Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Not to let my dcs go on inflatable floats in sea?

69 replies

fabuLou · 22/08/2015 16:04

So not to drip feed, pil took dcs to seaside and allowed them to do this. I am not happy. UR? Over protective?

OP posts:
Sirzy · 22/08/2015 16:05

Yanbu. They are for swimming pools not in the sea.

WorraLiberty · 22/08/2015 16:06

You've forgotten to tell us

Their age

Whether they can swim or not

Whether your Pil were in the sea with them

All of the above would help us here Grin Wine

Palomb · 22/08/2015 16:06

Depends how old they are really.. 4 yanbu, 14 let them get on with it.

clary · 22/08/2015 16:09

YADNBU. Every year there is a story about a child getting swept out to sea on one of those things. Usually they come from Nottingham or Derby and go to Nottinghamo-n-Sea Skegness, cos they are not used to the sea.

I used to live at the seaside and you Do Not Mess with the sea.

At Scarborough when it is very stormy they often close a road called Marine Drive to traffic - because it is too dangerous. Yet people walk down it "to have a look at the big waves" Madness. Again this often ends in tragedy, sadly.

Ineedmorepatience · 22/08/2015 16:09

Nope YANBU! They are really dangerous and get caught by the wind very quickly!

fabuLou · 22/08/2015 16:10

Sorry, yes they are 6 and10, 10 year old can swim, just year yes but reluctant, not very strong. No pil not in with them. Total drip there!

OP posts:
clary · 22/08/2015 16:10

It doesn't really make much difference if you can swim or not, nor how old you are really, IMO. Certainly I wouldn't let DS1 (16, tall lad, good swimmer, used to the sea) paddle out on an inflatable.

queenrollo · 22/08/2015 16:11

YANBU - I live near a coastal town (which i lived and worked in for 10 years) and the lifeguards spent all summer asking people NOT to do this.

queenrollo · 22/08/2015 16:13

Clary lol at Nottingham On Sea....though that depends what fortnight you go...

WorraLiberty · 22/08/2015 16:17

If your PIL weren't in the sea with them then YANBU.

When I was little, we had a little inflatable dinghy and had hours of fun in about 3 feet of water, while my Mum and Dad had the ropes firmly wrapped around their wrists.

Me and DH bought the same for our kids...again a couple of feet of water and parents not letting go of the ropes.

But to let your kids float around the sea without adult supervision, was very unreasonable indeed imo.

fabuLou · 22/08/2015 16:20

Fil has just said but you let the go in a swimming poolHmm

OP posts:
Charis1 · 22/08/2015 16:22

I recently took my little nephews into the sea on an inflatable toy. I held tightly onto a short rope at all time. They had a lot of fun, but never for a second were they out of my reach, and I stayed well within my depth, water less then my chest height. The inflatable moved REALLY fast. I had to stay fully alert at all times.

fabuLou · 22/08/2015 16:25

Charis that sounds ok but fil 70 and mil lazy not very mobile.

OP posts:
fastdaytears · 22/08/2015 16:25

Another one who grew up by the sea and thought this was a definite no, regardless of how good a swimmer. At 6 and 10, absolutely no way.

CremeEggThief · 22/08/2015 16:26

YANBU. They're dangerous.

fastdaytears · 22/08/2015 16:27

Oh sorry yes people who are saying they hold on to the rope, that's very different and I'd have no issue with that (other than being a waste of ice cream and sunbathing time)

Bellebella · 22/08/2015 16:27

No this is something I would not feel comfortable with. It's completely different in a swimming pool. Your in laws need to use some more common sense

Charis1 · 22/08/2015 16:28

fabuLou, then they really shouldn't do it, in my opinion. It just isn't safe. YANBU

LikeABadSethRogenMovie · 22/08/2015 16:31

Absolutely no way. I saw a child get blown out in a rubber dinghy. One minute they were at the shore, next they were waving for help and then the dinghy got overturned by a wave. It was awful.

mermaidbutmytailfelloff · 22/08/2015 16:36

We used to tie a rope to the boat, then attach the other end to a sunbed conveniently places in feet dabbling area. I would lie on sunbed "supervising" topping up tan and dabbling feet. It was bliss - we would all be happy for hours - me included.

Without the rope ONLY if adult with it. No compromises there ever. OP you are definitely NBU

LibrariesGaveUsP0wer · 22/08/2015 16:42

Absolutely no way would I allow this. Inflatables need ropes with an adult in depth holding it. Maybe just about a lilo for the big one with adult right next to them if a bay rather than strong waves

iwantgin · 22/08/2015 16:43

No YANBU.

I wouldn't go out in an inflatable myself, let alonethe Dc.

SaskiaRembrandtWasFramed · 22/08/2015 16:46

"YADNBU. Every year there is a story about a child getting swept out to sea on one of those things. Usually they come from Nottingham or Derby and go to Nottinghamo-n-Sea Skegness, cos they are not used to the sea.

I used to live at the seaside and you Do Not Mess with the sea.

At Scarborough when it is very stormy they often close a road called Marine Drive to traffic - because it is too dangerous. Yet people walk down it "to have a look at the big waves" Madness. Again this often ends in tragedy, sadly."

This ^ I used to live in Scarborough, it is astonishing to see the risks people will take when they are holiday.

Another favourite was to try to walk around the headland before the tide came in, only to get cut off and need rescuing by the RNLI.

OP YANBU.

TheSecondOfHerName · 22/08/2015 16:46

I wouldn't even be happy about teenagers using untethered inflatables in the sea. The currents often catch adults unawares. Are your PIL usually so lacking in common sense?

pigsDOfly · 22/08/2015 16:52

Even with an adult nearby this isn't safe as things on the water can change very quickly.

Where I used to live - seaside town - there were parts of the sea that had very strong undercurrents even close to the shore, no way a child could control an inflatable if a wind caught them.

There are signs all over the sea front warning people of the dangers of this sort of thing and other careless behaviour. People drown there all the time.

In your shoes I wouldn't let PIL anywhere near water with my children. They sound very irresponsible.

Swipe left for the next trending thread