Reply #73: I was a life guard at different places in different parts of the country

[nosillies]

None of these establishments allowed children under certain ages to be dropped off, ever. And this was as far back as 17 years ago. And if anyone drops their young child off at a pool that is accepting of this practice, then they are a complete fool. There is something terribly wrong about an establishment that lets drop-offs occur.

If parents tried to drop a kid off at places I worked, that kid never got near the water. And if parents dropped off an older child who couldn't swim, we kindly suggested swimming lessons and made the parents stay to watch. And if moms who were there weren't paying attention (some of them loved to get drunk at the pool), we often called them out.

A good lifeguard tries to prevent a drowning situation from ever happening, and sometimes calling out or kicking out the idiots is the best way to do that.