

Leaving their DC, between ages of about 2.5 to 6 or 7. Alone in the baby pool. Some have armbands, some not. Point is, they shouldn't be left alone

Some of the parents are obviously on sunbeds and in view of the pool. Others are nowhere to be seen!

My DC can swim but I'd never leave them unattended.

I felt awful every time I had to leave the pool with DC, leaving so many kids unattended

The lifeguard is also a bit odd and not always there.

What I meant to add was, I've been here for days and many more kids are left completely unattended than with a parent

It's quite worrying and I can't relax knowing this.

I've just been away and there was one woman who left her 4 yr old in the pool every day, she went and sat on her sunbed occasionally looking up, she was three rows of beds away from the pool! She had no idea what he was doing, where he was (multiple pools in one area). She'd not have had a clue if he'd been drowning or had fallen and hurt himself, and certainly didn't know how annoying he was being to everyone else lol. I just found it unbelievable. Wouldn't dream of leaving my child, also 4, in the pool.

It's total madness, isn't it? They could so easily hit their head and then go under. Or slip and have a physical injury before even getting back in the water again

I just don't know how these people can relax knowing they don't know for sure their child is safe

I know. I said to my husband everyday, I just don't get it. How can she just assume he's ok and sit there reading her book for hours, literal hours. I am in no ways a helicopter parent or over protective or whatever but you just don't mess around where you're in and around water. I don't take my eyes off my daughter.

It makes me feel sick to see it happening. DD is 11 and a competent swimmer, competes in galas etc but I still wouldn't leave her completely unattended. Sometimes I will sit on the edge or a lounger on the first row but even then I'm constantly watching.

I live by the beach and the amount of people that leave their kids alone in the sea is absolutely shocking.

My ds aged 19 is a lifeguard and he is says it’s very common for parents to leave their young dcs unattended by pools. He says he often gets abused when he tells the dps they need to be with their dcs at all times at the pool.

It terrifies me. I brought a two year old back to his lounger last year - he'd wandered off while his mother dozed.

I just don't why a parent would do this. I would actually go as far as to say that it is neglectful parenting, they are endangering their children by failing to supervise them.

It gives me massive anxiety, me and dh watched our kids like a hawk in the pool if we could not get sunbeds near enough we took it on turns to sit at the side of the pool so 1 always had eyes on them .

That's terrifying. Drowning can happen so quickly, and often quietly.

It absolutely is negligent parenting

I read this a while ago and it haunted me.

news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d774d35497a4d79457a6333566d54/share.html

They do it because they assume other adults will take responsibility and they can just sun themselves.
It's neglectful and totally irresponsible.
They are shit parents

There was also an horrific incident at a David Lloyd’s club a few years ago when a dad who had his child with him at the time distracted the lifeguard to ask him about his child’s swimming lessons. Unseen by both of them the child got into the water and drowned. My ds was told about this during his initial lifeguard training and he is haunted by it and so takes his job very seriously

I can never relax entirely until mine are out of the pool - and that’s with me watching like a hawk,

I've noticed this a lot on holidays, we're away at the moment - villa so our own pool, and DH and I make sure we take turns so the other can relax a bit while the kids are in the pool. DC were complaining the other day as I made them all come out of the pool while I went to the loo and DH was having a siesta, better safe than sorry.

It is intense when you have young DC around water but children can get into difficulty so quickly.

@JonSnowedUnder I'm being really nosey but can I ask who you booked your villa with company wise?

I have had a look and some websites seem like a scam (too good to be true prices etc)

Slightly off-topic but this thread has good water safety advice about swimwear:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/guest_posts/5114786-5114786-guest-post-check-the-colour-of-your-childrens-swimwear-it-could-be-dangerous?

They probably see you and think you’ll care for them. In Goa several families did that with me - it’s rare there to see Indian women swimming competantly and other Indian women just began to leave their non-swimming kids ‘near me’ while I was with DS and doing their own thing. At one point I had 10 kids around me. I felt so guilty leaving them - I alerted the pool attendant each time.

Are you from China? There are many cases of British kids dying here in the UK and abroad.

We just booked with Jet2 so flights and villa, private transfer rather than using the hire car. I know there is more choice/better deals to be had but we wanted ease and booked fairly last minute. Villa is lovely and we're really enjoying ourselves.

Don't know why I've quoted myself, that was for @mandymeans !

It is so clearly negligent. I totally understand not having the energy to take your kids swimming. If that’s the case then just stay away. Taking your young child to a pool/sea so you can laze about regardless of risk to them is so reckless.

I think a lot of people don’t realise that kids can drown in just a small bit of water. Depending on the child, I might watch from a sunbed but not a hope I’d stop watching. I’ve had one child go under while I was right beside them, but distracted by my other child.

I am not sure that how you report it is accurate

https://www.thewirh.com/blog/rocco-wright#:~:text=Rocco%20Wright%20drowned%20at%20the,with%20his%20sister%20and%20dad.

https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/news/leeds-news/familys-devastation-david-lloyd-admits-27363896