A couple says they’ve been made to feel like they’re “overreacting” by their own parents after expressing discomfort about bringing their 5-month-old to a home without a pool fence.
In a Reddit post, an anonymous woman explains that her husband’s parents have a pool at their house.
“Even though our son is just 5 months old and not crawling or walking, my husband has told his parents that once he starts crawling or walking, we wouldn’t be visiting them due to their decision not to install a pool fence,” she writes. “Of course, we said they could visit us anytime. My husband mentioned this in advance so they could plan for a future pool gate installation if they wanted.”
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She adds that her in-laws “made us feel like we were overreacting and overthinking,” telling them this was typical first-time parent behavior and even scoffing and laughing at their concerns.
The woman notes that her in-laws “aren’t in the best financial position, so they might not have the funds” for a pool fence. She adds, “In that case, they didn’t need to gaslight us or make fun of our parenting choices—they could have simply said they weren’t planning to install one.”
Reddit users largely sided with the couple. One commenter wrote, “A child can drown in two inches of water. Good for OP’s husband for setting a safety boundary regarding the pool. Too bad the in-laws are scoffing at the necessity of a pool fence.”
Another added, “Nobody is suggesting you install a pool fence and then leave the baby unattended, but every preventative step buys a distracted adult extra seconds. You can’t be vigilant 24/7, and those extra seconds can make all the difference.”
