Pool Etiquette

I usually go swimming in the pool at my apartment not because it's particularly great for swimming, but because at 9 at night, it beats travelling out just to get a swim in for the day. Because I'm not entirely sure how long my pool is though, what I refer to as a lap usually means going to and fro, which I convince myself is equivalent to approximately 50m.

The thing I hate about my pool are the kids. Every time I go for a swim my life is on the line. The youngsters think it's funny jumping off a high ledge into the pool and it's just a matter of time before they land on someone and break their neck. I like to hug the wall when I swim because I feel since I'm doing laps, the kids can have the rest of the pool to mess around with. However, since I've started wall hugging, I just feel that swimming is so much more precarious. When I went swimming last night I almost had a kid jump on my head, and believe you me, I wanted to wring that kid's neck right there and then. I also wanted to wring that kid's parents' necks. Firstly, isn't it way past that youngster's bedtime and secondly, you'd think they'd be a little more responsible instead of finding their kid funny. The thing is even if they didn't kill the unwitting swimmer below the ledge, the pool isn't all that deep and just one day some kid is going to crack his head and all these kids/parents would learn the hard way that sometimes a little bit of discipline is good, probably too late.

Other than jumping on my head, the thing I can't stand is when these kids take up the whole entire pool. I'm not asking for much, just the area across the length of one wall. But that apparently is still too much. I spent the bulk of my swim last night very frustrated and very pissed off, because I had to stop every now and then when the kids and their parents played ball the entire width of the pool.

The thing is, I hate being the prick that doesn't understand that children will be children. But it's gotten so annoying swimming in my pool lately that I'm wondering how I can get about all of this. I suppose I could pack up and swim at the club instead of at home, but somehow that feels a little like I'm being chased out of my pool by a bunch of unruly kids and their irresponsible parents.

What I did last night:
Swam 10 very frustrating laps full of starts and stops