This Is How We Do It

I find it amusing that many people do not appreciate lifeguards enough. Considering how its their job to keep the patrons of the pool safe, lifeguards have to do what they have to do.
While many people see life guarding as simply sitting on a chair for several hours, the job entails much more than that. Even the part of the job that is sitting in a chair, isn't just aimlessly looking at the people swimming.
Often, what happens is that lifeguards are the janitorial staff at the pool as well. They tend to be required to pick up the mess left by people, including wet food which sticks to concrete. The bathrooms that rushed kids use, are cleaned by the lifeguards who tend to spend many hours outside in one day. In essence, lifeguards have to maintain the pool themselves, and for the ones that are underpaid for their duties, they can become easily frustrated, and that sadly is taken out on the patron.
In the most rigorously managed pools, lifeguards are constantly trained to make sure no error occurs in case of emergency. This is time out of a lifeguards day to make sure they will be able to save a patrons life.
Of course, there are times when a lifeguard needlessly acts strict. A kid running to the bathroom isn't just seen as a blatant violation of pool rules, but possibly a kid with a traumatic head injury. Children horse playing isn't just simple splashing, but possibly an unconscious kid who may have permanent brain damage.
Lifeguards do enjoy having fun, but at a pool, anything that happens can lead to something a whole lot worse. In my opinion, while I do know CPR and First-Aid, I don't want to ever have to use it.