Thoughts on Swimming with My Children

    On a recent family trip, we were blessed to wake up to a beautiful day of sunshine.  The temperature was about 70 degrees and there was a cool breeze.  It was the perfect weather to enjoy spending time outside hiking or visiting the park.  It wasn’t exactly swimming weather, but that’s what we ended up doing.

    Being a parent sometimes means I have to break my general rule of not swimming unless it’s near 90 degrees.  It also means I venture down water slides when I’d rather relax in the hot tub. I throw children in the water to a chorus of “Again! Again!”   I exit the pool despite the cool breeze that is freezing when your skin is wet, just so I can take a child to the bathroom even though I repeatedly encouraged the child to use the bathroom before we entered the pool.

     It’s no wonder I sometimes glance longingly at the moms sitting by the pool sipping cool drinks and flipping the pages of a magazine as they casually observe their older children frolic in the water.  However, that feeling only lasts as long as it takes my view to find my children who are delighted that their mommy is playing in the water with them.  It makes me thankful they are still small enough that I’m one of their favorite playmates.  In fact, I’m almost as grateful of that fact as I am for heated pools.

    What is your favorite part about swimming with your children?