To think if you are going to leave your child with another parent/child in the swimming pool you should at least mention it to the parent!

[LEMisdisappointed]

I took DD swimming today and thank you god she found a little friend to play with straight away (this meant i didn't have to be mermaids!), they played really well together. I hovered - deep and of pool, DD ok but not too strong swimmer, this girl about the same level.

The girls father was there with her brother and out of the blue the little girl said to me - oh, my dad and brother have got out now, who will look after me now? you will wont you? (to be fair she wasn't upset, she was part joking) She stayed in the pool a further hour playing with my DD. They were racing each other on giant inflatable so both at deep end of big pool!

Now don't get me wrong, i really didn't mind, she was a nice girl and played with my DD so i was quite happy, but thats not really the point is it. At no point did the father mention to me he was getting out of the pool so i may not have realised and got out of the pool with DD.

So whilst i didn't mind, i feel he should have metioned/asked if i was staying around and would i mind keeping an eye on his DD. I thought she was old enough to be left but she told me she was six . You are not supposed to leave your child unattended under the age of 8!

This was a parenting fail wasn't it? Or are my judgey pants too tight?

It would've been polite to at least mention it I agree.

Outrageous! Can't believe a parent left you with his/her child to look after. I am of a much more relaxed generation but would have expected to have at least been asked if I could look after child. The more I think about it, the more I might have got out of the pool earlier and given the child to the lifeguard for s/him to sort it out.

It sounds like he simply left the child rather than leaving her for you to look after. Perhaps he thought, oh she'll be fine, there's lots of adults around and a lifeguard. Yes, I'd have pulled up my judgey swimsuit!

This has happened quite a few times at the gym I go to. Small childs pool and next to it the adults pool where everyone does lengths. I've got into the childrens pool with dd, mother is there with child, ( ranging from age 2 to 6,) they've waited for a few mins and then got into the big pool to do their lengths for the next 30 mins or so. Leaving their child in the pool alone ( or actually with me, but they haven't bothered to mention it.) Pisses me right off, its more common than you realise.

Well done for staying with her OP. A little girl (8-9?) at our pool nearly drowned the other day...she required CPR and everything. Her father was in the pool with her and turned his back for JUST A SECOND. Thankfully she recovered and was conscious when the paramedics took her to hospital...but my goodness...just heart stopping. I cannot believe the irresponsibility of someone leaving their child alone in the pool. So OP frankly you have every right to have your judgey pants on.

I assumed you were over reacting and the child was about 9. At six there Is no way I'd even take my eyes off my child, never mind what this man did (though DS is not the strongest swimmer).

YANBU for all the reasons stated.