No Swimming Pool And Sad Children

[Country Kids]

OK, here we go-summer again and my kids ask every year for a swimming pool. Every year they receive the same answer-No, because of the daycare! I can see why some children/older children really don't like their moms doing childcare because of all the rules and regulations.

My kids are 18-10 and I have been doing this about 15 years. We had a pool when they were iddy bitty (wading pool) but then they said No more pools with childcare. We did have a pool a couple years ago when I had the summer off but it was really small and we couldn't afford anything better. Plus it didn't stay blown up real well.

Well this year is the topper-both the neighbors on one side have pools this year and my kids faces just fell when they saw them playing in them today. They started to ask and I said-No, because we have the childcare. It makes me so sad that my kids can't have what others have, in regards to things like this. No, friends over because they count in my count, no air soft wars because no gun rule, no we can't just take off and do something because of the childcare, etc.

I always wanted my kids to have fun filled memories and have those summers that are just laid back and fun. My oldest wants no children because she says "I've been around little kids way to long already", my second oldest can't really handle them being here 10.5 hours a day, my third is more motherly and isn't bothered by them and then the littlest just wants mom and gets tired of being with them all the time.

So anyway just a vent because once I saw those pools go up I just wanted to cry-. I really get tired of my home/family having to be dictated by childcare at times!

[Crazy8]

OMG, I had this same exact conversation with friends tonight as we were in their gorgeous backyard with the kids all in the pool. My youngest is 6 now, but all my daycare kids are 4 and under so even he is getting tired of it now and the "no pool" thing has come up about 3 times in the last month.

I don't know the answer but I can definitely sympathize with you. For the first time in 11 years I am starting to seriously consider a different career path but no clue what else I would do at this point and I can't afford to just be a SAHM.

[Country Kids]

I know what I would love to do but I would take such a huge pay cut that right now we can't do it. I would love to work as an aide in the schools but there just is no money in it-. If I could do that I would be working my kids schedules and that would be wonderful.

[countrymom]

you know whats bad, we as daycare providers watch the children way better than many parents. So I don't understand why you couldn't have a pool, if you took all the right measures.

I have one, its above ground, with a lock and key, plus warning sign on the door, and I have a alarm on the door (but thats more for my own kids) this year I'm putting up a 8 foot fence. There is no way a child can get into my pool. Even the inspecter couldn't believe the measures we took. also, my pool is in the middle of the yard, not attatched to my house. And I only watch kids under 5 so i'm outside with them all the time.

[Heidi]

I think here, we can have a pool, but it cannot be accessible to dc kids. Is that possible there? To somehow seperate your yard into "daycare" and "not daycare"?

As for the friends over thing, here, if they are over 7, they can have friends over (as long as that friend could in theory go home at any time...therefore not being a dc kid). My licenser also suggested that I have my license read ages 6 weeks to 10 years. I could then not enroll children over 10 (who wants to, anyway?) Friends visiting would then be a non-factor, because they are clearly not enrolled in the dc program.

Read through your regs again, and then email your licenser and ask her about both these situations. Try to sound very positive, not "vent-y", of course. Maybe you could solve at least one of the problems.

Are all your neighbors home for the summer? Are they SAHM's? I'm just wondering how much time the kids next door actually get to spend in the pool during the day? I guess I would also make sure that your children understand that not everyone has a swimming pool....and hey, that's ok. It's not like not having food on the table or a roof over one's head. It's a pool.

Another thought: Is there a community pool they could go to? If you have one old enough to drive, they could head over there a couple times a week.

[Country Kids]

Oh, we can have the pool but the money to put into it wouldn't be worth it if you know what I mean.

To buy a $300-$400 pool, then have to put a fence all the way around it with locks would be alot of money. Lumber here is very expensive and we live in a timber capital!! Then I still wouldn't let my kids in it during the day because I wouldn't be able to see them over the fence and they wouldn't be able to be in it because the fence would be unlocked. (State regs) Has to be locked during daycare hours. I could have it unlocked if the daycare children were using it but I would have to have it professionally tested for chemicals and then hang a certification that it passed as a "Public Pool". No way am I going there.

The one family will be home all of June for vacation and then home in the evenings. Scary thing is they have a fence around the house but not on the fronts so anyone can walk into the backyard and I wouldn't want that liability.

Second family, I'm not to sure about. Not a "friendly" family. I do know they receive assistance as the Schwans man came to our door one day asking if we had received our "food stamps". I was shocked and then explained no we don't receive them but then we figured out he wanted the house two down from us. My son does say "Mom, they have no money, I mean no money". So to see them with a huge pool was a shock to say the least.

Children, no matter what age I put on my contracts do count up to the age of thirteen in our state, whether I take that age or not. So all my kids and their friends do count up to that age.

The community pool is an option but very expensive and I think its only open in the evening for community swim like 6:00-8:00 or something and we all know what evenings are like for us. Also, the last time we went they had way to much chlorine and something else mixed in it and it was yucky.

Anyway, life goes on........

[Blackcat31]

I don't have a pool but we have plenty of water fun here....

We do squirt guns, water balloons, sprinklers, Slip N' Slides and buckets and pails of water as well as just letting them go hog wild with the garden hose and a simply sprayer attached.

You don't have to have a pool to enjoy water fun!

None of my kids have ever stopped and said, hey why don't you have a pool? They simply enjoy the thrill of playing in the water. Some of the Slip N' Slides they make now days are pretty cool!

[Country Kids]

We can't have slip n slides either!!! We can do nothing that has anything that may "pool water".

I was heavily questioned one time when I didn't have sand in my sandbox. They were worried I would be using it as a "small pool" of sorts.

My liscensor actually told me after I asked that yes, we even need a permission for for water play-water table, sprinkler, water for a mud kitchen, etc. It makes it so hard for them to be kids!

[Heidi]

Oh, we can have the pool but the money to put into it wouldn't be worth it if you know what I mean.

To buy a $300-$400 pool, then have to put a fence all the way around it with locks would be alot of money. Lumber here is very expensive and we live in a timber capital!! Then I still wouldn't let my kids in it during the day because I wouldn't be able to see them over the fence and they wouldn't be able to be in it because the fence would be unlocked. (State regs) Has to be locked during daycare hours. I could have it unlocked if the daycare children were using it but I would have to have it professionally tested for chemicals and then hang a certification that it passed as a "Public Pool". No way am I going there.

The one family will be home all of June for vacation and then home in the evenings. Scary thing is they have a fence around the house but not on the fronts so anyone can walk into the backyard and I wouldn't want that liability.

Second family, I'm not to sure about. Not a "friendly" family. I do know they receive assistance as the Schwans man came to our door one day asking if we had received our "food stamps". I was shocked and then explained no we don't receive them but then we figured out he wanted the house two down from us. My son does say "Mom, they have no money, I mean no money". So to see them with a huge pool was a shock to say the least.

Children, no matter what age I put on my contracts do count up to the age of thirteen in our state, whether I take that age or not. So all my kids and their friends do count up to that age.

The community pool is an option but very expensive and I think its only open in the evening for community swim like 6:00-8:00 or something and we all know what evenings are like for us. Also, the last time we went they had way to much chlorine and something else mixed in it and it was yucky.

Anyway, life goes on........

It sounds like you were just venting then, eh? As far as the pool goes, it doesn't sound like a reasonable option. I guess I would use is as a way to talk to your kids about priorities. You said yourself, the neighbors have a pool, but need public assistance to buy food. That is a lesson for your kids, IMO, about priorities! They get to see you during the day, and their mom works hard, and you take care of yourselves. Other people take money from the government and yet, they have a pool. Is that right? Of course, you should have a little empathy, because maybe they had the pool, and then circumstances changed and now they need help. Another teachable moment...what can we do (budget wisely, save), to avoid that sort of thing?

Are you at full capacity? If not, even if a friend counts in your numbers, how about each of your children get to invite a friend over once a week? If you're at capacity, are there other things they could do with their friend that don't involve being at your house...like going to the park? They could check in with you periodically, right?

Are their friends in the neighborhood? Honestly, if they are, I'd let one come over now and then. If an inspector shows up, you send them home immediately. They are NOT daycare kids, they are neighborhood kids. If they "stop by", it's not daycare! Just tell the kids ahead of time "if an inspector comes, you'll have to go home". Then, if it happens, you say "well, thanks for stopping by, Timmy...see you later". Don't put them on your attendance, don't claim them on the food program, of course...

I also like BlackCat's idea of slip and slide, sprinkler, and water balloons. Get the hose and ask them to wash your car. They'll have a blast and you'll get a semi-clean car.

[itlw8]

really kids can not swim in a 4 ft pool. Do they know how to swim? have your 18 yr old take them to the pool a few days a week during the day.

[AfterSchoolMom]

Country, do you absolutely HAVE to be licensed? Is there a way to become UNlicensed and still operate legally?

[Country Kids]

Country, do you absolutely HAVE to be licensed? Is there a way to become UNlicensed and still operate legally?

No, for me to be unliscensed I can only have 3 children. My youngest would still count for another 2 years so that only puts me down to 2. That wouldn't even help pay the bills if you know what I mean.

[My3cents]

I don't know what I did, but I will try to post again.

It is ok if your kids don't have everything and it is ok if your kids do. If you want a pool, save up and get one. Separate your pool from your daycare, lock it and use it after hours, or if an adult is able to supervise- rules of the pool. keep in mind chemicals are expensive and needed, unless you want to swim in the green gunk- no thanks.

I will say there is nothing like jumping into the refreshing pool after working all day. It is great exercise, a great way to calm down, soak aching bodies, its a lovely fun thing. It does take work to keep it clean and set it up and take it down at the end of the year. I suggest getting the best and biggest that you can and have room for. Once you buy everything except the chemicals your good to go. I love my pool, but it is off limits to my daycare kiddo's and my kids during the day- no swimming alone. We enjoy it after hours and weekends. Look forward to it.

I say involve your mopping kids and make them help earn a pool if they want it. Have a big yard sale, lemonade stand, bake sale etc..... they will appreciate it more then if it is just handed to them. Have rules, pool rules- Do invest in the fence, and locks- liability and safety for all. It is a one time purchase- craigslist is a great place to look for fencing free or cheap.

[busymomof2]

I have an ingroud pool with a 5 ft fence (required by licensing) but we can't get in it during daycare hours. So imagine my 6 year old daughter crying to get into the pool that's right there looking all refreshing and telling her we can't get in till after 6pm. It's difficult because it gets extremly hot here. This week we are scheduled to have 2 days of over 100 degrees. I do have a wading pool that we fill up everyday during summer. There's an idea.

[Country Kids]

Question-how much is it to build a fence for you guys? I'm guesstimating about $2000 to do a fence around a pool the way it needs to be done. So to invest $2400 into a pool just makes me cringe. If I could just have a pool that would be wonderful but its the fencing that would kill us.

Also, there is no way I can divide my yard up into childcare/family areas. It is mainly all for childcare and then to add a pool with a deck would really make it cramped.

We did make an area for a pool when we could have them but its right in the middle of the playground area now. There is also no way to put a fence around it as it is connected to our back driveway.

Thank you though for all your suggestions! Maybe I'll try and figure out how to post pictures of our backyard and see if you guys could see a way to do it.



Also, I forgot to add in an earlier post that the people that are two down and on assistance also have a trampoline. It kills my kids to see this stuff! Then they go and put it in the front yard! I'm waiting to see how long it is before someone gets on it and gets hurt that isn't suppose to be on it.