I have been a lifeguard for the past five years, and I have discovered that there are a lot of things that people do not realize about us, so I am here to clarify them for you. Here are 12 things lifeguards want you to know:

1. We are not the bad guys

Fun fact: we are not some evil person here to ruin your day. We're just enforcing the rules, aka doing our job. I am not actually a mean person, I promise!

2. Please listen to us

The more I have to yell at you, the more mad I am going to get. It is irritating, so please listen.

3. Read the rules before you come swimming

Please brush up on the rules before you come so we can focus on your safety instead of whether you are going to run around the pool area again.

4. Babies with diapers should not be in the pool

If a baby is in the water and has a diaper on, that means there is a high chance of poop getting in the pool, and that means the lifeguards have to clean it up and patrons have to wait approximately 30 minutes before being able to go back in. So please, try to keep them out.

5. Pay attention to your kids

We are here to watch everyone, that is true. However, we are not babysitters. Please pay attention to what your kids are doing so I can focus on the safety of all of the patrons instead of watching your two-year-old wander towards the deep end.

6. Do not fake drown

I do not want to jump in and activate our Emergency Action Plan just because you thought it would be funny to fake drown. Do not do it because we will take it seriously.

7. Please do not use snorkels

Are you breathing? Are you not? It is hard for us to tell, and that makes us panic and distracts us from the other patrons. Most facilities have this rule, so please try to avoid using them.

8. Be nice to us

There are so many people who are rude and disrespectful to us. If just one person is nice to us, it brightens our day. Please be nice! We would really appreciate it.

9. Please do not argue with us

We are in charge of the facility and so what we say goes, so please do not waste my time arguing with me. I have people's safety to be concerned about.

10. Respect us

We respect all of our patrons that come into the facility. We may be young people in either high school or college, but we still are an employee of the facility, so please give us some respect. After all, we are the ones keeping you safe.

11. It is not an easy job

It seems like an easy job, but it most certainly is not. People do not realize how much we have to go through just to become a lifeguard. In addition to that, we also are responsible for people's lives. It is a big deal, and we go through trainings to make sure we know how to properly save someone. And, we usually have to do maintenance stuff as well. So no, it is not just sitting in a chair, it is making sure no one gets hurts or worse.

12. We want you to have fun!

We want you all to have fun! We just want you to be safe as well. We are not trying to ruin any fun for anybody.