I’m going to apologise now… this post is a bit of a rant.
I see you parent.
I see you parent, staring at your phone.
I see you parent leaving your kid alone.
I see you parent looking board and stiff.
I see you parent following the hoard off a cliff.
Let me explain.
I don’t normally get to take my eldest to swim lessons due to the time it’s on and me being at work. But, they’ve changed his start time and now I can go, which is pretty fricken cool! It also means that in his lesson, I’ve got half an hour to bust out a training swim, in between watching him and his pals lessons. I’m always keen to know what they’ve been practicing, so I can help encourage him along when we are playing in the pool. It’s great to see his progress!
The best bit for me though, is after the lesson.
We get a chance to play in the pool until he gets tired, without his little one year old brother attached to our side. It’s proper 1 on 1 play time. Oh and after that? There’s normally an ice cream. Why not huh?
But this week, I felt pretty sad for the other kids.
There were four in his lesson and the other parents were fully suited and booted, sat on the hard plastic with their overshoes on, staring into their phones, oblivious to actually how good some of these kids were swimming for 5 and 6 years old!
Don’t get me wrong, I’m trying to not get all high and mighty, I’ve been there and done that, looking at my phone, doing some work or whatever when it should be off and my focus with the kiddos. But…at not one point in this short half hour did I see any of them look up.
Maybe it’s also my love for swimming, but even when doing his baby lessons, I was so keen to sit and stare at this wonderment that we had created and watch him enjoy something I’ve enjoyed my whole life.
Each of these parents could have easily jumped in their swimmers and gone and done some exercise themselves. That bit is easy.
The after swim, one of the dads was actually getting pretty pissed off that his little girl wouldn’t get out of the pool. She just wanted to play. She could see us having fun, I think he could too. She even said “but daddy, we’re not doing anything tonight.”
Again, I get it. I’ve been there as a parent when trying to get my kids ready to leave for something and it’s like hearding a pack of wild animals. And of course I have no idea if they needed to run back for something or not, so I can’t judge. But like most parents, I did a little bit.
As a parent and as someone who’s trying to keep a stable level of fitness, all I would say is this.
Don’t miss out.
Don’t miss the opportunity to watch your kids grow.
Don’t miss the chance to involve them in your training somehow. Like going for a swim in their lesson. Shove them in a buggy when you run. Put them on your bike when you ride. All of which, by the way, has happened on TriPals training sessions!
Don’t miss out on enjoying this little life you’ve brought into the world.
Otherwise, what’s the point?
Rant over… back on track next week.
P.s. Most of my posts are written just before my kids wake and our whirlwind mornings begin 😀