“Mom, Watch This!”
Spring break always makes me start dreaming about everything sweet summer will bring. Sleeping in. Relaxing. A slower pace. No early bedtimes, no early wake-ups, and- most importantly- no packing four snacks and four lunches every morning.
The moment I have been waiting for since approximately mid-April.
It’s finally summertime!
SIGH.
Enter reality!
Soooo… remember how I said relax?
Did you laugh out loud?
Because I did!
Let’s be honest. There is no relaxing when you’re home with 4 mini tyrants.
(I say that lovingly).
My summer schedule basically consists of work, my oldest daughters intense swim schedule, playdates, appointments, and somehow coordinating camp schedules for four kids.
So much for that slower pace.
Many of those things still involve waking up early, packing lunches, packing snacks, finding water bottles, and applying sunscreen to four kids. The sunscreen alone adds approximately 20 minutes to our morning.
I’m exhausted just thinking about it.
So when there is a day- a rare, sweet day- when I don’t have to work, we don’t have a million and one activities, and I am not playing mom taxi, naturally I want to do something that will be fun for all of us.
Something relaxing.
Enter: our backyard pool.
One of the absolute selling points for the house that I bought for myself and the kids was the backyard. A beautiful in-ground pool, a hot tub, and hours and hours of summer swimming right outside our door.
At least, that was my fantasy.
The reality is, I have four kids.
My two older girls, are strong reliable swimmers- especially my oldest, who swims competitively. My youngest two are four-year-old twin boys who are still learning to swim. Their swim instructor gave me one piece of advice for home: no more floaties.
Which means Mom has to get in the pool.
Every. Single. Time.
Okay, fine. Ill get in the water- 90 degrees, as long as it’s a balmy 90 degrees. So naturally, that’s exactly what I heat it to.
The girls are having a blast- jumping, diving, going from the hot tub to the pool and back again.
The boys?
Well, the boys send my anxiety through the roof.
I am in the water with them. Literally right next to them.
Every underwater dunk. Every “freestyle stroke.” Every barely-going-to-survive swim to the other side of the pool is preceded by:
“MOM, WATCH THIS!”
Every. Single. Time.
Sometimes in unison.
Sometimes one boy is underwater swimming while the other is screaming, “MOM WATCH THIS!”
Which I can’t do, because his brother is currently on the verge of basically drowning.
(I may be a little hyperbolic here.)
As soon as Twin A makes it safely to the wall, my attention is straight to Twin B.
Naturally, the second I look at Twin B, Twin A is screaming “MOM, WATCH THIS!” again and disappearing back under the water.
At this point, I don’t know which twin is saying what, who I’m supposed to be watching, or who may or may not drown.
Fight or flight: activated.
My head is spinning.
And the girls? Yeah, they join in too.
Now I’m saving the twins from certain death while simultaneously watching cannonballs and handstands.
Not once, of course.
Four times.
Because apparently the first three cannonballs and handstands were merely practice, and this is the one I really need to see.
Mom finally had to tap out and demand a swimming- free break.
Personally, I think it was well deserved. I had managed to watch (almost) all of the kids’ amazing tricks and keep everyone alive.
No small feat.
A friend and I were talking recently about how stressful taking kids to the pool can be. You pack all the things. Load all the things. Carry all the things into the pool club- usually in some ungodly heat- then unload all the things.
And somehow, after all that, you convince yourself you’re going to relax.
Then you hear it:
“MOM WATCH THIS!”
We laughed because it is exactly the same at home.
I heat the pool. Apply the sunscreen. Get the towels. Find the goggles. Put on the goggles. Blow up the floaties. Blow up the floaties again. Break up a fight about the floaties. Throw in the sinking toys.
Finally, I think I might get to sit down for approximately thirty seconds.
“MOM WATCH THIS!”
And then I realize, one day the pool will be quiet.
For all the times Ive wanted to say, “Ive watched your handstand 5 times already. I DON’T CARE,” there are just as many- probably more- when I look at them in complete admiration. I admire how proud they are of what they’re learning. How they’ll swallow half the pool, come up coughing, and still immediately want to try again.
I admire how desperately they want to bring me into their little world- a world of fun, wonder, and innocence.
But more than anything, I am honored that they feel safe with me.
Safe enough to jump into the deep end knowing I’ll catch them.
Safe enough to jump into the deep end knowing I’ll catch them.
Safe enough to believe that as long as I’m there, nothing bad will happen.
And maybe that’s what “Mom, watch this!” really means.
Mom, see me.
Mom, be here with me.
Mom, I know you’ll catch me.
One day, the pool will be quiet.
But today?
“MOM, WATCH THIS!”