the Public Pool...

Ugh! It's hot! O.K. - it's not just hot, it's stinking hot.
And... it's muggy. Very muggy.
This is because that's what Louisiana is all about through the summer months. - Well, actually from May until about October type of summer months.
So... what else is a SAHM supposed to do during this time of extreme, non-stop, sweat dripping, oppressive, humid, balmy, sauna-like conditions?? (oh, not to mention this SAHM is almost 40 weeks pregnant!!) OF COURSE... spend every single day at the PUBLIC POOL. After all, the water feels good and if all is planned "just right" (be there by 1030, packed lunches, break at 1230, eat lunch allowing us to dry off a bit, load up to head home...) by the time we get back through the front door I will have two very tired kids ready for naps, thus allowing me an afternoon of ... well, in a perfect world an afternoon of rest, but in the real world an afternoon of washing wet pool clothes...
Anyway.
I wanted to write about our last outing to the PUBLIC POOL because it was one of those, "is this for real?" type of moments.

It was a Sunday afternoon. We had gone to the pool earlier in the day because "MOM" (yeah, that's me) thought that the pool opened at 1100 on Sundays but in fact it didn't open until 1pm. So, for starters there was the struggle of explaining over and over and over again to my three year old son why we just "got our swimming pants on and drove by the pool??!!!"
But we prevailed, decided to go home and watch a movie in the AC with the blinds pulled, and headed back to the pool at 1. Whew!
I promised Hubby that he could "rest" and lay out while I spent time in the pool with the kids. He needed that time and I really wanted him to come no matter what. So, there we were, my two kids and I hanging out in the water, having a good 'ole time. Nothing crazy.

Well, after a bit I decided to give myself a break (hanging out in the shallow end often makes me feel like a beached whale these days...) and sat on the edge of the pool, continuing to play with the kiddos around my ankles. Of course, after a while they got bored with me and wandered all over the shallow end.

And then... that's when the "PUBLIC" part of the pool took over the afternoon.
First, a boy, about age 10, caught my eye as he was running full speed through the shallow part of the pool. (it's a beach entry type of pool) And I got a bit nervous because he was headed right towards Forest. I didn't want him to fall or knock Forest down. So, I think I went into shock when I saw him turn and literally splash Forest in the face. Immediately I stood up, ready to charge at him and tell him to "quit it!" but then noticed that he turned to splash another girl (his sister) and they were laughing and having fun... so I calmed myself down and decided to just watch and see if he was really causing a problem or not... Forest was fine, and really didn't even noticed what happened.

I decided to keep a close eye on him and try and figure out who his parents were, just in case...


Ewww! Then I noticed a couple laying in the shallow end making out... SUCK FACING... right there in the shallow end!!! Obviously they were kissing, but he had his arm around the small of her back, his thumb was grasping her suit, AND, AND, AND they had a toddler crawling all over them!! - People. This was not just a mere kiss. It was more like... SUCK FACING!!
(Great.) I thought... (why don't people get a clue and understand this is not acceptable in the shallow end... ON A SUNDAY!)
Then I realized that the couple was 10 year old boy's parents - because 10 year old boy thought it would be funny to SPIT WATER in his dad's face after the lip locking had ceased for a second. "SFD" (Suck Facing Dad) didn't think it was so funny and he stood up and chased 10 year old boy through the shallow end across the concrete to their chairs and commenced pushing his finger in the boy's face. Geesh... glad that was over.

Then, all I could hear was a high pitched..."Myyyyyaaaa!" "Myyyyaaaa!" "Myyyyaaaa! Get over here girl!" At this point even I thought, "oh please Miya, please, oh please, oh please, go listen to your momma, so I don't have to anymore..." Miya apparently thought it was funny (like most little kids do) to keep right on truckin' in the opposite direction of her momma. But Miya's Dad wasn't having this. With in a few short seconds poor Miya was being VERY LOUDLY reprimanded in front of EVERY LITTLE CHILD still present in the shallow end. I have to say that even I felt a little scared at this point.
Now, people... don't start thinking that I'm a push over parent here. But we all know that there is a time and place to properly correct our mischievous little people... and getting all up in your three year old daughter's face IN THE SHALLOW END OF THE PUBLIC POOL IS NOT THE PLACE FOR IT!! If you ask me is a sign of lazy parenting, but that's just me. Instead, just simply get off your duff and walk her to the side of the pool, put her on her duff in a time-out and quietly put the fear of God in her that she will never get to swim again if she doesn't respond to you next time... right??
At this point I finally realized that, during these dramatic episodes, I had splashed two moderate sized hair balls out of the pool onto the deck beside me, that the pool was becoming rather over crowded, and the sight of SUCK FACING was really beginning to make my stomach churn...
So I decided...
"Whup... it's time to GO!"