Resort pool etiquette: other parents unsafe children

[kaytieeldr]

TBH I didn't read that response as snarky.

OP asked if he shouldn't intervene if it was a safety issue. Lifeguard was right to bring up CPR. You are around water. If guests feel like they can take safety of others in their own hands, it may delay someone getting to attention they need. It is not a line that should have a gray area.

it wasn't about water safety, though. The problem was the taller children acting up, behaving dangerously, and being inconsiderate of the safety and enjoyment of the splash pad area's target audience.

 

[focusondisney]

I took that to mean the non-supervising parent looked for the youngest, most inexperienced looking lifeguard she could find, so she could bully him into siding with her.

See I took that as he wasn’t happy with the response of the lifeguard so he was justifying it calling him a junior lol like a senior lifeguard would have responded differently

I was Wondering about the junior lifeguard comment. We’ve been staying at WDW resorts for over 25 years & have never seen any lifeguards designated as junior or senior. They all have the same attire & rotate positions. Yes, I have seen someone make rounds occasionally who looks like a recreation department supervisor, but I sure have no idea if that makes hem a senior lifeguard.

 

[DisLiss]

So we are abdicating the safety of our own children to a lifeguard who is likely a teenager or young adult?
Why?
Its your kids safety, if they were being that rowdy and uncontrolled they should have been told to cut it out by the parent AND life guard.....in that order and ONLY if a lifeguard was available.

Which clearly they were not. I could care less about offending an absent parent or their crazy kids......

I'm not abdicating my child's safety to anyone. If I feel my child is unsafe, we'll leave the situation. Then my child will be safe. If bringing in someone "official" to say something to the kids or parents does the trick and the unsafe behaviors stop, then my child can go back to playing safely.

I know nothing about those other kids or their parents. I don't which kid will take it out on my kid if I try to correct them. I have no idea what parent will start yelling or throwing a fit or worse because someone dared to speak to their little precious angels. I don't view a possible confrontation between adults as a good environment for my child, either. And I feel that's less likely to occur if someone from Disney speaks up as opposed to another guest.

 

[ClapYourHands]

TBH I didn't read that response as snarky.

OP asked if he shouldn't intervene if it was a safety issue. Lifeguard was right to bring up CPR. You are around water. If guests feel like they can take safety of others in their own hands, it may delay someone getting to attention they need. It is not a line that should have a gray area.

I read it as totally snarky, that if you don't know CPR you shouldn't take on any aspect of water safety. The opposite is true; a safe water environment is created by everyone taking water safety seriously. It's snarky to insinuate that a guest can't recognize a dangerous situation (roughhousing on play equipment in the water) if he can't also perform CPR. Not all accidents result in cardiac arrest (fortunately).

And if OP or someone else knows CPR, they absolutely should start it if the need arises. Waiting a minute or even 30 seconds for a lifeguard to arrive can mean the difference between a good and a poor outcome. Basic BLS protocol is for the first responder to begin compressions immediately and send someone for help (call 911, get an AED, find more people who know how to do compressions - which are absolutely exhausting if you do them properly). In the event that there is no one around to get help, the rescuer does several rounds of compressions before seeking help. The best results are tied to immediate, high-quaility chest compressions and early defibrillation; that's what the current best evidence shows - no grey area there.

it wasn't about water safety, though. The problem was the taller children acting up, behaving dangerously, and being inconsiderate of the safety and enjoyment of the splash pad area's target audience.

If that play area is in water, then it is about water safety. Water means the area is more slippery, and people are more likely to fall and potentially hit their heads on a hard play structure. Little kid face-plants into even an inch of water and breathes in, he can aspirate on it.

 

[MamaBelle4]

it wasn't about water safety, though. The problem was the taller children acting up, behaving dangerously, and being inconsiderate of the safety and enjoyment of the splash pad area's target audience.

You are absolutely right in this circumstance. But what I'm referring to is the conversation, not the incident:

" He said, "come get a life guard. Don't do anything." I responded, "even if I believe the behavior is unsafe? There was no lifeguard around, surely I need to act in that situation." From there he kept repeating the same line about getting a lifeguard. And even asked if I knew CPR, as if that would be a requirement to be involved in pool safety. "

To me, and I could be wrong, it seems like that lifeguard wants to make sure they're involved in any pool safety issues. Because it could lead to a CPR issue.

Is that likely in the splash area? No. But it seems like that's not an exception the lifeguard was willing to make. He is trained in pool safety and the appropriate response, so yes, of course he wants you to get a lifeguard to handle it.

That's how I interpret it

 

[Lilsia]

It is sad that everyone caters to these types of parents now. The parents left their kids unsupervised, the children have zero respect for authority(adults), and then the parents have to be coddled by the lifeguard. It should be the lifeguard telling the lady to supervise her children and if she could not do that, then they would be removed. DONE. Society needs to stop breeding these self absorbed, entitled, horrible parents. And we all know that if something happened to one of her kids, she would have blamed it on Disney.

 

[4evryoung]

I would not try and discipline someone else's child

Sorry, but I do this all the time. I'm the adult in any given situation and if a kid (or another adult) does something that is unsafe to others or is anti-social (littering, swearing in front of younger children etc), I speak up. We do not live in a society where children are allowed to behave in a feral environment.

 

[AngiTN]

No clue what the rule is but no way do I speak in any manner to a stranger's kids. I go get a lifeguard. They will deal with it. They have authority in these cases not a random guest. I don't care what they are doing. It's not my place as a random stranger to repremend a stranger

 

[tanyaandallie]

Sorry, but I do this all the time. I'm the adult in any given situation and if a kid (or another adult) does something that is unsafe to others or is anti-social (littering, swearing in front of younger children etc), I speak up. We do not live in a society where children are allowed to behave in a feral environment.

Same. I try not to be crazy or over the top about but if the big kids were blocking the slide I'd have asked them to stop. Likely in my not so friendly mom voice.

Don't sweat it for one second and I wouldn't even worry about the lifeguard. I'm guessing the lifeguard just didn't know what to do when asked to police an issue between to parents.

 

[Lilsia]

Sorry, but I do this all the time. I'm the adult in any given situation and if a kid (or another adult) does something that is unsafe to others or is anti-social (littering, swearing in front of younger children etc), I speak up. We do not live in a society where children are allowed to behave in a feral environment.

Exactly, how can adults not do the right thing and step in when they see kids acting in an unsafe manner.

 

[Boopuff]

The thing that really, really bugs me about this whole thing isn't reprimanding other peoples children, its the fact that children IN A POOL aren't within arms reach, or eye contact with a parent. Seriously, kids in pools need to be watched constantly! and even a splash pool can be deadly! kids can drown in an inch of water. But as an aside rant: I can't stand kids in a hot tub!!! it's not a baby pool, it's too hot for youngsters and man oh man do I hate kids who jump into the hot tub while a group of adults are trying to relax. not cool...

 

[StarSeven7]

The thing that really, really bugs me about this whole thing isn't reprimanding other peoples children, its the fact that children IN A POOL aren't within arms reach, or eye contact with a parent. Seriously, kids in pools need to be watched constantly! and even a splash pool can be deadly! kids can drown in an inch of water. But as an aside rant: I can't stand kids in a hot tub!!! it's not a baby pool, it's too hot for youngsters and man oh man do I hate kids who jump into the hot tub while a group of adults are trying to relax. not cool...

It was in a splash pad, not a pool. Most splash pads don't have any standing water in them. We have one by me that DOES have standing water in it and it has a lifeguard. Most splashpads my kids have been to have no standing water and have no lifeguards.

 

[focusondisney]

I think I would have done the same thing. The kids know at that age what is appropriate. Telling them to choose to stop on their own or a life guard will be called to me seams reasonable.

But he didn’t tell them to stop their behavior.

At this point, I told the boys "either your done here, or I'm going to have to get the life guard". Unsurprisingly, I was ignored. I raised my voice and repeated myself. This time they knew I meant business. They high tailed it out of there, and I figured they opted to learn a valuable lesson instead of being embarrassed by a life guard.

He told them to leave... “you’re done here”. He didn’t have the authority to tell anyone to leave. Asking them to move down the slide so others, including his child, could use it is one thing. Implying they need to leave the area is another.

All you have to do is be a little observant in public to know any little thing sets people off. And some random stranger telling their kid what to do is more than a little thing. I am a pretty assertive 60 something woman. But the way things are in society now, Confronting people is very risky now. I fully expect crazy, out of proportion & agitated responses from people in any situation. And confronting their kids can set them off even more. I’m not happy that our society has devolved to this. I’m just realistic.

Ask nicely, remove your kid & yourself, notify authorities... in this case that would be a lifeguard. Or hotel management. Telling someone else’s kid to leave the area is just asking for trouble. It makes you look like the bully & the lifeguard was right to tell the OP to let a lifeguard handle it.

 

[tjmw2727]

It was in a splash pad, not a pool. Most splash pads don't have any standing water in them. We have one by me that DOES have standing water in it and it has a lifeguard. Most splashpads my kids have been to have no standing water and have no lifeguards.

But it is insdie the pool area - meaning the parents had no idea if the kids were in the pool/splashpad or wandered somewhere else entirely and with one under the height limit for the splash pad!

 

[StarSeven7]

I personally do not reprimand other people's kids unless they're doing something really unsafe that will hurt themselves or another kid, and even then I would try to say it in a nice way so I'm not coming off like I'm trying to reprimand someone else's kids. I definitely agree that the kids should not have been there unsupervised - if they were old enough to be unsupervised then they were too old to be in the splashpad. Obviously I wasn't there, but the behavior you described, kids going down the slide 3 at a time, climbing up it, and stopping in the slide doesn't really seem dangerous to me - just more annoying to other kids. Kids do this kind of stuff ALL the time at playgrounds, and my kids do it too (I tell them to stop if there are others around). I think any time you have a 2 year old around older kids, there's the potential that they could get hurt because kids just aren't always careful when they're running around and playing. That's obviously why it's important for them to not be there unsupervised.

 

[StarSeven7]

But it is insdie the pool area - meaning the parents had no idea if the kids were in the pool/splashpad or wandered somewhere else entirely and with one under the height limit for the splash pad!

I haven't been to Riviera at all but the splashpad at POFQ was completely separate from the pool area so I assumed this was the same!

 

[tjmw2727]

I would have removed my child from the situation - distracted them with the next fun thing and left the area for a while. It's not fair but it also won't be the last time - your also silently showing/teaching her to remove herself from an unsafe situation.

OP -I love how open you are to suggestions and believe me it will happen on playgrounds in the bouncy houses ..... etc. no matter the signage.

Depending on the situation - had I been in your shoes and after I removed my kids I may have then tried to find a lifeguard / appropriate person and alert the to the situation.

 

[Lilsia]

It was in a splash pad, not a pool. Most splash pads don't have any standing water in them. We have one by me that DOES have standing water in it and it has a lifeguard. Most splashpads my kids have been to have no standing water and have no lifeguards.

Does it matter? Who lets a child out of their sight? Kids small enough for those areas are usually under 6.

 

[StarSeven7]

Does it matter? Who lets a child out of their sight? Kids small enough for those areas are usually under 6.

I was only pointing out that splashpads typically don't have standing water in them. (The poster I was responding to asked who would leave their kids alone in a pool). As I said in another post, the kids definitely should have been supervised!

 

[Bryan Burmeister]

Any signage at the children's area indicating that all children must be supervised by an adult? I thought that would be the case since there is a height limitation at this area. That's the first thing I would have told the lifeguard. That the children were unsupervised in the area and causing problems for the other children.

I believe children do need to be supervised according to the sign. That said there was the cousin "supervising" so that felt like a non-starter in terms of an actual complaint. Of course the kids' inability to follow her instructions started the downhill cycle. She was in jeans and tennis shoes so her ability to intervene was severely impaired.

Obviously I wasn't there, but the behavior you described, kids going down the slide 3 at a time, climbing up it, and stopping in the slide doesn't really seem dangerous to me - just more annoying to other kids. Kids do this kind of stuff ALL the time at playgrounds, and my kids do it too (I tell them to stop if there are others around).

The mom tried making the same point. I tend to disagree. It's a water slide and the potential for drowning and/or a nasty fall is increased exponentially by these behaviors. Especially when one party weighs 4-5 times more than the other.

That said, in my mind whether the behavior is in fact dangerous is only secondary. My primary concern is whether I believe it to be dangerous. Better safe than sorry.

What can't be disputed is that the behavior is against the rules. Its clearly posted on the sign.

I haven't been to Riviera at all but the splashpad at POFQ was completely separate from the pool area so I assumed this was the same!

At the Riv, the splash pad is very near the main pool, although it does have a separate gate.

Does it matter? Who lets a child out of their sight? Kids small enough for those areas are usually under 6.

These kids were easily 10-14 years old. Seemed quite used to being without parental supervision.