#SoCS Aug. 26/17 – When

26 Aug 2017 41 Comments

by Ritu in #SoCS, Children, Family, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Linda’s prompt for #SoCS this week:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: Start with “WHEN.” Write whatever you’d like, but begin your post with the word “when.” Enjoy!

“When can we go swimming, Mummy?”

That’s a question I hear all the time, and have heard a lot over the last few year.

Kids love swimming and water. If we go anywhere, even for a night, the first question will be “Is there a swimming pool?”

Now, don’t get me wrong.  I love swimming, but the last few years, it has been less swimming and more eagle eyes in back of head, as I watched warily to make sure one of my brood didn’t drown.

Lil Man is actually pretty good, so he can head on up to the deep end, and dives in, swims around with confidence.

Lil Princess however, was a different story. She had learned how to swim, was doing really well, then I had to cancel the lessons as full-time teaching took its toll on after-school activities. She resorted to staying in the shallow end, or baby pool, splashing around, and pretending to swim (doing the arm movements, but hopping along the floor of the pool!).

I always felt bad, but there wasn’t much I could do about it.

We have a couple of local pools, and when the holidays come the same old question rings out constantly: “When can we go swimming?”

I shouldn’t have a problem, but I do. Several.

  1. I want to actually swim too, but can’t as I am on life guard duty.
  2. The pools are full of crazy kids jumping in at random times, and, shock, horror, getting my hair wet!
  3. I’d need to defuzz… and I hate having to do all that preening, just to enter a pool full of strangers!
  4. Going there requires an effort I don’t always have, in lazy lounging holiday mode!
  5. Public pools can be so…dirty!

Usually, when we go to visit my parents, there is a trip to the pool involved. Luckily my mum loves to swim too, and so we station ourselves, one with Flipper (Lil Man) and one with wannabe Mermaid (Lil Princess).

We swap over the hour or so we are there, and get a little chance to swim too.

This summer, the cries for swimming have been more intense.

Why?

Because Lil Princess has been taking swimming lessons at school, and, like they say you never forget how to ride a bike (not true…I’m sure I can’t any more!) it appears to be the same with swimming.

“Mummy, I want to show you how I swim! I’m nearly in the top group too!”

So, when in Birmingham the other week, we took them.

And what a pleasant surprise!

My daughter really can swim!

And we spent the whole time in the deep end, with the kids jumping off the diving boards, and swimming. It only took one of us to be life guard, freeing the other up to actually swim!

Because I was so happy to see that, I even got convinced to show them my diving. It’s been a long time since I dived, and, many moons ago, I was pretty good.

Well, I didn’t belly flop (that was Lil Princess’s domain this time!) but I forgot the pressure as you hit the water, and nearly twisted my neck the first time! It was marginally better the second.

Diving means my hair got wet too – another annoyance that I overcame!

She’s happy, she’s shown Mummy she can swim. And mummy is very proud of her.

But not everyone knows of her skills, and she needs to demonstrate them again, so now the request is being made elsewhere…

“When can we go swimming, Daddy?”

Yeah, you take them this time! The question is…When?

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41 Comments (+add yours?)

  1. Miriam Hurdle
    Aug 28, 2017 @ 05:58:23

    Nice post, Ritu. It reminds me of my daughter taking swimming lessons. She had a wonderful instructor. The very first lesson, he picked her up and threw her in a distance, she moved her arms and legs, but he was there in time before she had any problem. By the end of the summer, she swam like a fish. Now she and her husband love water. She just swam a week ago when I went to visit her – she is 36 weeks pregnant. I’m glad they love water! Your daughter should ask that question to her dad, yes – dad!!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  2. willowdot21
    Aug 27, 2017 @ 20:34:42

    😱🤔😎💗😁

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  3. LindaGHill
    Aug 27, 2017 @ 04:54:32

    Ah, kids. They can be so insistent! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  4. Erika Kind
    Aug 27, 2017 @ 04:37:56

    It is such a relief when you know they can swim. I observed them for a long time even after they could basically swim.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  5. joey
    Aug 27, 2017 @ 03:07:37

    I am all about the swimming. I spent most of my summers at the lake with my grandparents, and my grandfather taught me everything. For thee years, I rode my bike to the town pool. Good times.
    When my husband was overseas and we lived where it’s warm all the time, we swam like mad, at pools and at the beach. My littler kids learned to do all the swimming and diving and it was wonderful, watching them evolve. I am so glad you got the opportunity to enjoy your kids’ milestones 🙂
    My husband, despite having been a Marine, doesn’t like the sea (!!!) and is not a water person at all. It’s always me who takes the kids to the water. Always. It’s okay, cause I love it. Gobs of sunscreen, big hats, and umbrellas for me outdoors, though 😉

    Liked by 1 person

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  6. Beaton
    Aug 27, 2017 @ 00:03:05

    when one has skills one must take every opportunity to try them…
    Dont you wear those hair thingies to stop hair getting wet?
    Unfortunately they can already swim so you cant con them by filling the bathtub with water and tell them to swim lol
    ~B

    PS So When??

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  7. OIKOS™-Redaktion
    Aug 26, 2017 @ 23:31:29

    Reblogged this on Die Erste Eslarner Zeitung – Aus und über Eslarn, sowie die bayerisch-tschechische Region!.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  8. Laura
    Aug 26, 2017 @ 21:49:40

    Oh, yes. “Swimming” with littles is nothing but nonstop stress & anxiety. Mine always increased relative to the number of kids in the pool.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  9. John Holton
    Aug 26, 2017 @ 18:42:00

    If mom says no, ask Daddy….

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  10. Dan Antion
    Aug 26, 2017 @ 12:20:10

    I remember trips to the pool the first swim, the first time in the deep end. The first dive. Great memories, just like the ones you all formed this summer. It’s worth a little frizz. Nicely done!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  11. Mr. Militant Negro
    Aug 26, 2017 @ 08:58:17

    Reblogged this on The Militant Negro™.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  12. Michael
    Aug 26, 2017 @ 08:47:56

    Isn’t it good when your kids surprise you….even better when your husband can do it and give you some time to yourself…..I do agree though there are many pitfalls with public pools. Thankfully my kids are into taking their own kids.

    Liked by 1 person

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