To be furious at swimming pool regulars who think they own the bloody pool. To the point of kicking a disabled child?

[Sneezecakesmum]

Dont know who I am angrier with. Myself or the middle aged woman swimming in the local pool apparently doing her daily 50 lengths of breast stroke, when we (the interlopers) dared to be in her way and which gave her the right to kick a 5 year old disabled boy in the chest!

FFS she came up behind us so definitely saw us. I was holding a child festooned in buoyancy aids, (so both arms needed) and facing away from her so I didnt see her. The first thing I knew she kicked/or hit me lightly then with the next stroke kicked out strongly and I felt the childs body rock against me. Luckily he is a tough nut and just looked a bit shocked.

AIBU to want to rip her fucking head off? No apology, no acknowledgement despite being fully aware she hit us!

I just stood there like a wimp feeling it was my fault for being in 'her' pool

You know that thing where you do/say nothing at the time, but rage and vent afterwards? Well I am venting!

And as for not wearing glasses in the pool. I used to have extremely poor vision before lens implants, but I could most certainly make out the shape of another person. This woman would have needed to have been quite blind not to have seen us.

If she was both swimming breaststroke and behind you I don't understand how the kick occurred? Her legs would have been behind her arms which would have been behind you.

And as for not wearing glasses in the pool. I used to have extremely poor vision before lens implants, but I could most certainly make out the shape of another person

Good for you. I have a very, very high prescription (-14).

If I didn't have my glasses or contacts, you could be standing ten centimetres away from me and i'd only be able to make out a blurry blob, which may or may not be a person.

I regularly swim and do so without my glasses, even if you don't see a person you can apologise if you kick them. You'd have to be very blind not to see somebody in front of you, you might not recognise them but you would see them - I can't recognise my own children at a distance without my glasses so I am very short sighted but I can tell a person is there.

Psycho. I wasnt walking backwards I was just standing there. she came up behind us and was close enough to kick us.

There are a few swimming pool regulars who do think they own the place but that day there were a few others who just spoke to us and smiled and chatted. They swam round us or we moved if we saw them.

Just want to turn back the clock and rip her head off!

YANBU to be upset she kicked you and didn't apologise. Even if it was a mistake, surely she could have apologised.
However, if she was swimming up and down in a straight line and I assume not right down the middle of the pool, you should have know you were in her way. Its a real pain going round somebody as it stops the rhythm of your stroke as generally you have to stop then start again. The management of the pool may be the ones in the wrong here as they should be provide separate lanes for swimming so everybody is happy.

Lottie. She swam very very close to us. Less than an arms length away so unfortunately for us, not a legs length away.

"Rip her head off'??? It was just a kick. It happens all the time. Yes she was rude but you sound a charmer.

You are being hysterical.

Your title indicates she did it on purpose. Now are you saying it was an accident and that she just didn't apologise?

For such a forceful kick i'm assuming your dc is bruised?

GreenEyed Even without your glasses you would have felt the impact of your foot against the OP's child, no?

I can't believe the excuses on here. The woman was rude, she kicked a child, she should have apologised. If she wants to swim in a private pool she should build one, if she can't afford it, she should learn some bloody manners before her next swim in a public pool!

Yes you are being hysterical. Yanbu for wanting her to apologise but you are trying to make it sound worse than it probably is. If you knew she was doing 50 laps why go and stand in her way in the first place.

She was swimming in a straight line but it was a pretty small pool and there were people just dotted about so you couldnt really see where one particular person was anyway. Also we hadnt been in for very long so not even aware of who was swimming where.

As she was the one with visual contact, to me she should have avoided us. I do understand though thats its annoying to want to swim unimpeded.

But as this type of swimmer usually has the pool to themselves with no kids around except in school holidays and can enjoy the freedom others dont have, surely when children are there they can be a little less territorial?

Even if she didn't see you she would have known that she made contact. What a rude woman.

'If you knew she was doing 50 laps why go and stand in her way in the first place.'

The op wasn't 'in her way' she was using a public pool for it's intended use.

The woman might not have seen the OP but she would definitely have felt her.

Horrible woman.

Perhaps you should get a private pool so you can stand in any part of the way without the worry of getting in the way of people trying to get fit who would like to be able to swim up and down a pool without having to constantly stop because people are standing in the way.
I think you are both unreasonable.
People should be able to use their local pool to keep fit.

Yeah op, why don't you just not go out and sit at home so you don't inconvenience any selfish people who don't even have the manners to apologise for kicking someone?

WHERE DO YOU GET OFF?

oh, hang on a minute, I've not engaged my brain yet today...

Sarinka. I was facing away from her. She came up behind me. How could I have taken more care.

The pool is not reserved for 'proper' swimmers. Its a public pool.

Kicking a disabled child may be emotive, but its what she did! Should I leave that bit out because its emotive? Kicking anyone especially a child is a disgusting thing to do. She was a chunky strong muscular woman, the disabled child in question is physically weak, but I shouldnt mention that because its emotive?

People should be able to use their local pool to keep fit.

My 2 teen DSes swim for fitness, they don't go on a Saturday morning when there might be children and families there who are swimming for fun, and have just as much right to be there as everyone else!

'People should be able to use their local pool to keep fit.'

Yes and people should be able to use their pool if they are learning to swim also.

Just want to turn back the clock and rip her head off!

Do you usually have this level of anger towards accidents? You are beginning to sound worse than the woman who accidentally kicked you whilst swimming past.

I was not standing in her way. I couldnt SEE her! She could most certainly see me!

But op..she was a 'proper swimmer' so takes priority don't you know.

Kicking a disabled child may be emotive, but its what she did!

Except she didn't really kick him in the way that implies, did she? She accidentally did it whilst swimming in a swimming pool.