Let Kids Be Kids

Yesterday we went to our neighborhood pool. It was a fun experience.... Sue-Sue kept experimenting with going underwater. She was very proud of herself. Of course, a trip to the pool wouldn't be complete if I didn't end up getting splashed repeatedly... but you should expect to be wet when you go to the pool, right? Not according to one grandmother there.
Our neighbor was at the pool with her grandmother. The 2-year-old rotated between the big pool with her older sister and the "little pool," where my daughters and I happened to be hanging out. Every time the toddler ventured into the "little pool" (sorry, I can no longer call it the baby pool or my daughters will catch on that they're supposed to be in the big pool) her grandmother would immediately warn her "no splashing." What? Granted I can only take so much splashing. Eventually I'll tell my daughters to splash in another direction or see if they can splash the flowers near the fence, rather than soak me. But isn't a pool made for splashing? The little girl wasn't splashing anyone in the face or acting out of control, she was simply doing what kids do in a pool... having fun. My daughters kept splashing away. The only time I told them to stop was when their splashing looked like it was getting too close to the "no splash" grandmother.
Another little boy wanted to tell his mother something. He used that loud outdoor voice that most parents are so familiar with. His mother actually "shushed" him and told him to use a quieter voice. Let me clarify... he was not yelling. He simply was speaking in that loud, excited voice kids have. I don't know about you, but I spend a lot of time encouraging my daughters to use their "indoor" voices when we're in the house. When they're outside I expect them to be loud... although I discourage them from screaming.
There are certain rules that absolutely need to be followed at the pool: don't run, don't push, don't drink the water in the little pool. Unfortunately, it seems as though some parents are so concerned about how their children appear to others that they're stopping them from being kids. I try not to judge other parents. There may be good reasons for implementing rules that seem extreme to me. Just know this: while other kids sit by the side of the pool whispering so as not to offend others, my daughters will be splashing away, laughing at the top of their lungs.