To find swimming abysmal

[KeepOnPloddingOn]

I just hate it. I hate the floors, I hate the dirty wet loos, I hate the screaming, I hate the long mirrors reflecting your swimming cosied body, I hate the chlorine, I hate the life gaurds all buff and toned and fabulous, i hate the gritty floors, i hate the perves, I hate the snot, I hate the hairy drains, I hate being half naked infront of strangers, I hate the slippiness, I hate all the inconsiderate splashes, I hate the faff, I hate the dry skin and hair it gives me...

But, alas I must go for my dd (who always hates it, but I'm told to encourage her anyway - she is one)

I hate it too. No matter how warm the pool is, when you're in there with a little one you are hardly moving and it's freezing.

Hate it when used plasters bob past your nose.

I had a particularly bad experience last week. I wore a bikini that I rarely wear, because it has shorts style bottoms, I was in bad need of a bikini wax, and my one piece is quite high cut. Dd2 needed a wee so I got out of the learner pool, and walked the full length of the main pool before I got to the toilets and realised that not one, but both my tits were hanging out of my bikini. In hindsight, a few pubes on show might have been a better option.

I love wild swimming.

Totally different experience.

Agree, the pool is yucky, but I love swimming laps. Just love how relaxed I feel after doing it. Hate sharing lanes. Don't like the wet,manky, germ ridden floor after the shower. Hate chlorine and stuff that floats in the pool (mainly hair). But will put up with all of it so that I can swim year round.

As for feeling an obligation to take a 1 year old swimming - YABU. It is not necessary, you can wait til she is older. My DS suffers from eczema so I didn't start him in the pool til he was about 3. Doesn't seem to have caused a delay in learning at all. He's 5 now and a little fish in the water.

Agree with ThatBloodyWoman. I discovered open water swimming last year. The season is from May to October at my local swimming lake. It is something that never fails to leave me immensely happy and relaxed. Glorious!

YANBU. I used to live in a country with a tropical climate (never got below 28 degrees), in an apartment block with a pool. Get changed at home, wander through the garden with your pool toys, get in the water that never needs to be heated and is usually pleasantly refreshing. Sit by the pool while the DCs play, with a cup of tea or a G & T. Now that's swimming.

Would people stare at me if I wore a wetsuit to the local municipal indoor pool? It's bloomin freezing.

You forgot to mention conjunctivitis - I reckon my dd2 caught it swimming on Sunday .
Give me the sea any day .

The strangest thing about swimming pools is those shallow areas they have for little children.

1. It's fine to wear swimwear underwater and I find it OK to wear swimwear when I am consciously thinking about holding stomach in/ensuring correct bits of flesh are on display/am on a beach where it is lovely and warm.

Bending over and chasing after a toddler in a swimsuit in a public pool is not fun at all.

2. It's all the danger of water with added mobility. At least in the pool your toddler/baby can't suddenly make a break for freedom and run to the deep end.

I think 'leisure' pools are the worst - so many opportunities to stand around shivering.

beavie literally lolling my head off at that! This is the sort of thing that happens to me :)

I appreciate everyone saying dd doesnt need to go. Thank fuck for that! I have been to feel like a bit of a leper amongst my mates - as I didnt take dd until she was one. Even my mother said it is, "one of life's joys for babies" - but tellingly, she refuses to get in with us haha.

biscuit now that sounds nice!

To the Pp who mentioned te bobbing plasters - Boak!! I forgot about that. Urgh.

Anyway, I am nt taking her till she is 3 now. Sod it. My exzema had actually flared up on my wrists. This is my excuse :)

Dd hated it anyway! Everyone always says its important they know how to swim etc. But at 1!? No , not yet.

merry I totally agree about the mortification involved in wearing next to nothing and have to run around / carry a toddler. The bending down for me was particularly awful and trying to climb out the steps with my dd and being pregnant was awful, I nearly slipped and felt really shy as my ass had eaten my cosie bottoms up -

when i was about 9 years old my sister had taken me to a swimming baths a couple of bus journeys away. The pool had a wave mahine, slides and an amazing seperate pool full of kiddies play strutures.

when the wave machine came on (i was in the big pool) i felt a slight tap on my shoulder, i turn around and instead of the a person behind me like i expected there was a turd just floating there tapping me on my shoulder.

Needless to say i have never so much as dipped a toe into a public pool since.

YANBU.

Hell is officially the changing rooms at Butlins at Half Term with 3 young children.

if your mum thinks it's such a great crack she can take her. dh takes my 2yo at the weekend as I feel like you about it.

With reference to the buff toned lifeguards: would you prefer them to be fat and out of shape and thereby unable to actually rescue someone?

I did my lifeguard training years ago - I don't think I've ever been as physically fit in my life as i was then - that training is tough. Fun though!

I've said this on here before but my BIL who has been a children's swimming teacher for about 30 years is adamant that children who swum as babies have much greater water fear when starting lessons than those who didn't. So perfect excuse there I think :)

Thanks odd fodd! I will use this fact...

mines you make a good point there

got I would have been traumatised for life. Literally. Poor you :/

YANBU I endured the worst experience swimming to date this week.
1st time in a costume post baby no 3 who is 10 weeks.
Staircase down to pool facing a glass fronted gym.
In the pool struggling to swim.
Also in the pool ex 6th form students if mine pre baby.
Go to spa bit.
Also in spa bit ex 6th form students- spa bit requires upright walking in said costume.
Go to shower.
Yep they're in the shower bit.
Go to a secluded place in locker room as all cubicles are full.
And YES they cone in there too. So now I'm wrestling my massive knickers up my still wet legs whilst trying to keep my towel firmly wrapped about my person and look casually casual.

It was hell!

OddFodd that doesn't surprise me in the slightest.
DD did lessons from age 1 to 3 - she loved it initially but absolutely hated it by the end - she would cling to me like a limpet and scream "I don't want to go underwater! Don't make me go underwater!" before we'd even got into the pool.

Despite two years of lessons, she can't swim a stroke. She doesn't mind standing about in the water but is terrified of going underwater - now there was a waste of cash!

ljb eek

I refuse to walk on the floor at my actually rather lovely, seemingly clean gym pool, the thought of putting my bare skin on the same floor that other people's skin has been makes my skin crawl. I've always been the same. If I forget my flip flops after being to the gym, I forgo the shower; I'd rather stink than make contact with the slimy floor which has other people's hairs on

Issues

Oh gawd the hairy drains are possibly the worst think of all. Urgh...

Thing*

If I had a pool or two in my back yard like t'Kardashians then I say 'I luuurrrve swimmin' but Hell Hole Public pool.........nah