At what age?

[Happylittletrees]

Would you let competently swimming children off by themselves in a centre parcs swimming complex or the like?

16 I'd say. Given children aren't competent to cross the road alone till 14 apparently I'd say they need a few more years to be competent to keep themselves and others safe (it's to do with the decision making part of their brain development)

What do you mean by off on their own? Do you mean splashing around in a pool (but you're in pool too or poolside) or do you mean sitting back at your lodge whilst they do anything anywhere? If the former, 12 or so - it's not really different to going to secondary school alone. If the latter, I think around 14/15/16 depending on child, it's a much busier environment to just mooch around in for a teenager.

16!! Not been to center parcs but my kids were having fun at Water World in Stoke aged 11, I was sitting in the café, couldn't see them, they were fine.

Is that a joke about not being able to cross the road at 14? Round here you can leave an 8yo who can swim at the pool on their own.

@clary it was in the paper ages ago. It's apparently something to do with their risk taking behaviour and brains at that age which isn't developed enough. It's because they don't always use a crossing or sometimes still just run into the road between cars. We don't allow any of our school kids to cross the road unsupervised at school and they're up to 18!

www.google.co.uk/amp/www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-4426704/amp/Why-children-14-struggle-cross-busy-streets.html

www.google.co.uk/amp/amp.parents.com/health/parents-news-now/science-says-kids-shouldnt-cross-a-busy-street-solo-unitl-theyre-14/

Google it and there's loads of different sources. These are the first two.

10 year old DD is allowed to go off with her friends but has to check in regularly and wexares poolside. She's done this for maybe 18 months, we go for the weekend 4 times a year.

I let 14 year old DSS and 10 year old DSD go off on their own while I stayed with 5 year old DS. DH was bringing the shopping back to the cabin. The older kids can outswim me by a mile but I still wasn't sure. DH was a little panicked when he got back to the pool and couldn't see them. They loved the freedom and wanted to go to the swimming complex alone this morning but that felt like too much? We live in London and they both go to the shops on their own but compared to my childhood they have relatively little freedom.

Oh dear my kids have been going to school on their own involving crossing roads since they were 10! Good thing I taught them how. They seem to have survived.

The age would depend a lot from how well they can swim TBH.
I would have left Dc1 on his own from very early on. I wouldn't have done so with dc2.
Worth remembering that children can be in their own in the pool from age 8yo (as long as they can swim of course)

I'm not sure what is the difference between them going on their own and you being at the side of the pool.
For one you won't be constantly watching them.
And then if anything happens, I would expect the life guards to react more quickly and better than you or me!!

As for going to the pool on their own, do you leave them at home on their own? What is thecdifference there?

I'd be happier being in the complex with them but would let them roam freely once in. Dd(9) is allowed same with regular checking in / waving.
If they were both 14 I'd send them alone but 10 is a bit little if something goes wrong.

And to your initial question, at 14yo I would have NO ISSUE whatso ever. (Let's remember that these are the same children who are expected to be able to stay at home on their own during the 6 weeks of the summer hols. Or that some girls are, unfortunately, pregnant at that age)
At 10yo, I would have said it depends on the child but with an older sibling and assuming they swim very well, I can't see the issue either.

My younger daughters have gone since 8 and 10 with me in the building but not poolside, and from 10 and 12 independently. They are decent swimmers though, swimming maybe 40km a month with a club.

Older daughter would have been about 13ish before she could go independently, she could swim but was just a casual swimmer.