Pool mania

I went swimming this morning. It's school holiday at the moment so the pool was filled with kids. Kids splashing, jumping into water (despite the sign says not to do so), playing really loud, they looked like they were enjoying themselves.

The water in the pool was a funny murky colour with little bits floating around. This pool was not normally like this so I guess it was simply the effect of too many people. I can see just over 1 meter ahead, so it didn't feel very nice. The biggest problem was those kids just couldn't keep to their own play area and there didn't seem to be any adult supervisions. The kids kept coming to the "lap swim only" lanes. I didn't like it but thought I should learn to "share" the pool so I went on swimming without saying anything. The pool guy came over a couple of times and told the kids to stay in their own area but that didn't help.

I learned from a kid's birthday party and a wedding we went to a while ago that it's not a good idea to try to be kids' best friends because they would end up jumping on your head if you let them. It's nice to be friendly, but it's good to be firm with them if need to be. (I'm referring to a function/party situation where you don't really know the kids, not the situation where you are in a home environment or if you know the kids well). It's alright if there are only a few kids, I can handle that, but when they come in great numbers, it can be quite frightening. That was why I was not smiling at any kid that came to my swimming lane as not to encourage them. The lady swam in the "lap only" lane next to me was probably more friendly, and as a result the kids seemed to be less reluctant to move out of the way.

I did my 20 laps and left quickly. I normally feel energised but relaxed when I leave the pool, however today I felt quite stressed afterwards. I can't wait for school holiday to be OVER!