Summer is just around the corner. I know that for some it seems like a long lost season of old, but rest assured that it will be here before long. It is a child’s favorite season because school lets out for a long break, and they look forward to sleepovers, vacations, being able to sleep in every day, and many other things. It may be a bit more bittersweet for some adults. Summer is a time when the kids stay home all day, and before long they may run out of fun things to do, and suddenly they spend most of the day describing how they have nothing to do. For some parents, this situation may be the spark for the thought, “Should I get a swimming pool?” That is a good question, and requires some thought before the decision is made. So, let’s look at the benefits of having a swimming pool of your very own.
 |
Let’s stick with the kiddos for a minute. In today’s wold it is no secret that kids spend a lot of time inside the house playing video games, or connecting to different social media sites to find out what their friends or favorite celebrities are doing, or what the latest craze is. I remember growing up without such things, and just having a brother was enough to keep me entertained for the day. We used to spend the entire day outside the only going inside for lunch or dinner. Sometimes, we would even have Mom bring our lunch outside on nice days. We would play in the yard, or go to an area in the neighborhood with some trees that we called the woods. We would spend afternoons fishing at the pond, and having pool parties with our friends and we would occasionally set up tents in the backyard for camp outs. As we got into our teenage years, we still spent more time outside than we did indoors. The point is that we had a lot to do without having iPods, iPads, iPhones, Xbox, Playstation 4, or the Internet. Now it seems like kids have so much to do inside that there is no reason to go out. In some instances, kids as young as six have phones, and games that take up their time. My six year old nephew has an iPhone 5. I still only have the 4. Anyway, this lack of outdoor fun may be in some ways having a negative effect on our children. My expertise is in pools not child psychology, but with things like child obesity, cyber bullying, sexting and violent video games affecting children, and all that other stuff that is in the news every other day, it is not out of line to say that maybe kids should just go outside and play like I used to. Things like freeze tag, squirt gun fights, and Marco Polo are on the endangered list of summer fun, and we have to save them from extinction!
Sorry for the rant, but the point is that if you have a child that spends their summer vacation in front of a flat screen or on their phone and you want them to be more active, then getting a swimming pool for the family may just be the ticket. There are many benefits to having a swimming pool, from the health standpoint to the sheer enjoyment and everything in between. Swimming is good for you; it provides cardiovascular fitness and potentially endless smiles from your kids. I can still remember the feeling I got when I was young when my parents said we could have a pool party and invite all of our friends from the neighborhood. Having a pool also allows the opportunity to teach the little one how to swim, and with a pool of your own you wouldn’t have to make time to go to the YMCA or pay for the membership. I think that the ability to swim is something everybody should have, because you never know when you might need it. In addition to that, having a swimming pool might be the incentive to stay home over the summer rather than spending money on an expensive vacation.
People often wonder if having a swimming pool will make their property value go up. It really depends on the buyer. Obviously, someone who wants a pool and has the means to take care of one might be willing to spend some extra cash on a house that already has a pool. In today’s world, there are a lot of different possibilities for the look of a pool as well. One could get a pool and completely transform their backyard from an empty space that nobody visits to a backyard oasis with beautiful sidewalks, fountains, waterfalls, and slides. Pools can be built to have volleyball nets, built in hot tubs, tanning ledges, etc.
In all reality, a swimming pool may be just the thing to provide that incentive for a kid and even some adults to go outside and get away from all the social media and video games. It could provide an outlet from the stress that kids might get from cyber bullying and all that other negativities that comes with electronic devices.
If you are thinking about installing a swimming pool, I think that you should know that they can be beneficial to your family, especially the kids. Think it over and do what you feel is best, but know that many families enjoy having a swimming pool. It allows them to get together and have some fun rather than spend their days isolated from one another. In regards to the kids, get them active and get them outside. It will only do them some good.
