Hey, there's a kid in the water over there!

[dudspizza]

I was waiting in line at the Caribbean Beach pool bar (Banana Cabana) last week when a woman came up and said, "There are kids in the water over there!"

The bartender kind of looked at her and went, "um, ok". When the woman persisted, he said he would tell someone.

What was really going on was that some kids were in the deeper water and the old woman decided they were in too deep.

After she walked away, the bartender said to the crowd, "I wonder where their parents are?" Genius parent #1 and #2 left their kids at the pool and headed for who knows were.... lol. Dumbasses.

The bartender walked over and checked on the kids and all was fine....

What a weird occurance.... he then went on to make me my frozen margarita and crack a Coors light for me... followed by the bill for $15! ouch.

Duds

[felinefan]

I hope that when the parents were located, they were given the sternest possible lecture, including "What if they'd drowned?" Just because a child is a good swimmer or has "drown-proofing" lessons does not guarantee the child will be completely safe in the water. It is never okay to leave a child unattended, especially near water.

[lady ulrike]

I hope that when the parents were located, they were given the sternest possible lecture, including "What if they'd drowned?" Just because a child is a good swimmer or has "drown-proofing" lessons does not guarantee the child will be completely safe in the water. It is never okay to leave a child unattended, especially near water.

Well, these parents might not have been as bad as it sounds. I've stayed at the Caribbean Beach and at that pool there's a lifeguard, at least sometimes. So, if my kids were good swimmers and there was a lifeguard at the time (I don't know if there was) I'd feel comfortable doing something like running into the shop/food court that is located right by the pool for something quick.

Now if there was no lifeguard on at the time, or if the parents were napping back in the room, then that's bad.

[head mouse]

Well, these parents might not have been as bad as it sounds. I've stayed at the Caribbean Beach and at that pool there's a lifeguard, at least sometimes. So, if my kids were good swimmers and there was a lifeguard at the time (I don't know if there was) I'd feel comfortable doing something like running into the shop/food court that is located right by the pool for something quick.

Now if there was no lifeguard on at the time, or if the parents were napping back in the room, then that's bad.

IMO. Life Guard or not, a parent should not leave their kids at a pool, or any public place for that matter. I don't knwo the age of the kids in question, but I am guessing they were young enough to concern the woman that complained.

Not just "what if they drowned", but 'what if they get kid napped." "What if they run off" It's not the life guards job to baby sit your kids.

[Kwahati]

Okay, I'm curious (I dunno, maybe this'll be good info for me if I ever have kids...) what age is it okay for kids to go places alone? Personally, this seems like it should really be based on the child: my sister and I were both in swimming lessons from the time we were very young and we've always been strong swimmers. We both ended up becoming lifeguards when we were older. I think when I was about nine or so I was alowed to walk to the community pool (about a block away) and swim, but there were lifeguards and it's a small community, so my parents knew the LG's and their parents, etc. At the same time however, I'm sure there were times we were unattended (at least briefly) at hotel pools or my grandparent's pool but if there are two of us, and we're not stupid (we wouldn't have wandered off with a stranger without a fight, and we both knew how to operate the basic lifesaving equip from a very young age...) what's the problem? Isn't that, at it's heart, a vastly different situation than (just for an example) an inner-city kid who sees a place to swim once every couple of years and barely dog-paddles proficiently being left alone in a pool? Also, at a city pool I worked at for a while, we got lots of young kids who were there without parents for one reason or another, but if they listened to us and (mostly) behaved themselves, wouldn't you rather they were at the pool than on the street coming up with their own 'creative' ways to have fun? I know you need to supervise really young kids all the time, but where's the cutoff when kids can be a little bit responsible for themselves? In my mind, it also seems that kids who are given a little bit of freedom and responsibility early end up learning about integrity faster, even if it is in the form of: 'I can't act up here because if the lifeguards call my mom I'm dead!'

Sorry for the long post, but I really am curious if there is a law I should learn about or if this is just a judgement thing...I don't know much about kids except that everyone is bad at raising them, and no matter what you're doing, someone who's watching thinks you're wrong and they can do it better!

[CujoSR]

Okay, I'm curious (I dunno, maybe this'll be good info for me if I ever have kids...) what age is it okay for kids to go places alone?

43... 50 if their slow learners.

[hobie16]

…what age is it okay for kids to go places alone?

That is one tough question. If asked specifically about swimming, if the kid(s) is/are strong swimmers and are with a buddy then it’s probably okay to hit the pool as long as it isn’t a remote location.

If you’re asking about going places in general alone then the answer is a resounding NO!! When I was a kid back in the ‘50s and ‘60s we could ride our bikes to the store/movies/friends house/just about anywhere and not have to worry about being assaulted, offered drugs and other stuff. Life was good.

Today it’s tough to let kids be kids. Call it fear generated by the media to generate revenue or hearing stories from your kids about the number of stoners and dealers in school and you’re scared to let them out of your sight for more than two minutes. Add in the Internet with unlimited access to everything you wanted to know about everything plus kids who have a diminished sense of fear of getting hurt and knowing they’re invincible and who knows what’ll happen.

A sad example here in Hawaii is, within the last three days, two separate car wrecks killed two high school kids. Both cars were traveling at close to 100 MPH and alcohol was involved. Most of the vehicular deaths on Maui are kids that are drunk, stoned or whacked out on ice.

We have an ice epidemic that refuses to quit. I was talking to some cops who told me that users, including kids, will spike someone’s drink to get them hooked so they can sell ice to them to support their habit. Al it takes is one time. There are times that I’m scared to death to let my 13 year old daughter out of the house.

Life is not as good as it should be. :(

[SueOKW]

That is seriously scary business. The drink bit sounds urban myth-ish, but it could be true. How awful.

Yes, it was different for me too. When I was in 7th grade my mom would drop my best friend and me off at our pool (it had a membership fee, but wasn't an exclusive club kind of thing) and we'd stay there ALL day.

You know where I let my daughters learn how to roam free? At Old Key West. They were probably 10 and 7 when they started asking to walk to the hospitality house alone. I let them do it twice but drove by them about 10 times while they did it!! Isn't that horrible?? Knowing what I could do when I was 10 vs what I was letting them do.

I think they were 11 and 8 when I stopped following them on their alone trips to the gift shop etc. Pretty soon we let them go "run errands" for us there. Then the next year I let the 12 year old go to the park ahead of us on the bus. We were right behind her, and she had her cell phone by that time. (Very responsible kid.) Every year a little more and more letting go. This year at 15 and 12 - I'll let them go to a park essentially by themselves. I will be in the same park, but they won't have to hang around me. (I hope they want to a little bit!!)

If we don't let them go, how will they learn to go? I can't think of a better letting go place than WDW. If I don't let them go and experience stuff resentment would build, and they would probably sneak out! Now I let them walk home from school and used a similar tactic - drove by once or twice - armed with cell phone, never alone.

Back to the pool... nope - they are not alone - - but by no means am I staring at them the whole time. Sometimes I'm not even near where they are swimming. I still look for them every 10 minutes or so though - habit, I guess! I think 16 and 13 will be about the time I stop worrying at the pool. And yeah, they know how to swim!

What a long long long looooooooong post about growing up in the zips...

[Kwahati]

If I don't let them go and experience stuff resentment would build, and they would probably sneak out! Now I let them walk home from school and used a similar tactic - drove by once or twice - armed with cell phone, never alone.

I'm not sure about a lot of the other stuff that people have posted, but this sounds about right to me: let your kids know that you trust them and that they are intelligent enough and armed with the right information to make good decisions, and they will (at least for the most part...) It seems to me that being overly-protective of children is a disservice in that it undermines their confidence ('well damn, mom and dad think I can't do anything alone, maybe I am worthless!') and could ultimately cause rebellion.

Also, Sue, I gotta say: excellent point about what better place to try out a little freedom than WDW. Sure, send the cell phone with `em everytime. Sure, sneak over to check and make sure they're okay the first few times. But what better way to teach responsibility to a kid than to say "Come back from the pool in exactly 1 hour so we can get ready for dinner. Have fun, be safe, and I TRUST YOU." Sure something terrible could happen, but something great could also happen: your child could realize that they have what it takes to make it through life with the wisdom and information you've given them. (Anyone who believes the best way to keep kids from having sex is to not talk about contraception, just keep being overprotective because clearly information and wisdom don't agree with you!)

(But like I was saying: anyone can be a great arm-chair parent, but I'm dreading the thought of having any of my own...at least till I grow up!)

[SirWillow]

It's certainly a different world then when I grew up. As a kid in the 70's and 80's, I was riding my bike all over town by myself, a few miles away from home, by the time I was 10-12. On those days I was sick, I was staying home by myself from the time I was in third grade. Now, when my 11 year old gets sick, I get dirty looks from some people if they find out I left her alone for a couple of hours by herself (trust me, she can handle it)

How old to let them go by themselves? It's different for each kid and for each parent. With some families, I think the kid is better off getting away from mom and dad as soon as they're old enough to walk. :D: But usually it's a gradual thing, just as the others have said. And so much depends on where you are and what's going on...

But I think that Sue has a good point- WDW is about as good a place as any to let them start stretching. But only if the kid knows how to behave themselves. I hate it when parents let the rowdy kids run off by themselves. Guess it's a bit of a catch-22