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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be willing to give anything to see the Head Master lead by example (making kids swim in the rain)

109 replies

fluffyraggies · 02/07/2012 12:14

That's it in a nutshell really.

It's chucking it down out there. Has been for two hours at least. It's windy enough to be making the trees thrash about. It's cold.

But the HM's policy is for the kids to have their swimming lesson come what may.

I've just seen the latest batch of the poor kids trudging up the hill (part grass, part path) from the open air pool, soaking wet and with their towels clutched round them, shivering.

I know 'worse things happen at sea' - but i'm damn sure it'll be a cold day in hell before the HM comes out of his warm office and shows them how refreshing he finds it to swim in all + any weather

Rant over. AIBU?

OP posts:

wheremommagone · 02/07/2012 12:46

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

perfectstorm · 02/07/2012 12:48

If the pool is heated I see no issue at all, incidentally. Rain is irrelevant to swimming, it's the water temperature that was bothering me. I was assuming it was only sun-heated, like a Lido, and we've had hardly any sun this last month.

silverfrog · 02/07/2012 12:48

I only ever had outdoor pools at school - primary and secondary. the primary one was unheated

but, I cannot remember swimming in the rain at all (and believe me, my memories of school swimming are seared into my brain).

It does seem a bit much to me - agree with whoever pointed out that if the children were walking to/from the pool swaddled in towels, in the pourign rain - how are they supposed to get dry once back at the changing rooms?

I would not be happy if this was my child. and I say this a s a parent who happily cheered on dd2 (aged 5, in reception) at her sports day last week in the rain - she had the facility to get warm and dry properly afterwards. I was glad that it was not cancelled, lots of sports continue in th rain etc, but I would not be happy with the situation described by the OP.

MomsNatter · 02/07/2012 12:48

OK I have no experience of these things so excuse me if I'm being thick but is the pool heated? We went in an unheated pool in Italy recently. The air temperature was about 23 degrees but the water still took my breath away. If it's not heated I feel really sorry for them. My son would cry his eyes out (but he's only four)

DeWe · 02/07/2012 12:49

We have an outside pool at the school. If it gets too cold then the lessons are cancelled. The children come out with very faces. The children want to do it. It's the swimming teachers that have to be in for the whole 2 hours rather than the 20 minutes the child has that I feel sorry for.

Original poster

fluffyraggies · 02/07/2012 12:51

For info: the changing rooms are so minging that the kids cannot use them. They change in the class room.

My guestimate would be that about 80% would choose not to do it when it's cold and raining. About 10% never want to do it.

Mine all had to do it. They went to that primary. I bought them massive towels with hoods. Some parents send their kids in with barely a hand towel :(

Re snow: They're allowed out to play in it IF the parents have sent them in with a coat (yes - some don't) and wellies to change into.

OP posts:

PeggyCarter · 02/07/2012 12:51

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Nanny0gg · 02/07/2012 12:52

Are there not changing rooms at the pool?
I don't have an issue with the lessons going on, but going back to the classroom in wet kit is harsh. Ours can change by the pool. And it's heated.
I've never seen our instructor get in! How can he see what's going on?

Original poster

fluffyraggies · 02/07/2012 12:53

It is heated Moms. I don't know the exact temp. Sort of tepid when you dibble your hand in :)

OP posts:

RustyBear · 02/07/2012 12:55

Actually, our head probably would do it if he was challenged to!

LtEveDallas · 02/07/2012 13:01

I wouldn't be happy with this.

If the kids are walking to the pool in the costumes with only a towel to cover them, how are they going to get dry in the classroom with a wet towel?

Fair enough to the actual swimming in the rain, but not the walk to and from with only a towel covering them.

(and where do the towels get put whilst they are in the pool - please tell me there is somewhere dry for them then?)

sereneswan · 02/07/2012 13:03

YABU. They're wet anyway, and the walk back from the pool would be pretty chilly in most English weather.

I swim outside regularly, including in winter as do a lot of other people I know. We actually pay money to do it, and enjoy it. I can understand why others might not actively want to do it, or enjoy it, but I cannot fathom why anyone would think it's worthy of complaint.

I think they're extraordinarily lucky to have their own swimming pool let alone a heated outdoor one and I think they should be encouraged to see it that way.

Original poster

fluffyraggies · 02/07/2012 13:06

They get put in the minging changing rooms Unless there's another class lining up straight away and then they get put on a big wooden bench. By the pool. With all the muddy flip flops underneath - ugh ugh ugh!

And you're right - it's tough for them to get dry.

It's all different and lovely when it's warm and sunny obviously.

OP posts:

EmilieFloge · 02/07/2012 13:06

When I was 17 I went skinny dipping with my friend, Catherine, from France on Sir Brian Blessed's estate in Surrey.

in an ornamental pond, in the rain. It was beautiful. It was as warm as anything.

EmilieFloge · 02/07/2012 13:07

Our swimming pool btw was at secondary school, not primary - and it wasn't heated.

A heated pool in the rain in summer sounds like bliss!

Original poster

fluffyraggies · 02/07/2012 13:08

They = the towels. Responding to Dallas.

OP posts:

Original poster

fluffyraggies · 02/07/2012 13:11

Trust me - bliss this is not. It's blowing a gale. (we're in the midlands) People are in coats.

I've swam in the sea at Easter time in Dorset in the rain. Bloody cold. Bloody good fun. But that was my choice. I wasn't being herded.

OP posts:

LtEveDallas · 02/07/2012 13:18

Well I definately wouldn't be happy in that case.

I'd have no problem with the swimming (Me and DD swam in the sea in Cyprus on Christmas Day in 2009 and in the sea in Angelsey on New Years Day 2010) but in this case I think its really wrong to expect them to try and get warm and dry with wet towels.

(and I dont know what the temp is across the country, but its currently pissing down and freezing here in Oxford, there is no way I'd want to swim right now)

VonHerrBurton · 02/07/2012 13:19

If it was hot, there would be hoardes of parents complaining about potential sunburn. Sheesh.

YoYoYoItsTillyMinto · 02/07/2012 13:19

if the sun shined in the easter holidays i would put my swin suit on an play in the street with a water pistol for about 5 minutes.

(when i was about 8)

Maamekin · 02/07/2012 13:27

My 4yo DD would absolutely love to swim in an open air pool in the rain. She loves swimming outdoors.

Yesterday we went for a walk to a lake near us (popular for swimming in hot weather) - thunder clouds were building up and it was far to cold for me even to consider dipping a toe in. She begged so hard she managed to persuade DH in for a paddle. There were a few die-hard crazy swimmers in the lake.

We hadn't even brought a towel, as I thought it was too cold for swimming, and DD went in in her dress and soaked it up to her waist splashing about. We eventually had to drag her out in order to race home before it started pouring with rain. All she could say on the way home was how much she wished she'd brought her swimming costume, so she could go in deeper!

I think it's madness to swim outdoors in less than scorching hot weather, but for DD it's the best thing ever. Probably once she's my age she'll agree with me, but I'm happy to give her the chance to try things like this whilst she's little and adventurous.

It's nice for children to try different things - I'm sure loads of them think swimming in the rain is a big adventure!

tiredfeet · 02/07/2012 13:29

you've just brought back some of my favourite childhood memories - swimming in an outdoor pool in Yorkshire in the hail, we thought it was so exciting! (it was little hail not anything that could hurt really), and swimming in lakes/ streams in the Lake District, even in the rain, oh and swimming in the devon sea in the rain. can you tell we took most of our holidays in the UK?!

these days I am a super wimp even paddling in the sea makes me feel cold!

I think as long as they're not in for too long and they're going back and getting warm and dry after then its ok.

Rezolution · 02/07/2012 13:36

I suppose it doesn't do the kids any real harm, does it? But the question in my mind is: What good does it do? Also do other countries with our climate in Northern Europe do the same?
The downside is it may put large numbers of kids off swimming for the rest of their life, which would be a great shame.

LtEveDallas · 02/07/2012 13:48

Rezolution, In Cyprus the outdoor pool was only open between start May and end Sep. It was considered too cold otherwise.

You can still sunbathe in November, and can certainly start sunbathing in Mar/Apr. In fact it's probably warmer in Oct in Cyprus than it is in Jul in UK!

anothermadamebutterfly · 02/07/2012 14:18

If it is as cold and windy and nasty where you are as where we are, then I would hate it. I wouldn't go swimming outdoors myself in this, and I don't make my kids do things I don't do.

YANBU

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