Other parents leaving their kids in the pool

[Monkeymonkeymoo]

We’re on holiday at the moment with our 2 DS (age 3 and 14 months). It’s a hotel resort with a couple of pools/splash pads areas for kids as well as a bigger pool for adults.
DH and I have been taking the kids to the pool everyday and every time we’re there other families just send their children over or leave them in the pool on their own.
We then end up feeling like we can’t just leave the pool because it’s dangerous to leave the other children with no supervision (there’s a lifeguard but he also covers the adult pool so isn’t constantly watching).

We haven’t agreed to look after these kids (and in some cases have no idea who their parents are). But obviously we’d feel dreadful if something happened to them. I think their parents see that we’re around and assume we’ll keep an eye out.
Their behaviour isn’t always great and we’ve had to say something a couple of times when they’ve been rough with the younger children (pushing them, pulling them under the water, throwing toys at them etc). So I don’t really want to be responsible for them.

The children are mostly aged between 3 and 8ish although occasionally they’re accompanied by older siblings who then wander off.

Is it unreasonable for us to just leave if there are no other adults around? Or do we need to do something to try and track down the parents before we go? (I assume they’re either in the bar area or in the garden area where all the sunbeds are but I don’t actually know who I’m looking for).

@LifeIsPainHighness I'm no mummy martyr and got/get plenty of "me time" - I just never risked the lives of my DC to do so.

It's normally the case that the parents are not even within sight of the kids. E.g. recently a father dumped his kid, aged around 4-5, in the playground and buggered off, completely out of sight, for 30 minutes to take a phonecall, as if the father considered the presence of other parents to be a free babysitting service.

I understand that you don't need to follow kids around on the equipment at that age, like you do with a toddler, but I am pretty sure it's a bit off not to stay within a reasonably close distance. E.g. sitting on a bench within sight of the playground.

Neither have I. HTH.

Also that’s one of the most melodramatic martyr posts I’ve ever read 🤣

Well apart from the drowning issue, who is to stop someone walking off with a child?!….
some parents are simply irresponsible idiots and children that hound shouldn’t be left unattended by the pool or otherwise!
kids have gone missing from holiday camps/resorts/theme parks/beaches etc. I don’t know how a parent lives with themselves knowing their child is dead/missing and it’s because they weren’t watching them!

Really have to disagree with you here, a child could easily slip, bang their head and drown in a shallow pool, regardless of whether the child is from the UK, Spain, Germany, or anywhere. Swimming lessons don’t mean sh*t when you’re unconscious…

Hear hear @cracktheshutters , I love the way these non UK DCs are beings portrayed as savvy streetwise swimmers totally able to look after themselves from toddler and beyond. Simple fact is if a DC slips in water or indeed an adult, it's a scarily quick time to drown.

Totally different from soft play which is literally designed by its name, to be a relatively safe place for DCs.

I see this all the time in my local pool - parents leaving 5 or 6 year olds unattended because there are adult swimmers there and a lifeguard.

One of them even had the cheek to argue with the lifeguard that there were adults there. He asked if they were in her party and she said “no but they won’t mind!”

Some people are just beyond help. Do not assume responsibility for their kids as they’ll just treat you like babysitters the entire holiday.

I’ve just massively fallen out with exDH cos he and his DP and SIL were leaving my slightly older DC and two cousins (aged 10-13 but one none and three not amazing swimmers) alone in pools with water slides etc in Turkey while the adults fucked off to Adults Only pools that the DC couldn’t contact them in for hours.
Apparently it’s impossible to supervise kids abroad in pools and everybody does this…
totally BU at your DC age but seems to be a thing, I’d go out for the day tomorrow.

I would further add as part of the school curriculum I was supposed to be able to thread water for 45 mins

^

They tested this??