How to Swim

Go to the pool on a Friday at 11 AM. No one else is there, except the lifeguard. The water is so still, you hardly want to disturb it.

Two year olds do though. Your son bounds in, splashing. He notices a spotted shadow on the ceiling. He stops and points. "Cheetah!" he says. You're impressed with this. Maybe he's got your creative spirit. Or maybe he just needs glasses.

Make friends easily at the pool. Any other child who enters the water becomes your son's best buddy. He follows another two year old around like a performing seal, copying his every move. Have a tired discussion with the child's mother about age, pre-school intentions and milestones. Really, you should just print up a waterpoof card with this stuff. But it passes the time and you can never have too many friends.




Swimming with your child is not the same as swimming solo. Gone are the days when you could float lazily or chat with a friend. Without a kid you would never even be at the local JCC on a Friday morning at the indoor pool. But it's not a bad thing that you are here. Your life is richer for it. Wetter too.


Try this at home:
Where did you swim as a child?