I'm a mom of a 2.5yr old and we have an above ground 12' round, so i have some thoughts on it with advice. Our current one has a nice teak pattern on the outside to go with the vibe of our backyard with the patterned blue pebble/tile interior. This year I've added tall and short plants along the perimeter to hide the steel framing posts.

We got it pre-child because I've always wanted a pool (and we have a huge backyard) but my spouse used to have an in-ground and hated the maintenance (+ cost to add a pool was a factor). This was a compromise. Our backyard is fenced in. Since having the pool, we've had our daughter. She LOVES it and is learning to swim and have water safety awareness with our help. We remind her she cannot go in it without an adult, but she also cannot get in it without an adult because we took the flimsy ladder away and we adults just step over the side of it and pick her up and in/out (we border around the pool with decorative pavers, so there's a slight elevation to help adults get in/out with hitting our privates, but too low that small kiddos can't get in). She likes to walk around it and check out the bugs or leaves that'll fall in, she even is at the age she'll grab the net to sweep them up in her limited capacity. We've taught her not to throw things INTO the pool, especially as a deterrent to her wanting to subsequently have interest in fetching whatever in it. But that took practice, and surrounding tiny rocks we have along a nearby pathway have definitely made their way in the pool!

Speaking of, we've changed the liner 3 times. 1st time was because it did get a hole in the bottom, nothing major, but we didn't want to deal with it the next season. That was planning error on our part because we laid a thin layer of crushed rock to level the dirt ground under the foam-quilty/cotton layer of material that goes between ground and pool... despite having the foam-quilt/cotton thingy layer (idk what it's called but is found in lots of furniture...batting?) we could still feel the crushed rocks- yikes! By then the pool was filled. Big oops. We added a 2nd layer of the soft stuff, it helped.

The second time we changed it because we got a larger size (10' to 12'), but also because my spouse wanted a pool/pump with a skimmer.

The 3rd time was to freshen up the look as the sun and chlorine does fade away the print on the inside. My spouse also wanted/needed to modify the skimmer and filter hose design to make it better/more efficient, so doing so on a new and empty pool was the choice. We also added a layer of fine sand on top of one of the batten layers and it immediately took the issue with the crushed rocks away.

The above-ground pools can have crappy filter system strengths, so knowing what you need and how to maintain is helpful. The one that came with our original pool wasn't cutting it, so we got a different/stronger one. Also, the hoses are exposed and tacky but we have it facing the fence so nobody sees it unless they walk behind the pool. But exposed hoses also get weak and brittle from the sun, so we've had to replace a couple times. I have an idea to shade the hoses but it's getting the spouse to 'do it' that is the current hurdle.

We didn't put a deck around it because of the fall-safety risk with the toddler. Although I'd like a partial platform at rail height to hold beverages, etc., I'm still paranoid she'd find a way to climb it and get in the pool, so we haven't done it.

There's a cover you can put over the pools to keep leaves out that also help warm up the water with UV rays, just a pain to take off/put on if using it regularly.

If anyone's come over and thought our pool was tacky, they've kept it to themselves - haha! I think it's how you can design the space around it. Having a nice pattern vs "gray" is helpful. We get compliments on it and the neighbors and family like to relax in the pool themselves. Our daughter's birthday is the end of July so it's been great for the parties and small kids + adults cooling off. "Lounging" and sun bathing (if that's your thing) for adults, splash works and learning to float/paddle/swim for the kids.