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Original poster

Saw this on the way out of swimming lessons earlier...

143 replies

SleepWarrior · 07/01/2019 22:31

The front entrance to the leisure centre has a few tables with school-type chairs which are usually being used by children to do homework while their siblings swim.

Today as we were leaving there was a mum serving up steaming spaghetti and meatballs out of a giant glass dish onto proper dinner plates with proper cutlery laid out around the plates. Her two very embarrassed looking children (about 10/11yo) were talking in those cross hissy whispers through gritted teeth "that's enough mum", and she was all "no, no don't be silly, you need more meatballs. Here." while she dished up with proper pasta serving spoons.

Spaghetti and meatballs at the swimming pool! Made my day! I normally hate the faff and palaver of swimming day, but this is a new day and time for me so now I can look forward to seeing if she's there each Monday, and find out what's for dinner Grin

OP posts:
dontticklethetoad · 07/01/2019 23:09

You better come back to update next week.!

DressingGownPlease · 07/01/2019 23:10

Why can't they just go home for dinner?

I admire her organisation but think it is very strange.

arranbubonicplague · 07/01/2019 23:10

A friend's mum was in a far-away hospital for a long stay so it was only possible for her to visit on the weekend. Her dad would carry her and her brother sleeping to the car to make an early start and when they woke up, they were served roll and sausage that had been kept warm by being over-wrapped and kept by the car engine. They had other food that was cooked/kept warm in foil packets the same way.

Zara9698 · 07/01/2019 23:12

Any chance you were at the pool in Worsley? A mum used to this every week and I have to know if there is more than one.

Justmuddlingalong · 07/01/2019 23:12

I'm imagining her kids wearing knitted swimsuits.

Paperdolly · 07/01/2019 23:13

Can I suggest Fish Pie and for pudding Isles de Flotant (?) would have been more appropriate near the water. 😂

EdWinchester · 07/01/2019 23:17

Those poor kids!

That’s even worse than the woman at my gym who makes her kids (about 10) put their pyjamas on after their 5pm swimming lesson. They always look mortified too.

carrotflinger · 07/01/2019 23:18

In 20 years the kids will be posting on one of those mumsnet threads that come up from time to time
"What things did your family do that were a bit weird?"

BearFoxBear · 07/01/2019 23:19

Hilarious but those poor kids, what a minter!

Original poster
SleepWarrior · 07/01/2019 23:19

Not Worsley, no. So there is more than one!

OP posts:
Gunpowder · 07/01/2019 23:23

Oh I love this! It reminds me of a thread years ago in AIBU about a mum who’d forgotten to take any food for her 8 month old to the leisure centre (other DC were swimming) and she wondered if it was ok to give the baby just a pack of baby crisps for it’s tea. I was one of the first posters and said ‘yeh it’s fine!’ but then she was absolutely flamed. Loads of posters piling on saying she was a bad mum and starving her baby and she should have brought a balanced supper of proper nutritious baby food to the pool. I thought it was mad but maybe proper supper at swimming is A THING?!

Gunpowder · 07/01/2019 23:24

Its not it’s!

Mumoftwoyoungkids · 07/01/2019 23:24

At gym club the cafe has a microwave and will heat up food for a baby if needed.

I often wonder exactly what the definition of a baby is. Does my 5 year old count? What about my 8 year old? 39 year old me?

Original poster
SleepWarrior · 07/01/2019 23:25

I don't know why they don't just go home and had wondered myself!

Also, not sure what the swimming child does as presumably these two were eating while a third swam...

I thought that perhaps they all swim on different days and she got fed up of feeding them all sandwiches for dinner on three separate occasions. So the nonswimmers get a hot meal and the swimmer gets a sandwich. Otherwise it doesn't quite make sense.

So many questions that can hopefully be answered next time!

OP posts:
scrappydappydoo · 07/01/2019 23:25

I do this - well not to the extent of proper plates but my dc have after school activities and then swimming lessons one after the other. So once we get to swimming I commandeer a table and serve up a ‘proper’ tea onto plastic picnic wear for one while one swims and then swap round. They each swim for 45mins and we live 20mins from pool so it’s a good use of time combined with homework. They’re not bothered but I don’t make a show of it - it’s just an easy way to feed hungry kids.

Gotstuckwiththisname · 07/01/2019 23:25

OMG OP are you somewhere in Leicestershire???

SofiaAmes · 07/01/2019 23:25

Is she Italian? This is super normal in Italy.

AnotherPidgey · 07/01/2019 23:26

I'm glad it's not our pool; it's hard enough getting my kids past the vending machines that we never use Grin

We get to the pool for 5. I'm the oddball that my kids are in school uniform not onsies/ pyjamas. Going home in them makes sense, but changing in advance seems as much bother in the extra change at home (and I can't be bothered to find them to lug around in bags).

SisterOfDonFrancisco · 07/01/2019 23:27

My dmil does this! She brings in a little cloth to put down on the table as well. I'm used to it now but took me a while.

Sitranced · 07/01/2019 23:29

Why the poor children? How is it embarrassing?

Original poster
SleepWarrior · 07/01/2019 23:35

Embarrassing in the sense that it's very unusual and everybody really notices and has a look. Would probably get mentioned in school if anyone saw you. Obviously not embarrassing to be being fed a nice hot dinner by your mum, just the setting and the 'not the done thing-'ness of it all.

OP posts:
HappyGoLuckyGo · 07/01/2019 23:40

Shameless placemarking for next week’s update Grin

Original poster
SleepWarrior · 07/01/2019 23:40

scrappy yours sounds a lot more informal and picnicy (and non-embarrassing). It was the china plates and metal cutlery set out nicely as if at home that was so.... eye-catching!

OP posts:
scrappydappydoo · 07/01/2019 23:43

I shall have to up my game Grin - china plates, metal cutlery, tablecloth and maybe some kind of centrepiece...

ReaganSomerset · 07/01/2019 23:49

Sorry to be that person, but I'm placemarking. Smile