15 Aug 2016

Swimming

Sometimes you have to admit defeat, and today, was one of those times.

Mushroom has been going to swimming lessons since he was 13 weeks old.  That's 3.5 years of swimming lessons, and since having a new sister, he has lost the fucking plot.

I have to force him into his swimming togs, on a Monday morning no-less, whilst he whinges about how he hates swimming and doesn't want to go. I talk it up, how fun swimming is, how Mummy loves it, how the pool is nice and warm (probably full of pee...) And he gets in the car without complaint.  He even jumps out and walks to the lesson without complaint.  It's only when we get poolside, that's when the drama starts.  He hides behind my legs, he cries, he screams, he won't get within a metre of the pool's edge.

Last week I just put him in as I had to go to the toilet and I could hear him screaming from the bathroom.  Cuddle cuddle Mummy, cuddle, CUDDLE!

If I force him to get into the pool he has a complete meltdown.

If I sit on the side of the pool and put him in front of me, meltdown.

If I just walk away and ignore him, bigger meltdown.

My son  has gone from swim school superstar to total shit that no-one wants to deal with.

To be honest the instructors at the swim school have been pretty pathetic about it and I'm left standing by the side of the pool wondering why the fuck I wasted a hundred odd dollars on lessons where my son refuses to get in the bloody water.

This morning I did the whole routine and then thought fuck it, grabbed our shit and walked out.  It was only 9.07.  I was sick of the sympathetic shrugs from instructors and all the other parents looking on as I try to wrangle 15kgs of hysterical boy child and a new baby who should be going down for a nap right on the start of his lesson. Being on the verge of tears and feeling pretty fucking angry every Monday morning is not a great start to my week.

After we'd gotten him out of his semi wet togs and into clothes, I had calmed down enough to ask the front desk to see what we could do, maybe I could get my money back.  

Guess what, no-one had even fucking mentioned that Mushroom was having a hard time!  The booking guy was astonished and asked when this had started.  I said it had been going on for months and he was genuinely surprised.  I tried not to get too annoyed and he gave me a few options for a different day or time.

Now I was sick a few weeks ago with a migraine and Juffin had to stay home, and guess who went to swimming and had a fabulous time?!  Unbelievable!  That's right!  Goes with his Father and has a stellar lesson, smiles all round and Juffin thinks I'm full of it.  So we have booked in for Saturday morning and Juffin and Mushroom can have a Daddy Son swimming date.

We came home and I made a plunger of coffee and a batch of cheese scones, of which Mushroom and I ate too many of, and breathed a sigh of relief.  No more rushing around on a Monday morning and dragging a baby who needs to sleep out of the house and a pre-schooler who hates being there with me.

Please let this be the end of the drama and my son go back to loving the water.  We live in a house with a pool for F's sake.  He has to like swimming.  No if's or but's about it!!


Our day started nicely....


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