My theory is, if I'm the only parent around, then all the kids have to listen to me. So if a child is misbehaving in the kiddie pool, I correct him. If they ignore me, I just sweetly tell them that we'll need to go ask their mommies if they are allowed to behave that way. That usually stops 'em. I do this in the neighborhood, too. If I see the kids doing something dangerous, I hop right in and stop them - if only because I don't want my kids emulating them. When the kids are young enough - 10 and under, I'd say - they'll usually listen because they don't want you taking the problem to their parents. I don't know about the older kids, though - I'm not there yet. I'll probably get my house egged some day, or turn into the crazy old lady who scares all the neighborhood kids. Of course, I have four kids myself - one a newborn - which means I can't possibly keep track of all of them at once. And I appreciate knowing that other mothers will set them straight instead of letting them misbehave when my attention is directed elsewhere. It's embarrassing, but I prefer to be told if my kid is misbehaving. And when the kids know we're watching out for one another's kids, they tend to behave better. In this particular case, I suppose you could've loudly congratulated your kid for "sharing," even if that wasn't his intention. Then, when the girl returns the bucket, you can thank her and remind her that the rule is that your toys stay by you, because you don't want to lose them. Then, if she wanders away again, you can remind her, "oops, don't forget the rule - Jack's toys stay where we can see them!" And let's hope the mom doesn't take the kids to the pool every day at naptime. Coz then I'd get annoyed... emailfromtheembassy.blogspot.com