To ask 16yo to take his baby brother swimming? How strict are pools?

[Swimmin]

Hi everyone, baby is only 8 weeks so a while yet but just thinking of the future.

If someone were to take him swimming he needs supervised by a person 16+ how strict are they on that? Do they ask to see ID? Some under 16s look older than their age…

i have 16, 14, 10 and 5 year old also. younger 2 need me

would it be U to give money to my 16 to take him to the baby pool? but i’d say my 16 year old looks younger than his age

The title of this thread alone gave me palpitations.

Fuck no

I was about to say this too, our pool lets over 8s in by themselves so your 10 yr old would be ok with the 16 yr old in that pool.

Ok?

I said loads of siblings DO look after younger ones occasionally. Just because yours didn’t, doesn’t change the fact that plenty do.

It’s not some horrific outrageous parenting fail to occasionally ask an older sibling to mind a younger one.

I’ve just checked the rules for local pools and a 16yo can be responsible for up to two under 8s.

Now that doesn’t mean that it’s always going to be safe or a good idea, but I think the horror on this thread is ridiculous and nasty.

Absolutely not! You need to be responsible and not try to shift that responsibility on to a 16 or even 18 year old. Imagine how he would feel if anything went wrong? Honestly get a grip! I can’t believe you are being serious.

8 weeks is far too young for arm bands! They can't hold their head out of the water. At 8 weeks they're still all floppy and can't sit up.

I think many on here are imagining an 8 month old, not an 8 week old.

It's just a terrible plan of op's. I think I remember some of her older threads and the 16yo didn't sound like a more than averagely responsible 16yo either.

Op didn’t say that anyone was taking the baby swimming at 8 weeks.

She said in the future. If you read her posts she said not for a while yet.

I had a child at 17 and took my baby swimming alot at 4 months+

Your all completely hysterical.

Absolutely not - it's completely unreasonable to put that responsibility on a 16 year old! Give your head a wobble 🙄

Blimey

If you and others are triggered and in a similar situation, chosen lifestyle like the op, please learn to do better and apply it to your lives. Also learn how to love yourself more....and perhaps address any issues leading to your intentional self destruction with a qualified non biased professional.

Perhaps that will be the start of future positive changes in your life...but only if you do the work.

Current and future generations depend on us to lead them to a greater promise and future for tomorrow...a lot of us are leading them to repeating a dysfunctional and limited highly progressive family history...

We must learn to do better than the ones whom taught us to normalize and repeat the same or similar destructive paths they have taken.

This type of situation that the op and many others are similarly in, isn't the way... children should grow positively from having "healthy", inspiring role models....not thrive because they had to use their parents (guardians) and people in their communities as cautionary tales.

Please remember and keep in mind that coddling isn't kindness.. it's enabling, and often the enabler wants to see that person fail.

Also, just because someone is telling you the hard truths that you may already recognize and may be in denial about, aren't ready or refuse to face, or maybe completely unaware of and may perhaps be in shock because of the directness...

It doesn't mean that it isn't coming from a place of kindness.. A lot of people who tell you these truths, want you to succeed and do better with your life. They see how things may be contributing to a spiral and downfall, and feel sad and are worried because they care.

How are you going to change, when you firstly can't be completely and brutally honest with yourself?

Are you ok? You don’t sound well at all.

Where’s the dad (s)??

Our niece was a qualified RNLI lifeguard at 16, dragging children and adults out of the sea. Meanwhile I’ve been taking our infant to the baby pool since he was 6 months old and can barely swim myself.

Nobody can answer OP without knowing how comfortable, competent and responsible your 16 year old is.

@Swimmin
I hope you’re ok. The absolute bullying on this thread beggars belief.

Well, presumably the lifeguards will have had some training which OP’s son hasn’t so it’s not really the same is it?

I regularly swim with my seven children. I'd get a really good inflatable baby seat for the littlest then they can just float along next to you in the bigger pool with 5 and 10 year olds.

As will the lifeguards at the pool have had training.

What people are saying is, there are 16 year olds and then there are 16 year olds.
Many of us, it seems, seem to have met more of the very competent ones than others.

I think it’s fine if your child is responsible and baby has appropriate floatation gear.

I had my own baby at 16 and I took her swimming!

it’s usual for families with a more children to have older children help out as you say pools have ratios so it’s needed if you want to go

Totally depends on the 16 year old they vary massively at this age some are working, studying, have their own children, are living away from home etc other 16 year olds can't even boil an egg so it depends which type you have

Even if DS is a very responsible brother, I personally would not want my 16 year old to be responsible for an infant around water. Simply because if something did happen (as unlikely as that is) it would ruin his life.

Take your baby swimming yourself and leave your eldest out of it the responsibility is not okay for a 16 year old i wouldn’t rest no matter how much I trust my eldest

I would rather pay my teenager to babysit at home or in the cafe. I just can’t see why it would be worth it to do this. Babies don’t need to go swimming and untrained teenage siblings don’t need this kind of responsibility.