Lifeguard at a kids party?

[BioSuisse]

So this is more Are They Being Unreasonable...

A friend of mine invited us to her DD's birthday party on the weekend.

This friend is ridiculously wealthy and has a new house, built to her exact specifications with an outdoor olympic sized swimming pool. The pool is infinity and set into the decking (don't know if you even call it decking, it isn't wood it is freaking marble) so not surrounded by a safety gate and quite seamless.

The party was in the garden and though not specifically a pool party, friend was aware that guests might fancy a dip, seeing as the pool is freaking massive and over the weekend it was 34 degrees.

So friend hired a lifeguard. Her thoughts were that she wanted to relax and not worry about anyone falling into the pool.

Just come back from a playdate where some of the party guests were there, they were mocking friend for having a lifeguard present.

Personally i thought it was a sensible move. They thought it was over the top, another show of her wealth and another way of highlighting her freaking massive pool, which they also feel she shouldn't have built. ATBU?

...Bond villain's lair.

Maybe she could just release the sharks on the green eyed bitches then

It's awful when people think you have money to 'waste'. I had a party and looked at the weather forecast. Rain was in the offing so I booked a marquee for the back garden with a transparent roof. It wasn't much but just enough to cover where people would be sitting.

According to some who attended, I now have money to 'waste' and am 'rich'. Isn't it just part of hosting a party?

She did the right thing and was being responsible. Can't see why anybody would object to that.

She has an Olympic sized swimming pool in het garden? Aren't they 50m? that's seriously huge!!
And yes, she was being very sensible to do that, maybe even 2 for a pool that size. What a thoughtful person she sounds. Were the other people mocking her openly, as in sort of gentle teasing? "only you would be able to hire lifeguards for a dc party haha" sort of thing?

Very sensible idea to have a lifeguard, especially if alchohol was around!

What nasty witches. The party host did a really sensible thing making sure that everyone was safe and could relax around the water.

Olympic sized? really?

Well, if anyone were to get into difficulties, you'd need a professional life guard to get to them in time tbh.

My friend from school had an Olympic sized pool in their garden when I was a kid. So not unheard of!

Sounds like a perfectly sensible thing to do to me. She couldn't have won whatever she did really by the sounds of it. Don't hire a lifeguard, too dangerous (they'd sure as hell have been uproar if someone had injured themselves)
DO hire a lifeguard, you're a poncy show off.
She sounds lovely and sensible, and the others sound jealous.
Although - marble? Round a pool?! That sounds a bit slippy and slidy to me!

Yes the pool really is 50x25 metres. I think that is why people are commenting. Apparently she told her husband "i don't want a diddy pool, i want to swim properly in it" and so he told the architect "then make it olympic sized" and it took them weeks just to dig out and move the earth for the pool. When the hole was dug they turned up to the site and viewed it and her DH's word were "holey fuck it didn't look this big on the TV at 2012". So yes, the pool is now viewed with suspicion by everyone and people are commenting on the size, the fact that it is decked in what appears to be marble (it is coarse not polished so not slippery when wet), and how much they must be paying to heat the damm thing. I have had a quick swim and so far not found an adjacent shark pen.

Seeing friend tomorrow, i think i will tell her who said what at the playdate.

Ah, but is it 2.00 m deep throughout as well to make it a proper Olympic standard?

That is a seriously big pool, it's when you're used to swimming in a 25m pool and you get halfway that you realize just how big they are. I have a good idea of the running costs, your friend has a very generous husband!

You'd actually need 4 lifeguards to cover a pool that size, dependent on the number of people using it - at least 2 to be on duty and 2 to be resting, with 20 minute changeovers.

I wouldn't say anything to your friend about who said what, just that you really appreciated her hiring a lifeguard.

I agree, I wouldn't mention it

I agree, don't tell her about their mean spirited comments, she doesn't need to have her feelings hurt. She probably knows already who is mean spirited.

Sorry about lack of vocab there!

yanbu but its a bit strange. I can't afford an olympic size swimming pool but I certainly could afford to hire a life guard for the afternoon. There wouldn't be much point clearly but I doubt it's that expensive!

Good on your friend, she did the right thing. It would be tragic if anything happened to a child in the pool. The others sound jealous.

I wouldent say anything, just because she is wealthy does not mean she's made of marble, it will still hurt.

No don't say anything to her, all it will do is hurt her feelings and it's clear to me that bunch of wankers were channeling their jealousy into a bitchfest. I'm not saying it's not hurtful, but people do say things they don't really mean because they can't say what they're truly feeling i.e god her house makes me feel inadequate and like an underachiever.

Stick up for her when you can and keep an eye out for anything with a nastier undertone than envy.

Oh no don't tell her who said anything. It would really hurt.

What horrible bitches.

Definitely don't name names. How close are you to this woman? Sadly jealousy manifests itself in such an ugly way sometimes. I'd bet my dc on them being horribly jealous.

I think she was v. sensible. My mother first got her lifesaving qualification so she'd know what to do if we got into trouble in the various water sources on the farm. But she then spent most of the holidays lifeguarding at the local pool, as did my sister and I, once we were old enough and qualified.

I wouldn't hire a lifeguard if it were me, but that's because I could get enough free ones on tap. Also, I don't have my own pool.

I do think it's a good idea - things can go wrong v quickly. Far better to be condemned for showing off (or being sensible) than for not having taken precautions which could have helped prevent an accident.

That sounds sensible. Good to have a life-guard who will be there the whole time and is trained in water-rescue and first-aid.

I just can't get over the fact that someone has an olympic sized pool in their garden, there's only about 10 in the whole of the UK!

Marble + water sounds potentially lethal.

I would say hiring a lifeguard was a very smart idea and as they can clearly afford it, why not by extra cautious?

Other friends/party goers are probably slightly jealous?

Me too Olga! Our back garden is 30m long, which I always thought was a good size, but that's only just slightly bigger than the width of their pool! It's crazy