Public Pools

[Ceres]

Do you take your kids to public pools? How often?

[LadyKaty]

Pretty much every day last summer we went swimming with a friend of mine, who is the mother of my daughter's best friend, in the pool in their apartment complex.

I prefer pools, even public pools, over the ocean, just because I can SEE what's in there. In the ocean, there are critters, and you can't even see 'em, unless the water is CRYSTAL clear that day. I've come face-to-face with sand sharks, and been stung by jellyfish one too many times to do more than wade in the ocean, and heck, the last time I did that, I STILL got stung by a damn jellyfish.

As long as the chlorine levels are kept up, the pools are fine, as far as I'm concerned. And with the pool in my friend's apartment complex, the county Health Department checks it on a regular basis for bacteria levels, chlorine levels, and so forth, and they don't hesitate to shut it down if it's even a LITTLE bit off.

However, considering that my choices are Los Angeles beaches (and most have closures more than once a summer because of bacteria levels), Orange County beaches (same as LA beaches), and San Diego County beaches (yeah, them too), and Lake Elsinore, I'll take my chances with public pools. Something about not wanting to get very, very ill from sewage contamination on the beaches, or go to a lake that has algae growing so bad it looks like you could probably walk on it. Just little things like that....

In other words, I will go to a public pool, and take my kiddo to a public pool, if I know that it is properly maintained and cleaned. If I don't know anything about them, we don't go. It's that simple.

[KaidaMidnight]

I agree with LadyKaty. I HATE lakes, only because the ones I've been to, you sink to your knees in who knows what.. (Duck poop most of the time) LOL :lol: If I know the place, and know that they clean the pool, I have no problem with taking my son there. Most of the time however, we just hang out in our back yard in his blow up pool and the sprinkler... we find it more fun. :D

[Ceres]

We love swimming in Lake Huron, but it doesnt have a slimey bottom. I have heard the Great Lakes referred to as being more like inland seas than lakes. We rarely see critters in the water and the bottom is lovely and sandy. They arent really conducive to swimming throughout the winter months though :lol: So we swim in an indoor public pool when it gets cold. Most years we can start swimming in the lake in June, and usually get at least a few warm days even in early October to swim as well.

[Marcasite]

I used to work at a public pool. They have really stringent regulations for pH levels, chlorine levels, etc. It's very safe. Of course everyone's kids pee in the pool but urine's sterile when it leaves the body anyways.
Just don't use the hottub. Too many people get naughty in there. We used to pull up chairs when people were getting a little too frisky. Ahh, good times.

[halfwaynowhere]

when i babysit, i take the kids to the pool in their complex, its pretty clean, so i don't worry too much... and i myself go to a public pool in the summer when i want to swim... i figure they are safer than having your own pool, in the long run, because of drowning and everything, and a public pool has to be clean, a personal pool can get pretty yucky if its not taken care of... and i agree completely with ladykaty about the beaches around here... they are so filthy and are constantly getting closed... but the beaches further up the coast, like ventura and san louis obispo, are absolutely stunning! but the beaches down here, well, i won't go in past my waist on a good day...

[Zoritsa_Nepenthe]

We don't have a local pool,so we mostly head out to the beach(which ever one isn't closed due to bacteria levels :sick: )in the summer.Certain beaches around Lake Michigan aren't so bad...kept clean,decent people,and so on.Otherwise,we have one of those pools where you blow up the top ring and fill the rest.it's nice enough to float in an intertube in,and the little one has fun :boing:

[Lunacie]

Our small town doesn't have a public pool. I was rather amazed at that. However, there is a pool here in the mobile home park where we live that's very nice. We take the kids there several times a week during the summer. I can't stay out very long though because my skin burns so quickly and so badly.

[Gwenhwyfar]

I just went last night :) My mom, my daughter, my niece and sometimes my sister all go to the pool at least once a week. My mom has a bad knee, and swimming is good for it, so thats why we started going. Now we also go just because its fun, and my kid sleeps so well on the days we've been swimming. I love the water, in the summer I live at the lake. Slimy bottom and all.

[Shanti]

We go swimming in a lake. Pools are so heavy with chlorine, my body cant handle it. I get hives real bad from chlorine!

[Semele]

If we get some rain we plan to spend a lot of time on the river this summer and at various lakes camping and such. Trey enjoys going to Big Splash, a local water park, but it is a bit pricey unless you purchase a season pass which we may end up doing this year because the girls are big enough to take advantage of it and we have enough time and adults in the house to actually take the kids often enough that it might be worth the large chunk of cash for the season pass.

It is a great source of physical activity for kids rather than sitting inside playing video games or watching tv all day.

[Bryony]

I don't have any kids... but I used to WORK at a public pool.

Yes, I was a lifeguard. Though janitor of insane messes might be a more appropriate title. Like when a coworker tried to get me to clean up the human feces off the guy's locker room floor...

[MysticMama]

We love the outdoor public pool in the summer and go often. The chlorine bothers my eyes at the indoor pools even if I'm not swimming, so not so much there. Though Ava's been asking for swimming lessons again so we might do that this spring.

[DreamSpell333]

We swim in the complex pool every chance we get :) hannah learned to swim this past summer.:D We swam at a public pool when we lived in NH. The lakes around us were getting icky. Pools are cleaner,and most of the time supervised. I hadnt even thought of finding a pool to swim at during the winter.. Im not even sure where there is one around here...

[RunningRiot]

When me, my aunt and my little sister took my aunt's baby to the pool I was concerned she's get sunburnt or the chlorine would hurt her.. But she had a blast pretending to doggy paddle! It's alot gentler than salt water and cleaner than lakes, too.