On Monday, Paul and I decided we were going to go to the Hampden Pool! I hadn't gone swimming yet this summer, and since the real feel temperature boasted 99 degrees, I thought it would be the perfect day to get our swim on!
Even though this pool is only about two miles from my house, I never went there for fear of seeing... STUDENTS. (Dun-dun-dun!!!!!) Spoiler Alert: I did see one student who is now in 6th grade, and it was a delight to see her!!!!
Daily admission was a little expensive- $9 each for Paul and I, but it was a really nice pool. When we got there, it was very crowded, but there was plenty of grass to lay our towels without being close to other people. There was an adult swim for 15 minutes each hour (yes!!!), a diving well that was 12 feet deep (I love the deep end!!!) and a cool water slide!!!! I don't know if you know this about me, but I LOVE WATER SLIDES!!!!!
It started to rain after we were there for only a half hour and that cleared out the pool. Then it got very hot and sunny, so I am glad we stuck around. When everyone was leaving, we scored a huge umbrella to sit under. These umbrellas were very tall and sturdy- cemented into the ground. It wasn't anything you could adjust, move, or anything like that.
I enjoyed lounging and reading, then jumping into the pool when I got really hot. The water was warm. It was really just perfect! Totally worth $9 per person, in my opinion. But of course it was just me and Paul. Daily admission for a whole family (even though kids are cheaper and children under 3 are free) could get a little expensive. But my guess is most families buy season passes.
Are you wondering when I'm going to tell you about the little fucker at the pool??? Okay, here it goes!!!!
So Paul and I were sitting under the huge umbrella I just described to you. He was listening to some music and I was reading a book. There was a family with their towels about 10 feet from us who were packing up to leave. The parents looked like they were in their 40s. There was a young girl and a young boy. I can't remember what age the girl was, but the boy was probably 11 or 12.
Suddenly, the boy ran over to our umbrella, grabbed the pole with one hand, and started gyrating on it!
He was basically doing what this robot is doing, but very fast and with an arched back.
Daily admission was a little expensive- $9 each for Paul and I, but it was a really nice pool. When we got there, it was very crowded, but there was plenty of grass to lay our towels without being close to other people. There was an adult swim for 15 minutes each hour (yes!!!), a diving well that was 12 feet deep (I love the deep end!!!) and a cool water slide!!!! I don't know if you know this about me, but I LOVE WATER SLIDES!!!!!
It started to rain after we were there for only a half hour and that cleared out the pool. Then it got very hot and sunny, so I am glad we stuck around. When everyone was leaving, we scored a huge umbrella to sit under. These umbrellas were very tall and sturdy- cemented into the ground. It wasn't anything you could adjust, move, or anything like that.
I enjoyed lounging and reading, then jumping into the pool when I got really hot. The water was warm. It was really just perfect! Totally worth $9 per person, in my opinion. But of course it was just me and Paul. Daily admission for a whole family (even though kids are cheaper and children under 3 are free) could get a little expensive. But my guess is most families buy season passes.
Are you wondering when I'm going to tell you about the little fucker at the pool??? Okay, here it goes!!!!
So Paul and I were sitting under the huge umbrella I just described to you. He was listening to some music and I was reading a book. There was a family with their towels about 10 feet from us who were packing up to leave. The parents looked like they were in their 40s. There was a young girl and a young boy. I can't remember what age the girl was, but the boy was probably 11 or 12.
Suddenly, the boy ran over to our umbrella, grabbed the pole with one hand, and started gyrating on it!
He was basically doing what this robot is doing, but very fast and with an arched back.
So, I wasn't offended by this kid. I was more like... WTF???? Who the hell does this to strangers? In front of their parents??? This kid was basically humping the pole like 2 feet from me. What's wrong with him!!!!???
I looked over at his parents. And get this...
They were laughing.
The mom was literally laying on the grass, covering her head, laughing.
WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!????????????????
I cannot explain this situation. I don't even know what to say.... It was literally the oddest thing I ever saw. Not only was the 11-12 year old humping our umbrella odd, but the parents laughing at it was even MORE ODD.
I didn't laugh, I didn't smile, I didn't scowl. I just looked at the parents with a neutral look on my face. I watched them until they picked up their things and left, which is precisely what they did after they were done laughing.
Very nice day at the pool, but a very weird situation indeed!!!!
I don't even know what to ask???
What would you do if your kid did that???
Do you have a pool or do you belong to a community pool?
OMG that is just odd. It would have been odd enough had he done that to his own umbrella pole but to "invade" the space of strangers and do that is just super odd. The parents should have been embarrassed but of course we know that some people apparently have no shame. Come swim with Baylee and I at my house. I can't guarantee you will get your book read though because Baylee likes to splash!
ReplyDeleteOmg I bet it is so much fun to watch Baylee swim!!
DeleteYes, it was so strange. I wasn't offended at all since he didn't touch me and the umbrella was the pool's it was just so so so so WIERD!
This may have been the same kid who's parents thought it was okay that he feed bark to the ducks..lol.
DeleteYes, please come. I won't even charge you $9.
HAHAHAHAHA WE SHOULD MENTION THAT TO ALI!!!!!!
DeleteI will give Baylee 900 kisses instead of $9!
Maybe the mom takes pole dancing (fitness) classes and the kid just saw an opportunity to be like mom? But still, WTF? I don't even know what to say about him coming into your personal space like that. How strange! If Cecil did that I would be mortified. I don't know how you kept from making a face. I'm sure I would have made a disgusted/annoyed face and stared daggers at the parents!
ReplyDeleteIt was soooooooooooo weird!!! lol. But a funny story to tell.
DeleteI would love to see Cecil work the pole...
What is it about the pool and a**holes?
ReplyDeleteSo those parents will have to defend him when he pulls this crap after a few cocktails...
Yah! And those are the parents that call me at school and blame me for their student's bad behavior! I was seriously thinking, okay, this is why I sometimes deal with those calls and emails!
DeleteOh, I know those kinds of kids. To me the behavior isn't so weird but more like the fact that the kid was old enough to know better. It's one thing if a 3-5 year old is pole dancing but when you're 11-12 you know what that is.
ReplyDeleteThat pool looks so nice. I haven't been to our neighborhood pool all year and it's way overdue. I think I will go tomorrow!
Yes, very strange but I guess 11-12 year old don't think? To me the oddest part was the parents laughing.
DeleteDo you have an all season pass to your pool?
It's a neighborhood pool so it's open for everyone who lives here. Paid for by our HOA dues. It's not year-round though, I believe it closes at the end of September.
DeleteThat's great! When I used to live in an apartment complex, there was a pool. I lived there for 3 years and only went twice! I wish I had gone more often. It is soon nice to just sit, relax, read, and then get in when it's really hot! I have friends with pools who say come on over anytime! I just can't bring myself to text them and be like, "hey, we're coming over to swim in your pool".
DeleteWow, what a punk and the parents sound real classy. I think I would have said something. I have a hard time keeping my mouth shut it seems. That pool sounds so much like one of our pools in town! We don't go very often. We are more into swimming at Lake Loveland and then doing a BBQ. I have a punch pass to our rec center to use the pool to swim laps 1-2 x per week. My dream is to have a lap swimming pool at my house! I'd be in heaven.
ReplyDeleteI hate to sound prissy, but it freaks me out to swim in a lake due to the bottom of the lake... is it like rocky and dirty???
DeleteThey have a dedicated swim beach that they keep very nice. When the water level drops in the fall they bring in sand so it's really nice. As for dirty...well, it's a lake so yes, it's lake dirty but it's not disgusting. That being said, I don't put my face in the water.
DeleteThe sand on the bottom is perfect!!!! That is what concerns me- my feet touching rocks, gravel, stuff like that.
DeleteI am going to sound like a real old fart but this is what is wrong with America. So many parents are just stupid. They refuse to parent their own kids. This particular set of stupid parents that having a feral child is "funny." They have decided that chastising their child in public might harm his inner being. What a crock of shit. The real answer is that doing nothing is so much easier and if public opinion supports the do nothing option then it is even better. My kids would have been running for their lives.(not literally but you know what I mean) This NEVER WOULD HAVE HAPPENED. Shame on the kid but more shame on the parents. So many people bring a child into this world and then dump their responsibility on everyone else. Kids are like any other mammal. They can be wild, impulsive and just plain dumb. Parents have to train a child. That does not mean beating or yelling. It just takes consistent reasonable rules about behavior. I could go on and on and on. This just irritates me to no end. Rant over. Glad you had a good day.
ReplyDeleteSing it sister! No I totally agree kids will be impulsive and dumb, Paul and I were not harmed in any way, but instead of laughing the parents should have corrected the behavior!
DeleteThat is super odd!!! Glad you had a good time outside of that weirdness! There's always gotta be one around, right? ;)
ReplyDeleteHaha absolutely! B
DeleteThat pool is great for all activities! And the umbrellas are really awesome too!
ReplyDeleteJa ja!! that is hilarious! that kid was being all crazy on that umbrella! too much sugar and too much parental encouragement ?
Yes, it must have been the sugar. But Paul and I had airheads and a cow tail and we didn't hump anyone's umbrella. ;)
DeleteAna, I think you are right about the parental encouragement. I think someone in the family dared him to do it. Not cool.
DeleteFirst of all, Paul is a ginger?! HOW DID I MISS THIS?!?! You're so lucky! I was ecstatic when Callum came out with red hair!!! It comes from Andrew's side of the family (they're all from Belfast). I love love LOVE both of those pictures of you two. You have beautiful faces.
ReplyDeleteOkay so, here's my take on the kid dancing like that. I think his biggest crime is not so much dancing like that in public (kids act so goofy and awkward!) but that he invaded your space. Because space invasion is something that should be taught over and over and over every day throughout childhood whereas acting goofy like that? Most of it we have to just let slide because otherwise we'd be asking kids to not be kids. I have no idea if he knew what he was doing was sexual or not and it would be wrong of us to assume that he knew.
Another thing, and most importantly, always remember that we never really know the truth about anything. He could have special needs, and here we are judging him. The parents have enough to deal with and are probably pretty used to having people stare. I'm not saying that the kid has special needs, but it's just an example of a situation that is something we don't necessarily know about.
He is a ginger but to me it always looks just kind of light brown. But I suppose in certain lights it does look red. He definitely has the coloring of a ginger.
DeleteSpace invasion = yes! I mean he was humping the pole like 12 inches from Paul. It was very odd! If he had just done it by his family, I am not sure anyone would notice. But it was like he made it a point to do it right in between us.
I'm not judging the kid, I am judging the parents! I know we aren't supposed to judge, maybe they have bigger fish to fry with him, but even just a "Hey Johnny, that's not appropriate" would have worked just fine.
If he had special needs, laughing would be THE WORST thing to do. I have taught all kinds of special needs kids over the years and I have seen seen all kinds of inappropriate behavior and you always correct it. Not in a mean way or anything, as most of them don't know what they are doing is wrong, or they can't control it or whatever. But always redirect to a more appropriate behavior.
Maybe you had to be there, but I can't wrap my mind around why that mom was rolling on the grass laughing at her son humping our umbrella.
Suzy, I agree that it is safe to not assume anything. Maybe he does have mental issues and the parents have to "choose their battles" on when/how to punish him.
DeleteI like your first and your last paragraph a lot :) I get my ginger features from my momma'
Yah we actually took that picture before the little effer incident! :)
ReplyDeleteOh, I didn't realize she was actually rolling around on the grass laughing. That's just plain annoying.
ReplyDeleteYeah! That is what floored me. She was on the ground, covering her head and convulsing with laughter. Not rolling around I got a little flowery with my description. :) You make a really good point about the personal space thing being the overall issue.
DeleteWe used the belong to that pool. Loved it! Never had that happen??? What can I say... It's takes all kinds. :-0
ReplyDeleteHaha I am sorry you didn't get to experience that hahaha!
DeleteKids are ridiculous...monkey see, monkey do, you know? So obviously this kid is just being silly and stupid but I can't believe his parents just laughed! Like, maybe I'd laugh if my kid did that to our OWN umbrella, but do a stranger's? That's seriously weird. It makes me wonder about parents today. Not that I have to wonder much...you and I have both seen how WONDERFUL so many of them are hahaha.
ReplyDeleteHahaha! Yeah there are "wonderful" parents and then there are ACTUAL wonderful parents. I know what you mean. Yes, very good point about doing it to one's own umbrella vs. a complete stanger's. Sort of what Suzy mentioned about the whole "personal space" thing being maybe the bigger issue!
DeleteThat is so strange!! I try not to judge parents too much because I'm sure its harder than I can imagine, but there are some basic social skills that should be enforced.
ReplyDeleteYah I was just telling Paul the other day I may sometimes be too hard on parents because I am a teacher and have to be "on" 7.5 hours a day... but parents have to be "on" 24/7!
Delete