To think it’s a bit negligent to leave your DC in a water park for hours at a time?

[Rainallnight]

We’re on holiday at a place with an on site water park. DD has made friends with a little boy who’s 5, with an older brother who is 8.

Their parents routinely leave them unattended in the swimming pool for 3-4 hours at a time, just showing up to get them for meals etc.

The 8 year old is a good swimmer. The five year old has an enthusiastic doggy paddle.

DP and I are quite anxious about water safety generally so I am wondering if I’m being uptight or if this is genuinely weird.

YABU - of course it’s ok to leave kids this age unattended in pools/water parks

YANBU - of course it’s dangerous.

Speak to the lifeguards as anything can happen to the children so sad that parents can just leave their kids alone like this. 😢

When we were kids my mum used to pile us and the neighbours kids in the car and drive us to the lido in town. We’d stay there all day and she’d pick us up at supper time. I was probably 8-10 and my brother would have been 6-8. Never thought anything of it. Have very fond memories of those days at the pool.

A few years later a friend of ours drowned there. Busy pool, lifeguards on duty. He had an epileptic fit and sank to the bottom. Nobody noticed until it was too late.

I look back now and shudder at the thought of us so young left at the pool all day. I don’t think my mum was negligent, it was what everybody did. No bloody way would I do it now. Even now children have to be 8 to swim in the lido and parents must be in attendance.

I think there are some parents who are happy for their children to tag on to other families so they can abdicate responsibility. Doesn't sound much of a family holiday though.

They are relying on you to supervise their kids, definitely report them!!