Archetypes of Kids at the Pool

Swimming season is officially underway. Since we’re walking distance from a city pool I often take the boys there during the summer. After many trips to the pool over the last several years, and a recent trip last week, I’ve decided there are certain types of kids at every public pool. At one time of another my kids have been all of them.

The over-excited kid. This, usually younger, kid is so amped up to be at the pool he just can’t NOT run. His dad’s going to tell him to stop, and maybe he thinks he has stopped running, but he doesn’t. The lifeguards are going to blow the whistle at him and that does get him to stop. For approximately four seconds. And then off he goes again.

The timid swimmer. This is the kid who tests the water with a toe, or keeps a hold on the sidewall of the pool, or wears superfluous sunscreen. He doesn’t want to get splashed and won’t jump off the side into the water. He spends almost as much time on land as in the water. Yet, he wants to be at the pool.

The water lover. It’s no surprise this is the most common kid type at the pool. The water loving kid only comes out of the pool when he has to. He’s probably wearing goggles -- if not flippers and a snorkel. These kids live for the water wrinkles in their fingers and the perfect splash from a textbook cannonball.

The cold kid. Despite all my trips to the pool with the boys being in Texas in the summer, there is always a cold kid. When it’s cooler (in the 80s…) their lips might even turn blue. But, somehow, even on a triple digit day, the cold kid is capable of feeling chilly in the water and will get out and wrap up in a towel. I know the Midwesterners reading this think I must be making this up, but some Texas kids actually get cold swimming in the summer.

The friend maker. These are the kids who never leave the pool without saying goodbye to their five new friends. They have a way of starting a game and drawing others into it. Sometimes it just takes a ball to toss or a diving torpedo to find, but often they’re starting a game out of nothing. The friend makers remind me of fish in that they seem to naturally school together in the water.

The lifeguard watcher. Is it the cool aviator sunglasses? The shiny whistle that appears to wield so much power? Maybe it’s the elevated perch of the lifeguard seat, or that bright red rescue tube they hold so casually? I don’t know for sure what it is, but there are certain kids who just can’t help watching the lifeguards.

The protesting departer. There’s always a kid who’s not done when it’s time to go. Sometimes the protest is a whine, sometimes it takes the form of crossed arms and a scowl, but often it’s a full-on tantrum. I’ve seen, and heard, many a youngster vocalizing their disagreement as his parent carries him to the parking lot on that long walk across the pool deck.