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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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 Hmm

Rant over. AIBU?

OP posts:
imnotmymum · 02/07/2012 14:31

what even if they wanted to another ??

knowitallstrikesagain · 02/07/2012 14:41

YABU

This is the contrast to the threads, 'AIBU to be cross that my child does not get to go out and do sport when it's drizzling?'

I am 99% of the time on the side of: Children should be outside as much as possible, as long as they are not actually harmed by it. Being in the rain will do them no long term harm. They may not enjoy it at the time but missing a session of exercise when it's raining could have long term implications (going by the weather in England where it has been raining on and off since last Autumn and meaning they could have missed many hours of exercise)

There will always be parent who want their children protected from the elements and those who want children outside whatever the weather so you will never get agreement!

anothermadamebutterfly · 02/07/2012 15:04

imnotmy I don't care whether they want to, I am their mother and responsible for their well-being, it is not their choice.

TBH - what I don't like here is not the time spent in the water, it is the trudging up the field/hill afterwards wet, not having dry towels to dry off, and then having to change in the classrooms. If there were dry changing rooms by the water so they changed, jumped in, and then could dry off straight away again afterwards I would probably not see any problem.

I do let them go in the sea in the autumn or early spring if it is a mild day and I am there to check they can change into warm dry clothes afterwards.

imnotmymum · 02/07/2012 15:05

Wow another !! I do not have time to post what I want in answer to your post about it not their choice and "letting them" go in the sea as I have to do school run but Shock

geegee888 · 02/07/2012 15:08

I don't think teaching young children to give up doing things because of mild excuses, such as its raining in summer, is a particularly wise thing to teach your children.

Swimming in open air pools in the rain is great. The novelty of feeling the warmer water in the pool. And rain causes more condensation nucleii in the atmosphere, hence better quality oxgyen, particularly warmish rain.

pattercakes · 02/07/2012 15:26

I think Heads need to keep their head on exercise. Macho is often dafto.
Shivering kids on a regular basiswill have consequences. (as teachers say)

anothermadamebutterfly · 02/07/2012 15:26

iamnot what's with the face? I don't see what is so outrageous about my post - as I said, I don't mind the swimming bit, but I would prefer my kids didn't have to walk shivering up a field with wet towels on a cold windy day (as described by the OP), and I am sure that I am not the only person who thinks that.

I don't really see what the DC's 'choice' has to do with this - I don't get the impression that the DCs in the OP's post are exercising their 'choice', as in most situations at school somebody is choosing for them, and in this case, if I had a choice I would happen to choose no and you would probably happen to chose yes.

GrimmaTheNome · 02/07/2012 15:29

YABU to complain about swimming in the rain.
But YANBU if the complaint is really about inadequate changing facilities.

Start a PTA campaign to raise money to fund improvements maybe?

pattercakes · 02/07/2012 15:34

Are parents funding schooling now. What is Dave C doing with all the tax money?

there were always Head teachers who were eccentric. Some times it was good fun. Other times it proved career threatening.

bigTillyMint · 02/07/2012 15:37

We used to have to walk about a mile and a half to go swimming in an outdoor pool at another school when I was in Y6. Come rain or shine. The water was freezing and the changing rooms pretty minging - we made sure we got changed as quick as possGrin

LtEveDallas · 02/07/2012 15:41

another: I don't see what is so outrageous about my post - as I said, I don't mind the swimming bit, but I would prefer my kids didn't have to walk shivering up a field with wet towels on a cold windy day (as described by the OP), and I am sure that I am not the only person who thinks that

No, you are not. I agree wholeheartedly. Fine to swim, NOT fine to freeze their backsides off trudging up and down the hill in the rain and then trying to get dry with a wet towel.

When DD and I swam in the freezing sea I made sure we only did it when we had a warm car, warm clothes and warm drink to come back to. DD absolutely loved it - far more than I did, but would be whining half way through getting dressed in any case.

I think this is very poorly thought out by the school.

Original poster
fluffyraggies · 02/07/2012 15:47

Parents are asked to contribute towards the swimming lessons in fact. It's a bit of a grey area whether it's 'voluntary' or not tbh. A bit like the contributions towards trips out. It's meant to be towards the cost of the chemicals/cleaning etc.

I suppose my issue with the children being made to swim in weather like this today (not just the rain) would be eased by decent changing facilities by the pool. So Grimma that's a good point.

OP posts:
Original poster
fluffyraggies · 02/07/2012 15:49

Dallas this is it. It is poorly thought out. IMO the HM loves to swan off to his cluster meetings and say that all the kids in his school swim at least once a week. But fails to mention the bad facilities.

OP posts:
anothermadamebutterfly · 02/07/2012 16:23

Dallas thanks! You understand me! I was beginning to think I was some sort of control freak...

quirrelquarrel · 02/07/2012 16:59

Who cares? So they get a bit cold!

Most kids would find that pretty exciting and loads of fun- unless they've been encouraged to think that they're hard done by.

Would you want them to stay indoors and not do PE when it's raining? Are the darlings not going to get to feel what a splashy raindrop feels like? The poorlings.

LtEveDallas · 02/07/2012 17:10

God, how wonderfully sarcastic.
Only, it's not 'a few splashy raindrops' is it. It's been like a bloody monsoon here all day, I've just got home and I have a pond right outside my back door, one more inch and it will be in the house. If the kids are getting out of the pool, wrapping themselves in a wet towel, trudging back down the hill to the classroom and then trying to dry themselves with said wet towel they are hardly going to find that 'exciting'. More like bloody miserable.

GrimmaTheNome · 02/07/2012 17:23

Doing something active out in the cold and rain can certainly be exciting - my DD happily spends every saturday in that state (just occasionally in the summer the sun comes out but the water is still cold) doing watersports. But there's a warm clubhouse, food, dry towel. Being cold after the activity is no fun at all, and could be seriously offputting.

I know...they need to run up that hill to get warm

MWB22 · 02/07/2012 19:35

I can see it now "AIBU to complain that my DC has only had one swimming lesson this year, the school has a pool, but they keep cancelling the lessons because it is raining"

SizzleSazz · 02/07/2012 19:48

Mine didn't end up swimming today - i shall find out whether they deemed the weather too bad tomorrow.

LunaticFringe · 02/07/2012 19:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

kennythekangaroo · 02/07/2012 20:03

I took my year 1s swimming in the rain today. Nobody complained (and they do if they are cold).

TalkinPeace2 · 02/07/2012 20:04

I swim outdoors year round - sun, wind, rain, snow, hail
frozen footprints in January are less fun.
My kids ADORE the outside pool - especially in the rain, and are always hacked off when they are forced indoors in November.

McHappyPants2012 · 02/07/2012 20:11

I wouldn't be too happy.

freddiefrog · 02/07/2012 20:12

If the weather where you are is anything like it's been here today, then I don't think YABU. It's pissing down rather than a "few splashy raindrops", it's cold and it's blowing a hooley

I'm all for playing out in the cold, wind and rain and playing in mud, snow and puddles, but being out in suitable clothing is a bit different to being out in wet swimmers and a soggy towel.

My children go swimming in an outdoor pool in all weathers in the summer term, I'm fine with that as there are suitable changing facilities on the same site as the pool so they can get dry and warmed up straight after getting out of the water

McHappyPants2012 · 02/07/2012 20:14

The reason is because they have nothing dry to dry themselves