We are a family of water babies! Ever since I was little swimming has been one of my favourite things to do. Once I got to a teenager and then adult my chances to swim got less and less, and almost non-existent after I was 21, But having kids allowed me to swim more.

The kids…

With Roo she was a natural, even from just being in a bath to a swimming pool, but she did learn a little later as again we didn’t really have the chance to do when she was really little, which was a shame in reflection. Having holidays like Butlins though, gave her and us a great chance to swim, in which she fell in love. We bought her lesson to get her more advanced and even till this dad still loves to go swimming whenever we get the chance. 

Tigger was a different story, he was at times petrified, even as simple as a bath. There was no reason, or incident, or cause to why he was so afraid or unsure, but if you look at what he was like in a whole host of other activities, I’m how cautious he is, it’s not a surprise. It’s been a long road, and it’s taken him to 9 years old to be fairly confident at swimming, he still had his moments, and you still have to be wary of him, but the 2 years of swimming lessons and being involved in family trips away like Butlins etc..

Where there’s a swimming pool has allowed him to grow in confidence, even now I think what he was like 2 years ago, he wouldn’t let me go as we would swim around, not he’s happy to go off with his sister around the rapids, even do water slides! 

Piglet, well she is the adventurous one, so no surprise that enjoys water and swimming, she is starting lessons soon, which will help her. To be honest, of all the things, she is actually the most cautious with water, which is fine because it’s dangerous, but it is a surprise to see her like it lol. However, when she’s with me or boo, her confidence rises and the bossiness comes out. 

Even Piglet though is talking about swimming a lot more, she has talked about when she’s doing it a school and when we next go on holiday she has a plan for what she doing in the pool, ultimately shes that type of girl but I’m pleased that shes thinking about it more as it was something she was. more nervous about at a younger age.

Water for us

As for boo she just goes with the flow, her natural anxiety kicks in with water and the kids, and I don’t think it’s necessarily her favourite thing to do, but she gets involved as much as she wants. For me I love swimming, as I’ve got older and slightly larger I do have that resistance to wanting to be just in my swimming boxes, but growing up it was a different story. I would spend hours in the pool, as much as I could when we ever we went, it wasn’t anything special or me doing anything special in the pool but I just loved that feeling of hanging out in the pool.

As a growing and ageing family with us all having different things we like, and lots going on in our individual life’s, swimming is still one thing that we all enjoy doing together. With whatever is planned and whatever’s been requested, the kids still want to go swimming. They talk about it fairly regularly and with talk of holidays or activities, they almost immediately go straight to swimming, so hopefully this will be something we keep doing as a family.