The girls and I have been at our community pool every weekday for three weeks.
This love-affair with the pool started when Tess decided she wanted to swim, which is a great thing I wanted to encourage. Classes are only $20–for daily instruction for two weeks. Now, both of my girls are taking classes.
Emma, my older daughter did not have a good experience with swim lessons at the local Y. They were a bit too forceful about putting her face in the water. But, gradually, she is coming around in this new set of classes.
My younger daughter, on the other hand, has been a joy to watch. She has a healthy fear of the water, but it’s not stopping her from enjoying herself. This morning after classes we all three played in the pool together. It was a moment in time that I wish I could have captured.
My arms wrapped around one or the other or both. Our giggles and squeals mingled with the sounds of splashing water, not in a hurry to go anywhere. This, I thought, is one of those parenting moments that makes it all worthwhile.
It was short-lived, of course, because we all could not agree about what time to leave the pool. Emma was out first, shivering, wanting to go home. Tess and I stayed in. I wanted to stay longer, but I felt that pulled-between-my-daughters feeling and finally had to sit on the edge of the pool with Emma while Tess played in the water for ten minutes.
One the way home, we argued about lunch, just like we do almost every day, So much for my perfect parenting moment.
