To go swimming in the sea whilst the kids are in bed?

[Maezzle]

We live by the sea. It is fifteen metres through the garden from the door to the edge of the water. It is a safe place to swim and we are good swimmers.

Are we unreasonable to go for a fifteen minute swim once the kids (preschool) are asleep? They never wake. We would have a friend lined up who would come and babysit if they don't hear from us after half an hour (in case of shark attack or other unforeseen event)!

Basically the only risk is a house fire. We would not have any appliances running and the house would never be more than 30 metres away and in full view. Window open so we'd hear smoke alarm.

I feel like this should be acceptable as it's basically like having a swimming pool in your garden. But for some reason I feel it isn't okay, but I don't know why!

What would you do?

YABU you should be locked up for even thinking of it.
YANBU it's just like a swimming pool, it's fine.

Jesus Christ - I thought I'd heard it all on Mumsnet. How on earth can you think this is even remotely ok to do??? Are you mates with Madeline McCanns parents?

i also do the Daily Mail test - how would it look in the Daily Mail if something went wrong? Not good!

Thank you, Lovely.

I'd be worried they could be ill and you wouldn't know. One of my ds has on a few occasions gone to bed only to wake up not long after vomiting.

This would legally be neglect. Of course you can't leave preschool age children in a house without adult supervision. You are frankly mad to even consider it.

It's even worse that your a dual parent family. You could literally take it in turns.

I expect the McCanns thought they were only a few meters from the kids at dinner and had friends checking in on them and now their child is dead and it's 100% their fault as those kids should never have been alone.

Get a friend to watch them or pay a babysitter or take it in turns, or just be at home with your very young children. For christ sakes they are young for such a short space of time there is no need to behave like this.

And before anyone jumps on me, I do know what it's like! I get you need a break! Im single parenting two kids under five and it's relentless and it's bloody shit when I have to choose to get them out of bed of an evening as I've forgotten bread or some other essential or go without the next day but it's never the end of the world and the safety of your children should come first before anything.

We can our monitor connects with my iPhone 🤷🏻‍♀️. I do t think that’s any different to having a shower or being in a pool . You can check your phone easily being in the sea too ?

Maddy MCann's parents thought their children would be fine. One was never seen again. No, don't do it.

Do you live in Findhorn?
I'd see it as no different than sitting in the garden while children are asleep and we've done it hundreds of times. I would leave kids to go for a sea swim if it was literally few meters away from house and with a full view of the house.

No, sorry, I get why you want to do this, but it is absolutely not worth the risk. You can't say they never wake, they might. What if they suddenly take ill? Toddlers do! Imagine how you would feel. And for what it's worth I wouldn't get in the swimming pool either. Sorry but no.

If you actually felt there was no issue this post wouldn’t exist

Kate McCann is that you again? No you can’t leave them!!!!!! Far too young!

Sounds a bit like the thinking Maddie Mccan’s parents went through. Not a chance i’d do it.

Another one here who doesn’t believe the 15m claim. It can’t always be 15m can it, even if it is sometimes? There are tides….

Agreed, mine are 6&7 now and I wouldn't feel comfortable even taking my bins out late at night when they're asleep (I have to go behind the house down a short ally to do it)

Hire an early babysitter or if you have a cleaner ask them to come early to sit in the house with kids

YABU.

Are you insane?!
Anything could happen in that time. Don't take the risk.

Now this sounds like a riddle...

As everyone has said, take turns. One can swim, one can be in the back garden talking to the swimmer, but also monitoring the house. The sea can be unpredictable.

Answering your later question though, if I had a pool in my garden, yes I'd go in it once the children were in bed. Is it a lido or something?

All doors and windows on just one side of the house…… of course

You could get into trouble in the water, they could get out of bed and get into a pickle, and Madeleine McCann looms large over it all. It's not the same as a swimming pool in the garden. You could set a monitor up next to the pool and hear them.

Didn’t waste my time reading more than a couple of pages of this thread. Always amazes me why people go to the bother of writing long, descriptive posts asking for advice and then go on the defensive when the majority turn against them…either an attention seeker or totally made up!

Plus the two sets of twins aged 3 and 4 that died because they were left alone whilst their mother went to Sainsbury's to do some shopping and the house caught fire and they couldn't escaped the locked house. The mother receives a ten years prison sentence for manslaughter.

I think it is ridiculous to even contemplate it. Many have been lulled into a false sense of security but you just do not leave small children alone in a house.

As for wanting a romantic swim together, grow up. Or get a babysitter.

You have a monitor for an 8 year old?

My concern wouldn't be about you drowning. My concern is imagine of the bloke who took madeleine lived near you (or similar sick person) and cottoned on to what you were doing. They could be in and out your house in 5 minutes and by the time you got back/someone realised you'd been broken into they would be long gone. The mcanns did almost exactly the same, you don't know who is about, I won't walk my dog out of the house if it's just me at home when baby is alseep for this reason, I will if grandparent or dad is asleep in house and I get up first.

I don't think you would be asking for opinions if you thought leaving children in the house acceptable . It's not and there's no reason that both of you need to swim at the same time. ..Is this a real post ?