Watching my kids play at the pool takes me back! I remember being 9 or 10 and stopping at hotels on long roadtrips. We would always beg “Mom or Dad can we stay at one with a pool!?”. It was literally the highlight of the trip each time if we scored one! We had been riding in the car all day at times for hours and this was the highest form of reward for us to immediately get our suits on and head down to the pool. I remember my Dad would get in with us and play sharks and minnows, Marco Polo or practice handstands. What a blast!
Now that I am the Dad I remember the way we felt and make sure to push through my exhaustion from the drive. And I appreciate even more that my parents would do this for me and my siblings. Another thing that I have come to appreciate is my ability to swim during those times.
I didn’t have much choice in the matter when I took swim lessons at a young age, but I am certainly thankful for it when I look back on all of those hotel swims. I know that it makes it so much easier for me to watch my kids splash and play knowing that they have the skills to survive in any depth of water.
I guess what I am saying, is thank you to all of the moms and dads out there! Thank you for preparing your swimmers for these highlights of life and thank you for all of the work that you put in as a parent. It may not be recognized now, but one day, our kids will look back and say the same thing!