EV Moms | East Valley Tribune blog on the joys and trials of parenting

Headline, Michelle Reese »

Bring out the swimsuits, check the calendar: Swim, dive teams start

May 16, 2013 – 9:26 pm |

My baby tries to sneak into the pool while her brother swims at practice. This could be the toughest part of my mom duties this summer – keeping her dry!

I gathered collected half a dozen towels from my car tonight, about twice as many empty water bottles and half as many cans of sunscreen.

At 8:30 p.m., all three of my children were sound asleep – an hour before bed time.

And I’ve filled my car up with gas twice this week.

It adds up to only one thing: It must be preseason swim and dive camp in Gilbert.

For the fourth – or is it fifth? – year in a row, my family is participating in the town’s summer aquatics program. We’ve jumped around again this year. One child is diving in the morning at one pool, while another is swimming in the evening at another.

It’s going to make for many days that start well before 8 a.m. and end after 8 p.m., but it’s going to be fun. Already, we’ve seen many familiar faces from last year, and even some from other activities the kids have done in the past. My son and his best buddy are swimming on the same team for the first time and my daughter is thrilled to be back on the diving board.

I’m so grateful the kids have this program, especially since we don’t have a pool. It means a guaranteed 40 minutes of water time at least four times a week.

It also means for at least part of each day, I won’t hear, “I’m bored!”

We’re not going for medals in our family. We’re just looking for a fun activity, where the kids can hang with friends and learn the skills of perseverance and commitment.

It’s a bonus that it means they’ll probably sleep through the night.

Now, if I can only find a good way to keep their 2-year-old sister busy and away from the water during practice.