Altercation at the pool

[mamangelo]

First time poster. Really need some views on an experience at the gym today as going back and forth in my mind as to whether I was wrong or not.

I took my two small boys (aged two and three, almost four) swimming today. We had a lovely time, they were both well behaved and not to noisy. I was negotiating them out of the pool to the changing room when my youngest boy knocked a sign by one of the swimming lanes (one stating it was the slow lane) it toppled over and I couldn’t catch it before it fell into the water. I apologised to the lifeguard who was very smiley and all ‘no problems’ about it. A nice man in the pool lane lent down and picked up the sign. At this point a lady swimming towards us exclaimed her glasses were on the sign and were broken. The nice man dunked down and picked up her glasses and declared all was well with them. She took them from him and began looking in earnest for a fault. The man in the pool said something along the lines of ‘come on!’ and I started walking away with my children (bearing in mind their ages i wanted to herd them away from the swimming pool) I could also tell this lady was just that type. You know, spoiling for a fight. Anyway the long and the short is she declared the glasses to be ‘loose’ and although I pointed out she could tighten them very easily herself with a small screwdriver she declared she didn’t have one. I walked away. I just felt she wanted money out of me/ an argument and I was not A. In a position to discuss it given I had my two children in a swimming pool and needed to solely focus on them and B. I don’t want to engage with negative/ poisonous people like that.

So what do people think. Was i being unreasonable to walk away?

I started walking away with my children (bearing in mind their ages i wanted to herd them away from the swimming pool) I could also tell this lady was just that type. You know, spoiling for a fight

YABU just for saying that.

Maybe you don't know what it's like to be without glasses which you really need. It's tricky when you're swimming: you need to leave your glasses where you can find them again easily when you can't really see properly. And you might need them quickly.

I'd have been annoyed as much as the woman swimming was, and I'd have checked for damage. I'd not have appreciated a child knocking them into the water.

I can't see much without my glasses OhtheHillsareAlive, I was annoyed when it happened to me, but it was me I was annoyed with. I don't get to be a dick to people about things that are my fault just because I can't see well.

You did absolutely the right thing and well done. I haven't even half your patience and would have indulged myself in irritable snarkiness.

So pleased that this post looks likely to cause a surge of sales of prescription Google’s 🤣🤣

Google’s?? I mean goggles!

Someone asked if I am middle class, not sure why but yes I suppose I am. Also said event was in London not Edinburgh. How depressing that these people are everywhere though

This is absurd. Clearly if u need glasses they have to be close at hand but leaving them on the edge of the pool is asking for trouble. I'm surprised pool owners permit it.

You should be complaining to the pool manager about this stupid woman leaving her glasses on the sign. What if they fell on the floor and some one stepped on them and cut their foot? Don’t worry about it!

Creambun. Fuck off.

It's her own fault for not leaving them in the changing room locker.

And I would have said so.

I'd have told her she was irresponsible for bringing glass onto the poolside!

Some people thrive on drama and are constantly looking for confrontation.

Please don’t give her another thought. YANBU. What a ridiculous place to leave your specs, she’ll know better on future hopefully.

Thank you everyone! Definitely going to look into goggles. I'm as optically challenged as a bat, so they would make a huge difference to me.

I have just read the comments and looked up prescription goggles. I have found some about £35 that go down to -12. My lenses are slightly stronger, but if I was swimming myself it would be worth thinking about. I can remember asking my optician years ago (my lenses weren't as strong but technology has advanced too) and they were around the £250 mark which was too much for the amount of use.

Mine are single vision for short sightedness, even though I wear varifocals normally. They're good enough to get by with for my once a week swim.

YANBU and I don’t think that glasses falling into water would be enough to make them loose either!

Playing devils advocate here .... was her problem really that there was children in the pool? You said it was a gym and I’ve been pretty irritated in the past by my gym pool being used as a leisure pool. Not at all a criticism of you OP because you said you were supervising your kids and this was just an accident. Many people aren’t as considerate, though, so I’m just wondering whether this woman has had enough of kids in the pool during the school holidays and has snapped at the wrong target?

Not your fault. You're right that some people want fights. Just walk away.

Re this sort of person. I mentioned someone I know a while ago. She comes across very feminine and girly but having known her some years and seen the arguments she's caused it's like there's a frothing vat of boiling anger just below her 'small child' voice and she can go from Barbie to battle-axe with breathtaking speed.

I sat on mine recently, the local Spec Savers fixed them in minutes for free, any optician would do it.