Lifeguards at swimming pool

[Harcar]

I went swimming with DS who has ASD and DH yesterday. It would have been great and we would have all had a lovely time. There was a big slide DS was desperate to go on but there is a height restriction and only for people who can swim independently, neither of which DS can do. I suggested DH went on with DS but the lifeguard at the top manning the slide said no. She just watched as DH grappled with DS who was having a huge tantrum and risked falling down the stairs and getting seriously hurt. Should she have done more?

No she shouldn't have done more. And you should not have suggested trying to break the rules. You and your DH caused the huge tantrum not the lifeguard.

She did her job by enforcing rules to keep people safe in the water.

What would you have liked her to do?

What more could she have done? She's a swimming pool lifeguard.

Why did you send him up when you knew he wasn't allowed to use it?

So a trained qualified expert implemented a safety rule then failed to parent your child who she has no past experience of ?

Yep okay then.

What could she have done? She needs to keep an eye on the people in the water. Your son was safe with your husband and you to look after him

I don’t think she could nor should have physically intervened in this situation. She could have made things worse.

Nope she shouldn't have done more.

No she should not have done more. It's your, as parents, responsibility to control you tantruming children for god sake.

No, obviously.

why do you think health and safety rules don’t apply to your family?

Of course the pool guard couldn't just change the safety rules! Why do you expect her to manage your child's meltdown? By letting ds go up you set up the expectation for him that he would ride the slide. No wonder he then could not cope with the change. Dh should have gone up alone to find out whether they could ride the slide together.

No she shouldn't have done more, the rules are there for safety. The difficult situation is entirely on you and your DH who felt that you could just make up your own

No.

Her job is to make sure people are using the slide safely, not wrangle with children who shouldn't even be queuing in the first place.

She would not be allowed to leave her post. So what would you like her to have done? Reminded you both that the rules apply to you too? Christ knows why anyone does these customer facing roles when there are entitled People like you around. I bet the lifeguard was only a youngster too.

Knowing that there was both a height and competence restriction, you shouldn't have taken your child up the stairs at all. Then you wouldn't have had any issues coming down!

What would you have lined her to do exactly?

IME pool lifeguards are usually teenagers. I wouldn’t want anyone, let alone an inexperienced teenager, to try and intervene while my child was having an autistic meltdown.

If the slide was only for people who could swim independently then you should have followed that rule before trying to get round it by taking your child to the rope of the slide and expecting the poor lifeguard to risk their job.

Should she have done more?

No. You should. By simply saying no to your son. He cannot swim so cannot go on the slide.

What do you think she should have done op? This isn't the kind of situation where allowances can be made - he did not fulfil the safety criteria.

The lifeguard could not have safely helped your dh carry an upset child down the stairs, they do not have the training for that. Maybe she could have asked people around to give space if she didn't? Other than that I'm not sure what they could have done.

Very irresponsible behaviour from a parent.

One of you should have gone up alone and asked first rather than take your ds up to avoid the meltdown. I have a child with ASD so appreciate how difficult these things can be.

I don’t think you can expect a young lifeguard to offer further help in this situation how would she know how to handle a 10 year old with ASD having a meltdown?

This is a joke post right????

The individual responsible for ensuring the safety of people, enforced a sensible rule that is there to reduce risk to life - and by that i mean - a genuine risk to life….

I am gravely concerned about your competence as a parent.

I’m sure the rules and high restrictions are clearly set out before you climb the stairs. So why ignore them? Do you want people to say the lifeguard should have risked letting your ds drown and let him go down the slide? Sounds like they were doing their job. Or do you think they should have helped your dh parent your child when they were having a tantrum? Because they have an important job to do which does not involve parenting badly behaved kids.

Your geet - your responsibility to deal with the tantrum you caused.

She left the parenting up to the parent.

What more do you think she should've done?

You should never have let him think he could go on the slide. The rules were perfectly clear.

It's your fault he had a meltdown.

Why did your husband even take him up the stairs? The height restriction signs are almost always at the bottom of the stairs before you head up to these big slides. So, you knew he couldnt go on it but you suggested your husband take him up anyway and ask to break the rules.

Rules they were never going to allow you to break. What were you both thinking?

You only ended up in a situation of wrestling him down the stairs because you decided to take him up knowing he wouldnt be allowed and he would have a bigger tantrum.

Poor lifeguard having to deal with a man thinking he could break the rules and then watch the distribution your husband caused.