Mistreatment

My parents must not have known what they were doing. I played in the Rio Grande and the irrigation ditches when I was growing up. But now I've been told that 75 degrees Farenheit is too cold, our heated pool should be at 80 degrees. Certainly that's where we try to keep the pool according to the recommendations from several of the pool foundations, etc., but I think the water in which I played was a little bit colder. The Rio Grande came through my grandparents farm in Colorado. At that point it was fed by snow melt. I don't believe it gets anywhere near 75 or 80 degrees. But I do remember a lot of fun. I do remember warming up as we ran back to the house. I do remember my parents letting us learn by falling down and getting cold and running around and getting hurt.

There's certainly a balance between not caring and being overprotective. I think complaining about five degrees difference in the pool temperature might be one of those overprotective things. If my parents had left us by ourselves at the Rio Grande they might have been on the side of not cautious enough. As it is I think my parents did a pretty good job of getting the right balance.

Of course, I'm a little prejudiced.