DH and I at loggerheads..........AIBU or is he?? Does anyone hae a solution?!

[Dozymare]

We are at loggerheads and I need some advice......

DH works very long hours and at the weekends he likes to BBQ or just chill in the garden (think very small London terrace sized garden, with borders and play area at the back, we are NOT gardeners and there are weeds everywhere

However, he is adamant that the kids can't have a paddling pool this year as it will ruin the grass as last year we left it up all summer, had amazing fun most days after school but at the end of the summer we were left with a massive mud patch....

I seriously can't be ar*ed to empty and fill a pool everyday, am pregnant and just want an easy time. however, I think he is being totally unreasonable as kids need to be kids and I have very happy memories of splashing in a pool all summer long.....

So, does anyone have any solutions????? Can you buy anything to save the grass?? Should I be posting this in gardening perhaps?? can you buy pool's that stand above the ground???!

Anyone...(or all you all to busy playing in your pool's on this glorious day

Astroturf is a good idea. Was thinking of putting it in my yard/gardenish thing!
Not cheap tho.
IMHO yeah he is being unreasonable, end of the day who give a shit if the grass is ruined for the winter, noone plays on the grass in winter and its too dark most of the time to even notice the mud

They grow up SO quickly. Let them have fun and wreck the wasteland garden. In a few very short years they will have outgrown the paddling pool and you can landscape and plant as you see fit.

I love my garden now, but I do miss the days when the dcs were little.

just fill it when he's at work one day.

move it before you refill it and the grass will be fine.

Or tell him that YOU need it, for PG reasons. Theres nothing nicer then wallowing relaxing in cool water when PG in thsi awful weather.

Is there an underlying issue? Cost of water or somesuch?

Why doesn't he empty it if he's bothered?

Get DH to empty the pool each evening (even if he gets home really late).. Then you can fill it up each morning.

Miserable grump though - let him play with the children all Saturday with no pool, then put the pool up on the Sunday so he can see how much fun they have and how much easier it would be with it up....

A bit of compost with grass seed flung on top at the end of summer, and it'll be fine. I had to do this where DD dug trenchs all over the lawn with her see-saw. Glad you're all baking, btw, it's raining here. First day of the ruddy holidays .

You should empty it as if we have a hot summer it will atract rats ,this happened to us when we lived in a terraced house in town ,Nanny left paddling pool up I went out next morning to find 2 rats swimming in it!Man from council said it is one of the worst problems in the summer as they are atracted to the water,he said to empty each night and turn upside down or stand against fence

Oh yes-the children deserve a pool...i used to get mine to water the flowers with their watering cans at the end of the day too. (when we had a garden

Your dh is being a grump..the grass will grow back.

Astroturf, nooooooo. Our neighbours has this and it looks so naff. YANBU though.

yes but there's astroturf and astroturf

Some of it is amazing