A Swimming Pool for Teens

June 15, 2010

When Jim and Mary had teenage children, they wanted to provide a way for them to have friends over where the parents could supervise them. They wanted to make their home an attractive place for teens, with an outdoor activity to lure them away from bedrooms and reclusiveness. Their solution was to install an above ground swimming pool.

During the spring, summer, and fall, their house was a gathering place for many teens, church parties, and Boy Scout activities. They knew where the kids were and what they were doing. You can pretty well monitor a swimming pool by noise level.

To provide for safety, Jim and Mary installed a fence between the pool and the street to keep neighborhood children from sneaking in. The pool was only about four feet deep, so with teenagers there was little chance of drowning. The only time anyone came close was one day when Christi, their two-year-old niece, jumped in with her ruffled little dress on. Her big sister grabbed her by the flounces and yanked her out. Scared but unhurt, she had more respect for water after that.

After the first couple of years, Jim and Mary installed a deck around the pool. This made it easier to get in and out and provided a sunbathing area, as well as keeping dirt and grass from being tracked in, thus lowering maintenance time and expense. They installed a ladder and filters right away for maintaining the pool easily. Many pool kits come complete with these items as well as any needed chemicals.

The thing that amazed Jim and Mary was how long the swimming pool lasted. They were pleasantly surprised that their teenage grandchildren were eventually swimming in the same pool - as well as the children of that two-year-old niece who took such an early plunge.