Children Swimming in the Sea in February!

[Beccatheboo]

Today I witnessed a mum and dad letting their two young children (probably about 8 and 10 years old) swim in the North Sea - one clad in a bikini! Yes, it was relatively mild today, but the water was freezing (I tested it with my hand). The parents were wearing thick coats and the mum even had on a woolly hat. They only had one hand towel for the girls and they encouraged them to run around for ages only in their swimming costumes. AIBU to think that's crazy?! I'm all for experiences and 'toughening up' children, but I think that was irresponsible. Children are less able to regulate their body temperature.

i used to swim in the north sea every boxing day as a child, there would be snow on the ground but i didnt care

jesus wept.

No problem with them going in the sea. Some people are very hardy and they were presumably happy to be there. I've always loved the sea, and as a child took every chance to get in, freezing or not. The only reason I've never been in the sea in February is because I've never been to the seaside then.

They didn't have enough towels though.

i was "swimming addicted" all my young life , a sniff of water and was stripped and in, no matter what time of year, usual to exit when shivering came on , big dry with big towel and! the bag off chips soon after, bliss!>why is it that chips do not taste as they used to , anyone ?

i went for a paddle at the weekend and it was agony!

Mabye later: the bastards change the oil from time to time now! not like the good old black stuff chips used to be made in!

I would come out of the sea with not just purple but bright orange blotches on me too, Love how snuggy socks feel after a winter swim, also food tastes AMAZING afterwards too, especially a Mars bar, I ONLY like mars bars after cold sea swims