PeachyDoodle Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 (edited) DH and I are debating whether to join our community pool for the summer. The dues are close to $400, and while we have the money, we can't decide if this is the best way to spend it. PROS *It's a pool! *It's about a million degrees here in the summer. *Gives the kids a chance to hang with kids they know/make new friends. And me too. (We live in the country so we have to work to create social opportunities.) *I might get a suntan for the first time in my adult life. *We just spent a small fortune on private swim lessons getting DS6 comfortable in the water, and we don't want him to lose his progress. *It's good exercise. *I can buy a cute floppy hat. *We usually have a pool for a week when we go on vacation, but this year's rental doesn't have one. CONS *It's almost always crowded. *DH hates crowds so he probably isn't going to go more than once or twice, which means all pool trips are on me. *It's a 10-15 minute drive, no walking. Not sure if dropping off is allowed (probably not at DS's age) and I probably wouldn't feel comfortable just dropping off anyway. Which means I have to stay the whole time. And probably pack lunch/snacks. *It's about a million degrees here in the summer. *Who am I kidding -- I don't tan, I burn. Plus, sunscreen is expensive. *Money we spend on the pool membership would pay for at least 2 or 3 fun day trips. *I would feel the need to go several times a week and stay for several hours to justify the cost. I like the pool, but I'm not sure I like it THAT much. We are members at the YMCA, so we have use of the indoor pool there for free. But that just doesn't seem like much fun during the summer, and when it's so hot outside, the heated pool isn't very appealing. So what do you think? Edited May 7, 2017 by PeachyDoodle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 Even in summer, I usually prefer indoor pools. My Dh has had skin cancer, and I find it more fun to swim without having to worry about the sun. Is there something better about the outdoor pool? As in size, slides, toys? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterbaby Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 Four hundred dollars is a lot, even if you have it. Do they have daily tickets? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 With a YMCA membership already, I won't spend that money on a community pool summer membership. We stay in a condo which has an outdoor pool. We swim there in the summer after 4pm because it is like 100degF out. We spend more time swimming at the YMCA and at a indoor water park because it is much more comfortable to hide in the air-conditioned comfort of indoor pools lounge area. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa B Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 Use the YMCA pool when it is extremely hot or you want to socialize and practice swimming. There really isn't room to practice swimming technique at the community pool over the summer. I'd spend the money on a few day trips or a well chosen weekend trip. My dh purchases day passes and takes the kids a few times per summer. They enjoy the waterslides but don't desire going any more often than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 I prefer swimming inside all summer. No sunscreen, no burns, no bugs. Save the money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 What do you think your kids would like? Do you already have a lot of things to do over the summer, or do you think your kids are looking for more to do? We got a summer pool membership when our kids were younger, and we LOVED it. We/they went there probably 3 days/week (or more), and it really was a highlight of their summer. Sometimes even before we went to bed at night, we'd run over there for a quick dip just to cool off. (We had no AC for years.) Sometimes I would bring a book and just read while they were in the pool. That felt so luxurious! (And for me, it was never about getting a tan, so I'd sit in a shady area.) As they got older, they could be there alone or with friends. I'd much rather be swimming outside with the bugs and fresh air and sunshine than swimming inside a building with stale air. However, our pool membership was probably half the price you quoted, and it was close enough to our home that our kids could ride there on their bikes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 (edited) Wow. Thankful for our $100 family pool membership here, which is well worth the cost for us even though DH and I rarely swim too. The kids go almost daily all summer. Edited May 7, 2017 by Word Nerd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 We have 2 community pools included in our dues. One is hit or miss on whether it's even open, and the other is always crowded, partly because of that. (Also because it's bigger, has a kiddie pool, and is on the more densely populated side of our community.) Even without paying extra, we're lucky if we go a half dozen times over the summer. The drive is a pain, so it reduces the number of quick dips we're willing to take. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeachyDoodle Posted May 7, 2017 Author Share Posted May 7, 2017 (edited) No day passes -- that would be nice. :( As far as I know, none of the pools around here do that, but they are all private pools out here, no rec centers or anything like that. If anything, ours is less restrictive to members than others. My parents live on a golf course just up the road from our pool, and they restrict membership at their pool to only those who reside on the course. My parents can't even take the kids unless they buy seasonal guest passes on top of the dues. I really would like to think we'd make use of the Y pool, but I know we won't. It's ok, but it's never busy in the winter and is deserted in the summer when the community pools are open, so really no help on the social front -- which is my number one reason for considering the community pool. If I'm going to go, I want to be able to enjoy the sun and not have to spend the whole time entertaining. And the kids get along great but deserve a break from each other sometimes. Plus, both the room and the water at the Y are heated so it feels like taking a bath inside a sauna in there. Not at all appealing to anyone when it's 95F with 90% humidity outside. I don't know of any Y's within decent driving distance that have outdoor pools. Some do have splash pads. Kids would LOVE it. But yeah, I'm having trouble justifying the cost, for sure. ETA: The cost is, from what I can tell, fairly comparable to other pools in this area. Edited May 7, 2017 by PeachyDoodle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caclcoca Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 (edited) We pay a little more than that to join our community pool, but it is walking distance from our house. We can walk up there and stay an hour, and then go home. If I had to drive 10 minutes and pack a lunch, I wouldn't join. I would rather do the 2-3 fun day trips. Especially if you have access to the pool at the Y. ETA: I just read your second response. If you think your children will love it, and it will be a good social outlet, I would be tempted to join. This could be a three to four time a week thing instead of just 3 days of the summer. My kids are a little older and great swimmers, so I almost always sit in the shade with a book (one eye on kids and one eye on my book). Edited May 7, 2017 by Caclcoca Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 400$ and you already have a pool to go to. Noooo way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassenach Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 I would do it for a summer. Either you will find that it's awesome and it's your new summer tradition, or it's not and you won't have to do this debate every summer. Our local pools run between $350 and $550, so it seems in line to me. I agree with you about the Y pool. Heated indoor pools are gross in the summer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaeFlowers Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 No way. But I hate public pools. Can you have an above ground pool in your yard? We had an Intex pool last year and it was so much fun. Plus, I think I paid $180 for it (plus the cost of maintenance). Still, it was less than $400. We have a neighborhood pool where we are now. We won't be using it even though its part of our how dues. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 Well, I pay that much for our summer pool. It gives us access to two pools, so the one day a week each pool is closed for maintenance or swim meet, we can go to the other. Neither are extremely busy, but my kids can always find people to play with. And all our neighbors are members, so we generally have a group to go with. We have life guards all the time. There are shady areas at both pools, which is important to me as a red head who has had skin cancer. We go to the pool almost every day, except when we are out of town. Some days we just go after dinner or eat dinner there. I do bring snacks when we go. I rarely take lunch. We are more likely to go after lunch. Our pools don't open until 11, after swim team practice. (We swim on a different team than our pool we are members of because I like that coach.) I hate our Y indoor pool. It's hot and swampy in there. And there are never people there to play with. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterbaby Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 It's a hard call. I find going to the outdoor pool very unpleasant, but it's so good for my kid's fitness and socializing. But we are dealing with a public pool that's much, much cheaper. Though my personal situation is to where that low costs affects me much as $400 might someone else. Still, $400 is $400. It may come down to how much that really is to you. How's outdoor space at home? You may want it for activity as much as swimming as such. Due to fair skin and hating the heat we go late in the day; ours is open until almost 8. There are fewer people and it's generally a lot less unpleasant. I still don't like it though. But having kids inside at loose ends all the time can be almost as unpleasant after a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 The question is will you go? We have a pool and it gets used a lot. In the past we had a pool 5 minutes away before we had kids and it got used a lot. I have never been a member of the Y so I can't say much for that. I do like outdoor pools for the summer and don't really have much appreciation for indoor pools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 I personally would not... but then again, our pools are free, so it's not like I have to make the call. I think a lot of the posts here are ignoring the social aspect of the pool. Everyone I know who does a pool does it in part for the summer social scene. It's often a tight community and huge social scene. There's one pool not too far from us that's infamous for the social scene. You can grill out at the pool. Everyone eats dinner communally, just hanging on the lawn. You get there with a book and release the kids and don't see them again for hours because they're in and out of the pool, the sandbox, the playground, back to the pool, and then can I have a dollar ice cream sandwich, and back in the pool and, where are they again? And meanwhile, the parents are chilling with their wine and grilled vegetable kebobs. And, oh, here come the working parents getting off work. It's a whole thing. So... I think, if your pool has that sort of thing and that appeals to you, it's worth the cost. See if you can do an end of summer membership though. Ask around and see if your pool does those. They're common at a lot of the community pools here. People stop going as often in August and many of them sell cheap memberships for just the last bit of summer. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Kate Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 I voted to do the pool membership...because that's what I did this summer. We really only have private pools here, so for the third year in a row I forked over $300 for membership. We do enjoy going each year and since I also work part-time (until 2pm each day), it is something I look forward to to make it really feel like summer. Also, something I realized the other day...my kiddos are 9 (almost 10) and 13. There really aren't too many more summers left of getting a membership and spending time together at the pool. Sometimes I forget that this parenting kids thing doesn't last forever. Then I remember and I buy that pool pass! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkyandtheBrains. Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 If you will get $400 of use out of it join. Our pool was considerably less, but we only join in summers we know we can go often Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 I voted No but that's because I know I wouldn't go every day because of the things on that Cons list. I would need to be able to get over it and go pretty much every day to feel like I got my $400 worth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 I voted No but that's because I know I wouldn't go every day because of the things on that Cons list. I would need to be able to get over it and go pretty much every day to feel like I got my $400 worth Me too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GinaPagnato Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 I voted yes! It's summer. Summer is hot. In the hot summer you go to the pool! Making friends at the pool is a great benefit, and one that can last all year long. You may make mommy friends, too, and then together you coordinate what times you'll meet up to swim, have lunch, etc. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ailaena Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 The question is: can you afford a $400 mistake? If everything works out then that's fantastic, but let's say it sucks and you go twice, can you be ok with that? Or, can you live with the idea of spending loads of time at the pool and not ending up with friends and The Best Summer Evar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 (edited) My kids are not strong swimmers so when we're at the pool, I feel the need to keep my eyes on them the whole time. Just watching them for hours. It's not fun for me at all. When it's super hot, I love getting in the pool, but when it's less than 90 degrees, I hate the senstation of stepping into the cold water. When I'm in the water with the kids, I stay near them keeping an eye on them. Every hour they have a 15 minute adult swim where the kids have to get out of the pool. That's the time when I get my real swimming in. Other than that, I'm just watching, watching, watching the kids. (I don't fully trust the lifeguards. I've heard too many stories of kids drowning in public pools--one was local where my friends like to go. They headed out to the pool but it was closed because a child had died in it that same day.) My oldest never wants to go and I have to force him to go for the exercise. It is such a drag to force a child to do something "fun." And he's 14 now and I'm not about to try to force a teenager to have "fun" if it's not fun to him. They both (wait...all three of us) haaaaate putting on sunblock, but I'm a stickler about it and so we have to cover ourselves with gobs of the stuff. This means we come home and have to take showers. So going to the pool takes up a full half of the day. My one son could probably get by without a lot of the stuff, but the son who never wants to go and I have very fair skin and burn pretty much instantly. I have had a pool membership for a number of years, but I've decided not to this year because of the above. It was ok when they were very tiny and both of them wanted to go and they couldn't entertain themselves because they were too young and always looked to me for entertainment. I was in the trenches trying to figure out what they could do all summer. The pool was better than us all looking at each other in the house bored out of our minds. Sure, I was bored out of my mind just watching them splash around, but at least they were happy and not whining. But now they're older and we can do different things. Like, I'm going to teach them sewing and cooking this summer and there are books to be read and field trips to go on. My dh can take my youngest to the pool in the evening. The two of them love going. They can just pay to get in as they go. It wouldn't be worth a year-long membership. Edited May 7, 2017 by Garga 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MistyMountain Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 (edited) I did not read follow up posts at first and said no since you could go to the Y but now I see why that is not a good option. I guess it depends on if you would find it a lot of work and annoying to bring them by yourself or if it would be fun and you would use it a lot. Would you know anyone else there so you have at least at least one friend to hang with if you did not meet others. Edited May 7, 2017 by MistyMountain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solascriptura Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 (edited) My kids love to swim with their friends. I hate the sun but suck it up for them. Edited May 7, 2017 by solascriptura 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 (edited) Oh, for us, we never really got the social side of it. My kids would sometimes see someone they knew, but since they weren't strong swimmers, the stronger swimmers would just swim away. And since I have the thing where I feel obligated to watch my kids the whole time, I couldn't sit there chatting with someone else. Besides, I didn't know anyone else at the pool. I'd just sit there alone. Socially it was a bust for us. I might feel entirely differently if I knew my kids were hanging out with other kids and I had someone to talk to. Edited May 7, 2017 by Garga 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 I voted no because you have an indoor pool available at no extra cost. I am no fan of sunburns (nor sunscreen for that matter), so I would a million times rather use an indoor pool. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 To avoid completely missing the outdoor swimming experience, drive your kids to some lake / campground / waterpark and do that for a day. :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 If you live somewhere with a swim culture, I would join the pool. We also go in rash guards and swim shorts--I own swim capris. We also tend to go in the evening. We have wonderfully tired children who shower at the pool and head for bed when we get home. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebcoola Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 We live at the pool and love it the kids do summer swim team in the morning and we all go back to the pool in the afternoon. Our kids are strong swimmers so it is easy for me to relax and chat etc. My fondest summer memories we when and all best friends did swim lessons together at our neighborhood pool. We had so many kids it took 2 hours the moms would sit and chat, eat lunch the kids would rotate playing on the playground and having their lesson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acadie Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 You could think of this as a year to try it out, to see if it's something you'd like to continue. Sounds like if your kids each found a buddy or two that would make it worthwhile. My kids are 14 and 11 and our town pool has been great. I think of swimming as an essential life skill, plus I love it, so it's always been a priority to me that my girls be strong swimmers. They took a few years of swim lessons, then joined the town swim team, which has a developmental focus and was where they really refined their strokes. Great place to meet neighbors. To me keeping your youngest comfortable in the water is a huge plus, and there's nothing like just playing around in the water to get truly confident. At this point I can bring a book and just look up and find them every few minutes, which is still a few years off for you, but that's a delicious moment when it comes. I don't like it when the pool is super crowded either, so sometimes I purposely go on off times--right when it opens, slightly cloudy day, around dinnertime then grab takeout after, that sort of thing. I wonder if you could figure out when it's not so crowded and build a routine around that. Or if dh would be willing to take them at a certain time during the week that's less crowded. After a couple hours swimming my girls are exhausted. I love coming home either to a quiet afternoon of reading and art where nobody bugs me, or knowing they'll drop off to sleep early and dh and I can enjoy the evening. Tired kids are good kids ;) Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 It sounds good to me except for the part about the pool being almost always crowded. There's a pool near us that is always crowded. I took my kids to it a few times when they were younger and it was awful! Wall to wall people, getting jostled and bumped into, nowhere to lay our towels, and the noise - yikes! Plus, I found it very difficult to keep an eye on my kids in a pool swarming with other kids. We started going to the pool in the next town over and it was so much more pleasant. There were plenty of other kids there, but there was room to actually swim or to stretch out around the pool, the noise level was not overwhelming, and I could relax and read a book without stressing over trying to keep track of my kids in a crowded pool. So for me, that would be a deal breaker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 I have good memories of the outside pools (and also the inside pool) when I was a kid. These were free community pools. But our parents never came with us. If our parents had been there, it would have been less fun. :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeachyDoodle Posted May 8, 2017 Author Share Posted May 8, 2017 I personally would not... but then again, our pools are free, so it's not like I have to make the call. I think a lot of the posts here are ignoring the social aspect of the pool. Everyone I know who does a pool does it in part for the summer social scene. It's often a tight community and huge social scene. There's one pool not too far from us that's infamous for the social scene. You can grill out at the pool. Everyone eats dinner communally, just hanging on the lawn. You get there with a book and release the kids and don't see them again for hours because they're in and out of the pool, the sandbox, the playground, back to the pool, and then can I have a dollar ice cream sandwich, and back in the pool and, where are they again? And meanwhile, the parents are chilling with their wine and grilled vegetable kebobs. And, oh, here come the working parents getting off work. It's a whole thing. So... I think, if your pool has that sort of thing and that appeals to you, it's worth the cost. This is a pretty accurate description of the atmosphere. The social aspect is a big key for me. The problem is that I sometimes get all gung-ho about DOING THINGS! and BEING SOCIAL! until it comes time to, you know, do things and be social. :D I do think joining would be an easy way for the kids to have more social interaction while not requiring a ton of work on my part -- by which I mean: I won't have to chit-chat with a bunch of other moms unless I want to. That, and keeping DS comfortable around the water, are my primary motivations. A number of our casual acquaintances are members at this pool. We have had a membership in past years, though not since the year DS was an infant (which didn't work well), and my family had a membership every year when I was growing up. I do have fond memories of it. If it were half the price, it would be a no-brainer to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulieA97 Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 We belong to a pool and its $500. Worth every. single. penny. I hate hot weather so things like going to the park are torture. I love that I have somewhere to go every day where ds can burn crazy amounts of energy and play with other kids. Plus he adores swim team. Its been a wonderful experience for us. Do it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 Oh, for us, we never really got the social side of it. My kids would sometimes see someone they knew, but since they weren't strong swimmers, the stronger swimmers would just swim away. And since I have the thing where I feel obligated to watch my kids the whole time, I couldn't sit there chatting with someone else. Besides, I didn't know anyone else at the pool. I'd just sit there alone. Socially it was a bust for us. I might feel entirely differently if I knew my kids were hanging out with other kids and I had someone to talk to. If the pool were closer to me, I'd get a membership, and you and I could hang out in the shade because I (and half of my kids) burn through hefty sunscreen. That would make the torture of the pool worth it to me. OP, when I was a kid, we joined the pool every year. We'd do swim team at 9 and some of us would do lessons at 10 and then we'd eat lunch and hang out with our friends for a while longer. Mom sat by the baby pool with our little sister until she was old enough for swim team, and Mom would read and chat with her friends. We all had friends at the pool, and it was very much a social thing, a very big part of our summer. With four kids, it was probably pretty cheap entertainment, actually. I am lazy, and I detest heat, and I developed an allergy to pools as a young adult; if I get too close, it makes my asthma flare. And the pool is a big hike. So we don't belong to a pool, although now that the baby isn't so much of a baby, we could plan on some day passes if they do that and meet up with friends. But when my parents visit, they stay in their RV at a nearby campground that has a very nice pool, and they're happy to take the kids in it, so they do get to swim several times a year. I think if you're going to join a pool, you have to decide that that's kind of your thing for that summer and go a lot. Sort of like how when we've gotten memberships to science museums or the like, we go often for that year, and it's pretty much the main out-of-the-house activity for that year. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 *We just spent a small fortune on private swim lessons getting DS6 comfortable in the water, and we don't want him to lose his progress. This would be reason enough for me. There's really no point to the original swimming lessons if it's not followed up with some time in the pool. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
school17777 Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 I would (and did) at the ages of your dc. Summer is about going to the pool or the beach, afterall. An indoor is not equivalent at all. What I did each summer to decide if the cost was worth it was figure out how much it would cost each time we went, if we could pay a daily rate. Then, I figured out how many times we had to go to equal the membership cost. If I figured we would got at least that many times, then we would renew the membership. We stopped getting a summer membership when the kids got older and our neighbor built a pool and the guest pass price at the pool got to be too expensive to bring friends. When the kids got older, they only wanted to go if a friend went too. When the neighbors built a pool, they got invited enough to swim there that they didn't care about going to our pool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 ... The social aspect is a big key for me. The problem is that I sometimes get all gung-ho about DOING THINGS! and BEING SOCIAL! until it comes time to, you know, do things and be social. :D I do think joining would be an easy way for the kids to have more social interaction while not requiring a ton of work on my part -- by which I mean: I won't have to chit-chat with a bunch of other moms unless I want to. That, and keeping DS comfortable around the water, are my primary motivations. A number of our casual acquaintances are members at this pool. We have had a membership in past years, though not since the year DS was an infant (which didn't work well), and my family had a membership every year when I was growing up. I do have fond memories of it. It was a fun family activity the few years we did it -- but we didn't ever find any new friends out of it. What was fun was that one other family that were good friends were also members, and a few times we all went together and had fun. Some more potential "cons": I'd look very carefully at how much the socializing thing was REALLY going to happen. We've been members of 2 different community pools, and both were always busy with lots of kids -- who never even looked at, much less talked to or played with, any kid who wasn't also on the community pool swim team. The making of friends and socializing all happened in/around swim team practices, and then extended into any hanging out at the pool. Otherwise, it was mostly a clique with non-swim team kids on the outside of that clique. However, that sounds like that might not be a problem for you, if you already have some casual acquaintances who are pool members. Would their children be welcoming, or clique-ish? re: keeping DS comfortable around the water. Totally depends on his personality and his level of confidence about being in the water, but when the pool is really crowded and busy, I see a LOT of the new swimmers/young kids are not really enjoying the pool -- they are anxiously sitting on the steps or clinging to the sides, or staying out of the pool to avoid getting splashed in the face. If they are not naturally extroverted, or confident in the water, that much chaos in the pool does not lead to feeling comfortable about practicing their new swimming abilities. Also, where is your DD in the big picture of maturing? Whether she is developing (or not developing) along about age 11, 12, 13, there is going to be comparing to other girls -- size/shape, style of swimsuits, you name it. Or if she has started m*nstru*tion, that can mean a lot of "NO!" about going to the pool. That can make family trips to the pool very un-fun when one or more people are not excited to go, but are forced to because majority rules... Also, totally with Garga upthread -- the lifeguards at our community pools were teens who had lifeguard training, but were really hit-and-miss about how good they were at being able to watch a pool full of screaming splashing kids -- especially when it is in to hour 6 or 7 of their shift (they are on 45 minutes, off for a 15 minute break), and when they are two or two-and-a-half months into the summer. DH was on the fire dept. at the time, and went to several child drownings over the years (thankfully, none at the community pools), but no way I felt comfortable not having my own eyes on my kids the entire time at the pool when they were under age 12. 10-15 minute drive is longer than *I* would want to get to a neighborhood pool; that's 20-30 minutes round trip just for commuting. Add at least 10 minutes at the end of every trip to work on getting everyone out of the pool, rounded up, and making sure you have ALL of everyone's stuff. Add stress for the inevitable leaving of googles or a towel, and the wailing of whoever realizes their goggles are missing. So time and cash for going to Walmart or Target to buy more googles or towels -- or to have a stockpile in advance so you don't have to make emergency store runs. Also, are the community pool's hours such that you have to work around swim team practice days/times and competitions? That can really limit how available the pool is for your family use. But all of that is just our experiences and my take on it. You and your family are different, and will likely have different experiences. I think the best question to ask yourself is the one that was posed by the poster above: Would you be okay paying $400 and only end up going a few times? Then sure, give it a try. If not, then save the money and use it for signing the kids up for swim team for socializing, or send them to a few summer camps with other kids, and when you want to go swimming, use your already-paid-for Y pool. Or, skip summer socializing and go for 2 nights to a nearby nice resort with a pool and slide, or a small water park feature, and the whole family enjoy a mini-stay-cation. :) GOOD LUCK and have a fun summer, whatever you all decide! :) Warmest regards, Lori D. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 Is a membership the only way to access the pool? If you can pay by the visit you might try that out if you don't know how much you would use the membership. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 My kids spent so much time in the community pools when they were little. It was wonderful for us and we went several times a week. Once they were past the age of me needing to be in the water with them, it was more relaxing for me. I used to do all of my lesson planning poolside in August. We did go several times a week. There were peak hours, usually during the hottest part of the day, that we avoided. There were MANY evenings where I'd pack dinner in a cooler, bring along DH's trunks, and he'd meet us there after work. Or I'd just bring drinks/plates/snacks and have him bring a pizza. I even had these rocks in foil that I'd bake and put in a cooker if I wanted to bring hot food for dinner. In the evening hours our pool was never very crowded and we really enjoyed it as a family then. During the day was when we'd meet friends there. My kids were never swim team kids. They could swim-but-not-great and mostly played in the water. They slept like rocks. When they were really little we'd do showers and into pajamas before leaving. By high school they'd lost interest. I kind of missed those days. My kids and I are very fair. We tended to avoid the noon-4 hours. I went through a lot of sunscreen and was pretty glad that Adult Swim forced them out of the water to rest/drink/reapply so I wasn't the bad guy. I generally sat up camp in a shady space and kept my kids in swim shirts. We were close enough to walk to one pool, but sometimes we'd use other pools that we drove to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamakelly Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 Sounds fun. I'd do it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 Is there a joining fee on top of the $400? Around here, there is a $400-$500 yearly fee, but there is a one time $400 joining fee in addition to that, which becomes more than a one time fee if you let it lapse and then want to rejoin. We have never joined because the upfront year is $800-$900. We do have an above ground pool in our yard though and when the kids were younger, it got lots of use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeachyDoodle Posted May 8, 2017 Author Share Posted May 8, 2017 (edited) Is there a joining fee on top of the $400? Around here, there is a $400-$500 yearly fee, but there is a one time $400 joining fee in addition to that, which becomes more than a one time fee if you let it lapse and then want to rejoin. We have never joined because the upfront year is $800-$900. We do have an above ground pool in our yard though and when the kids were younger, it got lots of use. No. You can choose to purchase stock. I think it's $100 now. But once you've done that, it's just the annual dues. My parents gifted us their stock from years ago. ETA: Also, there's no swim team that meets at this pool. There could possibly be an issue breaking into some groups of kids who know each other from public school, especially for DS, who isn't as outgoing as his sister. This will bother me a lot more than it bothers him. He is by and large content to play by himself, but I hope with more opportunities to socialize he will begin to break out of his shell a bit. I can think of several families we know who will be welcoming. Of course, it all depends on who's there to swim on a given day. Edited May 8, 2017 by PeachyDoodle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 I'm much more partial to an outdoor pool. I think the sun and fresh air just tire the kids out more (in a good, healthy way). Indoor pools just don't have the "fun" factor for me. They scream of senior water aerobics and lap swimming, not summer fun. I'd join the pool and go a few times a week. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaBearTeacher Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 Why is it so expensive? Is there any any way to make it less expensive? Is $400 just for the summer or the whole year? Is it just a pool or is there something else to do there? Are there umbrellas where you can sit? Do it anyways if you think they would love it. Life is short. Childhood goes by. $400 you spent won't matter to you in ten years but fond memories will. Bring cool drinks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 FWIW -- I live in the same area as Peachy. The fee she's quoting is quite normal for pools around here. In fact I'm rather surprised it's that inexpensive, as we paid almost that much over ten years ago when we were members of another pool that is, I think, very close to the one Peachy is considering. I don't have any good advice on joining/not joining. We did for a few years when the boys were in early elementary school. This was before we started homeschooling, so they did know many of the kids there, plus our neighbor who had two daughters the boys' ages was a member and they practically lived there. I think the boys enjoyed it. I didn't because I am SO not a fan of the sun, heat or humidity. We tended to go as soon as the pool opened and stay until noon or 1:00. We took them a few times in the evenings, but every time we went it seemed a thunderstorm popped up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom@shiloh Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 Before we had our own pool, we always had a pool membership in the summer, but I voted 'no' on this poll because it sounds as if your pool is crowded and pretty expensive for a membership imo. Since you can already use the pool at the Y and that's less crowded, I'd stick with that. I think it's hugely important for kids to get the opportunity to swim since it can save their lives someday, but if your pool is so crowded, they're not likely to have space to get comfortable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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