Blowing Bubbles

Last night Amy and I went swimming together. The girls have been taking swimming lessons for years, but when it's a parent-child class, Dan always goes in with them. However, last week Amy decided that it would be fun to take Mommy to class with her sometime, and she has been talking about it for days now. I love spending time with Amy but I was very, very reluctant to jump into the pool with her.

It's not that I don't enjoy swimming. Years of lifeguarding and swim teams can attest to that. But the water at the YMCA is notorious for being very cold. Somehow over the years I've turned into one of those mothers that sits on the edge of the pool, and then slowly eases into the water, taking care not to get my hair wet. Jumping in to frigid water, blowing bubbles, and submerging myself are no longer on my list of favorite things to do.

Then there's the small matter of parading around the Y in a bathing suit. Nowadays that is not something I particularly enjoy either.

But I needn't have worried. As we got ready for the lesson, Amy looked at me and said, "Oh, Mommy. That's the most beautiful bathing suit I've ever seen". The water was certainly chilly, but after 20 bobs and 10 minutes of kickboard work, I felt toasty warm. Amy is a very different child when she's spending time with me one-on-one. We laughed and splashed, and she chatted away about the yellow house she is planning to live in someday.

After class we climbed into the van and I buckled Amy into her car set. As we drove out of the parking lot she said, "Mommy, I have a gweat idea. When I'm a gwown-up, I'm going to get a black bathing suit just like you, and then Nana and Gwampy or Gwandma and Pop can come over and take care of my kids. Then you and me can go swimming together in our black bathing suits, and we can hold hands and laugh together. Is that a gweat idea, Mommy?"

It's a great idea, Amy. I'll be looking forward to it.