To be infuriated by people who sit in the swimming viewing area but aren't watching the swimming.

[N3wUs3rNam3Again]

I watch my childs swim lessons from a small viewing area, for her class there are 5 or 6 seats. Most weeks a mum with two older boys also sit in the area, both boys are on their phones, often so is the mum, the boys definitely don't watch any swimming. The boys go up to save seats before the rest of us have dropped our children off, class of between 6-8 so rarely can the rest of us get a seat and need to stand.

AIBU to think the boys should sit somewhere else. There is alternative seating away from viewing window and downstairs. Boys are probably 10/11 and 12/13.

Just get there earlier. They’re free to use the seats.

Surely they can sit where they want.

Is there room for more seats?

Why don't you suggest the alternative seating to them (or at least that the boys sit there)? They may not know it exists.

I could almost have written this myself 20-odd years ago.

My DD went to swimming lessons at a small leisure centre and the viewing area was behind a window. Only a very small number of seats had a decent view of the pool. Two women, whose children had swimming lessons at the same time, would always contrive to get the best seats but would then spend the entire lesson gassing. I doubt they ever even looked at the pool and yet they always bagged the best view.

And, no, it wasn't as simple as get there earlier because I couldn't hand DD over for her lesson until it was nearly ready to start.

Because my child is under 8 I have to hand her over to the instructor so can't get there earlier.

They are sat where they want, that's my problem, I want to sit there so I can watch my child.

Not really in the front of the viewing window.

Why do you have to watch your child?

I could do this, do you think it's reasonable to suggest?

I don't have to watch my child. I want to watch my child.

Ok well I think making sure you’re first in line to hand your child over would be best.

It doesn’t matter if the boys are watching or not, they’re sitting with their mum.

The mums who "sit there gassing", or are on their phones, are presumably though visible to their children who are in the water. During my DCs swimming lessons, what was important was that DC could see me and thus would not be anxious. I didn't need to be watching though I would wave occasionally. I would mostly be trying to do work emails on my phone. If there wasn't a seat in the bit where there were sightlines between viewing area and the water then I would stand, but I would certainly take a seat if there was one available. Your issue is with the pool not providing sufficient viewing seating, not with other parents who are behaving reasonably. There are swimming lessons at many different pools and unless you live somewhere very isolated you probably have a choice of lessons at a different pool - feel free to take your custom to a pool with better facilities (who will probably charge more, because better facilities have a higher upkeep cost, but you get what you pay for)

I can see how this is very annoying but I am not sure there is much you can do aside from just ask. You could say, "Hey, I can see that you are not really watching the swimming and there are no seats left for me to watch my daughter. Would you mind going and sitting {insert location of alternative seating} so I can watch my little girl? I'd really appreciate it."

My issue is not with the pool it's with two kids sat at the viewing window on their phones when there is adequate seating elsewhere in the vicinity. I don't think the mum is behaving reasonably I think she lacks awareness.

The boys are plenty old enough not to sit with their mum though.

I think this is the perfect way to phrase it thank you so much.

Good luck! Hopefully they move for you. Let us know how you get on

It's worth asking if they don't mind sitting in the other seats. I don't think the facility is at fault for not providing enough seats, the problem is that it's probably not expected that one partipcant would have three spectators taking up seating. They are clearly just coming because they have to, not to actually watch. They might refuse to move but I would give it a go.

Yes but maybe they want to sit with their mum?

Unless there's a rule that says 'No phones in the viewing area' or similar, the OP is just going to have to get their first when handing her child over.

Or politely ask them if they wouldn't mind giving up their seat, if she gets there too late.

I agree, I think their mum should send them
to sit in the other area, they are old enough to be unsupervised

It's not about getting there first, I don't know what other swim classes are like but there isn't an orderly queue, where the parents of the first children there get to get the seats in the viewing area. The kids are waiting, the instructor comes the kids go. Its a free for all you just have to be there to handover and pick up until they are 8. As soon as she is 8 I'll dump her at the door run up the stairs chose the best seat and bagsy the others for every other parent who hasn't been able to sit down and watch their kid swim because two adolescent boys have been sat watching their phones for the last 5 months.

Go sit in the alternative seating yourself. How is the swimming so enthralling that every minute of it must be watched?

I guess it isn't , perhaps I have an unhealthy interest in my child.

Have you tried asking them? Politely