The pros and cons of the public pool

We just got back from swimming and boy are my ladies tired. They are passed out. Gotta love that. But while we were at the pool, being splashed by obnoxious children I don't know or care to know, I couldn't help but wonder if going there was worth it.

So I must weigh the pros and cons.

Pro: Swimming is tiring, so when we get home both ladies pass out.

Con: Random bratty kids I don't know. They splash, rough house, jump in right next to me and throw stuff.

Pro: Water is cold and refreshing. Feels pretty good when its 100+ degrees outside.

Con: Water in wading pool is boiling hot. So I'm forced into big pool with previously mentioned brats.

Pro: My kids love the water.

Con: It takes forever to get everybody dressed, slathered in sunscreen and into the car. Last year, when it was just me and Alana, it was so quick. Now I have to wrangle Ava into a bathing suit and get her to hold still long enough to put sunscreen on her.

Pro: Ava looks like a fat little stuffed sausage in her bathing suit. So cute. Add her floppy sun hat and she's ready to sun herself on the beach.

Con: Some parents just drop their kids off there for the afternoon, so the lifeguards are just like underpaid babysitters. And they aren't paying attention.

Pro: Super cheap. It costs 25 cents per kid, and a dollar for me. That's $1.50 for a couple of hours killed in my long afternoon. Add that to the $1 ice cream cone I usually end up buying for Alana and I've gotten my money's worth.

Con: Did I mention the bratty kids? Cause they are the main reason for this list. Bratty, bratty kids.

Pro: Compared to lots of the moms who I see at the pool, I look pretty good in a bathing suit. Boost for my self-confidence.

Con: Teenagers. Especially teenage girls. They stand next to the pool, with their bikinis and no stretch marks (I hate them for that). Hehehe, don't splash me! You'll mess up my hair! I don't want to get wet! Can't a girl just stand next to a public pool with her hair done and a full face of make-up and stay completely dry? Silly boys!  ***I may hate to get my hair wet now, but as a teenager I would've been the first to do a cannonball right into that pool. Who goes to a pool and stands next to it in their bathing suit?

Despite my love/hate relationship with our city pool, I will continue to go there at least once a week for the rest of the summer. Who can blame me? Its 100 degrees outside!