So P and I have started to do swimming lessons. We try to head out the door by 8:30 am so she can get at least a half hour to 45 min nap. Compounded with this is a new stage in her sleep training. P only comforts herself to sleep if our index finger is in her mouth. She has always resisted the "Sucky" or soother and prefers the real deal. Needless to say, somedays I win and somedays I lose. P starts daycare in Sept. and we can't have her only able to go to sleep if someone's finger is in her mouth..... "daycare ain't cool like that."
Once we arrive at the local community center, it's a mad dash to feed her and get her ready to go swimming. I have to say the first time stepping into the mens change room with my daughter I was apprehensive. A two pronged feeling confronts you when your put into that position. First, a very sort of Alpha Male/ Cro-Magnon side comes out. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cro-Magnon). You don't want some creepy dude checking out your daughter while your her getting ready to swim and the honest thought of " if you look at my daughter the wrong way I will kill you without fail" comes to mind. The second feeling is "I am man in a change room with my daughter, are there people who saw me come in here and are they thinking, hey is that some creepy dude who just went in with a baby girl.....". There is special attention paid (and rightfully so) to men and kids in places of supposed privacy.
What I soon discovered though is that it is a free for all with both sexes of parents and nannies coming in and out. Most of them are worried about timelines and getting out as quickly as possible and on to the next activity; rather than keeping tabs on each other or making faux small talk. Very different from what I thought.
Truly my biggest task though is getting P into the her life vest (http://www.salusmarine.com/product/bijoux.html). THIS THING IS HATEFUL!!! I mean I love that my daughter is in a rather over-priced floatation device and it is peace of mind, but it is a acrobatic feat to get her into it when your by yourself..... Yeah I am crying about.
So once its on, to the pool.
There is a host of mothers, fathers and nannies who are either, waiting, watching or participating with their children. I've had the opportunity to sit down with some of them on the pool side bench. The nannies particularly have a unique insight on how it is to raise some else's children. One nannie told me a story that at once made feel very angry towards someone I've never met and also proud to be staying home with P. She pointed to two children she looks after and said." those are my two. I love them very much. It's sooooo sad though. When their daddy comes home, he never says hi, hugs them, says hello, doesn't even tell them he loves them. They get upset and their mother has to plead with them that daddy has to work really hard and he's too tired to spend time with them. She then reminds them we have nice clothes, nice house, and all the toys you want." As if that should make up for the lack of their father's presence in his children's lives....... The nanny then proceeds to tell me that even on her days off, she spends time with them just so they can hang out with someone. Need I say anything other than the obvious about the absent father. On the other hand I remind self how fortunate I am to be spending time with P. Showing her that her father does care.....
I have to say P does very well in the pool. She's actually pretty chill. Even as I place her down on the cold pool side floor, she starts smiling. Once her feet are just touching the water, she then begins to splash with her feet and laughs. I slide in and pick her up to bring her slowly waist deep into the pool. We sort of sit like this for a few minutes, just to get used to the water. We then start moving around. We eventually end up meeting with the other parents in the pool. P is the only 10 month old. the rest are 3 and up. I will say that I had a Dad pride moment. One of the other parents noticed how calm P was. She swam over with her son, and started to goad him to be more like P. She said "see, P is totally relaxed and having fun. She also does not have a death grip around her father's neck like you do right now. Be like P." I smiled. Inside...... Total Dad Pride.
Our instructor is 18, and going into her first year of university. P really likes her. This is good, especially when we practice backwards kicking and frontwards swimming. The only time P is a little hesitant is when she is doing a star fish in the water. If she starts to get fussy, I give her a water toy to hold in her hand. That usually calms her down and she can actually start laughing while she floats on her back. Once the half and hour is over we make sure we say good bye to everybody in the pool. I feel really lucky that I live in a city that provides a spot so my child can swim and interact with other parents and kids. Thank You Toronto:) LOVE
