The Truth About Lifeguarding
Here is the truth about lifeguarding: it is oftentimes a tedious and boring job. It doesn’t have to be and if you are committed and take it seriously, it is an active and engaged position. But long hours without proper breaks and young adults can zone out, get tired, slack off. I don’t want to condemn anyone, and I myself lifeguarded for years. I know it can be hard to stay focused. But focus is essential. Now in this case, I can’t speak to lifeguards, but I can speak to parents and here are some tips on how you can feel more empowered about protecting your children around pools with lifeguards and how to approach and correct a guard who appears to be slacking off when they 100% should be watching the pool:
1) First of all, at every water safety talk I’ve ever given, I say this: “always assume the lifeguard is NEVER watching your child.” This sounds harsh I know, but back when my kids were young, any party I took them to, I came with a suit under my clothes, ready to park my butt on the side of the pool and watch my kids swim. It was a given. Sure I could’ve used some adulting time, a few drinks, some R&R, but I know the deal and I know that lifeguards can’t watch every child every second and most likely at a party, there is only 1 guard and the odds are good that your child will get approximately 5 minutes of eyes on time in the course of a 30 min pool sweep. Those odds are not acceptable to me, nor should they be to you. Plan to be your child’s personal lifeguard.
2) If you have hired a guard for your party, you have total authority to direct them on where you want them to stand and what areas of the pool are off limits. Make sure you are clear up front about what you want from them and if you see them at any point during the party not following your directions, definitely approach them and mention that you need them to be standing or moving or whatever you want. Use that exact language: “I need you to …” Also please be aware that guards need breaks - bathroom, water, snack in order to stay energized and focused. Please make sure you allow for that when possible.
3) If you are at a club, resort, hotel and you see guards not paying attention, slacking on the job, you absolutely have every right to say something. It probably makes more sense to approach a manager or supervisor than the guard directly, although I have never had a problem walking right up to a guard and talking to them. I don’t necessarily start with an accusation but I will ask how long the’ve been on the job that day, are they tired? What are the rules at that place? Are they supposed to be walking around every 10 min? Or are they allowed to just sit in a chair as long as they want? If you feel that they are not protecting the children and that is what they are there for, you have every right to speak up! You can advocate without being rude, of course. ** IF it doesn’t sit right with you, the way the lifeguard is behaving, chances are others feel the same but may be too intimidated or unsure of what to do/say. BE the one who says something and does something.
4) One last tip for parents - if you are having a pool party, absolutely hire a lifeguard. Depending on the age of the kids, the size of your pool and how many people will be there, hire two. Better to be safer. You can never go wrong with having an extra pair of eyes on the job too.
If you have any questions or want to ask me anything about this, please don’t hesitate!!