Parents ‘Demand’ Man Re-Open Private Pool He Closed After Neighborhood Kids Damaged It

May 30, 2022 by apost team

Sometimes people choose to do something for others out of the kindness of their own hearts. While these selfless acts don’t always necessarily need to be recognized, it would probably be polite to at least be appreciative if you are on the receiving end.

Unfortunately, this was not the case for one 37-year-old man. After he moved into a small neighborhood with his fiancé, he was pretty happy to see that the neighborhood was full of kids. Although many of the kids were around the ages of 9 and 10 years old, the man was happy to do something to accommodate them, especially since his fiancé was expecting.

Both the man and his fiancé decided that they wanted to install an above-ground pool and allowed the kids in the neighborhood to use it. It was a hit with all of the families during the previous summer, so the man figured it would be fine to open it up to them again. He had some rules though and made it clear that no dogs were allowed in the pool to prevent any type of damage from happening.

However, there was an issue in May 2022 when the man opened his pool back up. Some of the kids used it while he and his fiancé were away, and when they got back, they found some damage to the pool. The man immediately decided to close it off from the neighborhood, which resulted in a huge backlash from the families.

Since then, the man has wondered if he was wrong for telling the neighbors they could no longer use his pool and turned to Reddit for advice.

Starting off his Reddit post, the original poster (OP) talked about how he moved into a small neighborhood with his fiancé that was full of kids around the ages of 9 and 10. When OP and his fiancé found out that they were expecting, they decided to install a pool. They also extended the invitation to the families in their neighborhood, especially the kids, to come and use the pool if they would like to.

“I had an above ground pool put in last year and the neighborhood kids were very happy,” OP said. “I told them no dogs were allowed in the pool as the lining was fragile and could break.”

OP and his fiancé decided to open up their pool again and allowed the kids to use it while they were away. However, they noticed some changes when they got back. It also seemed like the children hadn’t listened to the rules he previously set in place based on the damage that was done.

“When we got back, I noticed the water level was low and tried to refill it,” OP explained. “I saw a good size tear on the side and got it fixed.”

The situation only seemed to get worse from that point on. “The kids came over the next day with a labrador retriever wanting to use the pool and I told them that the pool was closed,” OP said. This did not go over well with the children or their parents, and it quickly escalated to become a huge issue within the neighborhood. 

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OP explained:

“I come home and see a few of the neighbors arguing with my fiancé. I walk over and everyone starts talking about how I hurt their kid’s feeling by not allowing them to use the pool. I explained what happened and why I had to close the pool. A few of them start laughing and demand me to reopen the pool. My fiancé thinks that I should open the pool and apologize to the families.”

While it seemed like plenty of people were against OP, he couldn’t help but wonder if he was wrong for closing the pool off to the neighborhood. However, many Reddit users assured him that he made the right decision. They also pointed out some potential dangers that could happen if kids were to use the pool unsupervised. According to Nationwide, if someone were to get hurt on OP’s property, it could potentially lead to a lawsuit.

One user commented: “Who are the neighbors to DEMAND that you open the pool?! And I surely hope you strictly enforce the no dog rule. I’m also ASSUMING you require at least one adult to be present at the pool at all times!”

Another user added: “This whole scenario is an insurance nightmare. Never never NEVER let anyone use your pool, especially when you’re not home … Tell them no one uses the pool anymore period, then install cameras and a pool cover.”

A third user commented: “Seriously? The entitlement is ridiculous. OP, you should never let them use the pool especially unsupervised. Anything happens, you are liable legally. If parents want their kids in a pool they should buy their own.”

Do you think this man was right to close his pool off from the neighborhood kids? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to your family and friends.