to really HATE this about being a parent?

[BobMarley]

Swimming lessons. I HATE it. I hate the changing rooms. I hate sitting in a hot, damp swimming pool. And I find it really dull to watch. And it takes years before they get the hang of it.

AIBU?

Absolutely not!! I used to hate it too. Esp the watching. So BORING!!! But in the end I listened to the teacher instructing my DS how to do front crawl and I learnt myself from that how to do it properly!!

why dont you go to the gym while they are having a lesson? Do you have to watch? do they use the whole of the pool? Could you have a swim at the same time?

I hate cleaning shit of my kids shoes more.

YABU I had a swimming lesson today and loved it, have sat on the side for 14 years for my DCs, at least its warm in the pool, not standing on the side on a rainy day with muddy kit to wash afterwards. Although DS is now into kayaking and has been out tonight, apparently his feet are blue, but I don't have to watch.

I hate The Park more than anything in the whole wide parenting world.

Thank God for lovely PILs who nobly take that duty away from me.

Don't have to watch, read a book or chat with friends instead.
When they get older they sort themselves and you don't have to go into the changing area at all.
It will be great when you can feel relaxed about them at swimming parties.

You're teaching your children something that may stop them from dying one day.

Of course I understand the importance of swimming lessons, that's why we go. And I'm certainly not going to stop going until they are confident swimmers. But I still hate it.

Oh and there is no gym there MrsVidic and I have a 4 month old baby with me, so reading the paper is usually not really an option.

ohforfoxsake

Shodan I feel your pain , I hate the park with a passion and I see many yrs stretching ahead of me sitting by the side of bloody skate parks hoping my 6 yr old doesn't kill himself .

i hate it too and my dd lessons are to late id rather be at home with wine

Shodan - really? That suprises me from you! I like the park :) I take my friends kids too - she hates the park so they are always at me to take them - we have fun, so I don't mind.

Swimming lessons are a bit painful - lots of messing around, as you say - hot damp environment (which does wonders for my hair - NOT) and the lovely smell of chlorine - but the worst thing is that it takes ages to see any real improvement! (some classes are better than others though!!).

I hate Homework Projects much more. I don't mind Reading/Spelling/Maths etc but all of this 'make a rocket/treasure chest/fancy dress outfit/handpainted t-shirt' shit does my head in - we do plenty of craft stuff that we choose to do and there's no real value in doing it - it should be banned INHO.

I'd love to have the chance to hate it - can't afford swimming lessons [henvy]

Hi - I think YANBU but the key is NOT to watch them! I can't hear what's going on across the pool anyway, so I regard it as a blissful half hour to sit quietly by myself, munch a cereal bar, read a book, send a text ... It helps if you like the heat (I do) and dress in layers so you can strip off and pretend it's summer while watching! If you need to look as though you're watching, at least enough to be able to say supportive things ('DD, I thought your front crawl was so much better this week') then try plugging yourself into an i-pod so your eyes are facing front while your mind is elsewhere! Tho' of course, the shower afterwards and the hair-washing ... now don't get me started!!!

YANBU. I hate it so much my DC4 doesn't have swimming lessons, so you're doing better than me. (disclaimer - DC4 will, at some point any day now, learn to swim. Just not quite yet. He can keep afloat.)

I quite like the park though. I'll miss it when DC4 gets too old - older ones are already well past the point of going to the park with Mum.

Yanbu.

Hate manking changing rooms where some minger has left a poo filled nappy.

But it wipes ds1 out, so we'll stick with it!

Oops - cross-posts - just saw 4-month-old baby ... so book and i-pod are probably out! Maybe you could still manage the cereal bar??!

I love sitting at swimming pools, they're always so lovely and warm.

We don't do swimming lessons. We take the dc swimming ourselves and get in with them. Time probably passes more quickly because I'm chasing them around the pool.

Take a book! Problem solved, tedium turned into 'me time' (remember that?!?!?!)

Get your own pool... although I'd be having ownership issues if I had to fish a turd out

We are lucky enough to use MIL's Ozone treated pool... I cannot bring myself to go back to public pools now. We are very lucky in that respect.

GCE - did you read the thread or just the OP - it's not that easy to read a book with a 4 baby tagging along!

And soft play. Really really hate, loathe and detest that.

YANBU Craft/make something projects, seriously make a monster out of a cereal box, some wool and dried pasta, nooooooo. Am I the only person who doesn't have "spare wool" lolling about their house [hblush]

Where my DD has lesson I just hand her over and leave to go to the cafe upstairs.

The truth though is I would probably prefer to stay poolside but for DS2. The people in the cafe are always just sitting there paying fuck all attention as their children scream and run around creating havoc drinking coffee