Anyone else find swimming with young children should be pleasurable but it's not?

[Needspace21]

Just been swimming, just me and dcs. One is 6 and one is 9. It started off all fun and games but by the end I felt really ratty and regattably snapped at my eldest over a little thing, essentially undermining the time and effort I spent on the trip...

Reasons:

1)they get a bit silly and over excited and don't listen. The youngest thinks he can swim but he can't. He's constantly wriggling away from me then swallowing gulps of water before I grab him again.

2)they don't listen when we move to a different part of the pool and I stand like a lemon waiting for them.

3)in the showers afterward they both get soap in their eyes... Again. One tries to run off.

4. the eldest was wringing out his wet costume dramatically in the cubicle, almost covering me and the youngest with water. I told him to stop and he did it again.

Number 4 is what triggered me. I regretfully told them I was never taking them again. Now I feel bad.

Please tell me I'm not the only one who finds swimming should be fun but is actually tedious. Feel like a bad mom.

Likeafish had the right idea with the private health club. Softplay in cafe afterwards too 🎂👍

Children in general are very, very much unenjoyable. I really don’t understand the appeal. Any attempt at ‘making memories’ is a guaranteed shitshow, just don’t bother.

I used to take baby DS twice a week as it was a guaranteed 2-hour nap afterwards. Between the ages of 3-8 it's a boring, cold chore. Ages 8+ they can go by themselves 🥳

DS is now old enough to go to swimming on the bus with his mates while I stay at home and have a nap. It's marvellous. I love swimming.

My youngest is almost 8 and has just this term got to the bit in his swimming lessons where he has gained his confidence. The difference swimming with him today against even the end if the summer was amazing. He was flying up and down even.showing off by doing somersaults and sitting on the bottom. Actually meant I got to race my eldest over a few lengths. But swimming with little kids/non swimming kids is miserable.

The changing etc they are not too bad at - maybe as eldest is old enough to sisrt herself. But there is something about kids activities sometimes which is just hardwork...

There’s a motherland episode involving a pool party and it absolutely sums up the horror of swimming with kids.

YANBU
It is horrific. DC already worked up and have to be restrained from buying all the goggles and floats in the queue. Find changing room, this is ok as am organised and we all have swimming costumes under our outdoor clothes. Bonus point to us. But forget to check where locker is as DC now headed like torpedoes toward pool. Get in pool. Gasp for air. Pool too cold unless you’re able to keep warm by actual swimming. DC think they are invincible mermaids when really they are hyper confident sticks who don’t have enough body fat to float properly and refuse to listen to me trying to teach them. Crouch awkwardly in two feet of tepid water and try to keep track of dc. Meanwhile pool is filling up with entire population of planet. All DC now look the same. Eventually extract self and DC from pool as youngest dc now turning blue. Eventually locate locker. Attempt to locate family changing cubicle - unsuccessful, so trudge about damply until we find three free adjacent cubicles. Cue unpleasant flashbacks in the changing rooms of having to leave the pool, wrestle oneself into full school uniform and arrive for the next lesson in under four minutes while my tights twist round my crotch in a weird way due to dragging them desperately up damp legs.
Retrieve wet things from damp dc. Forgo showers and hair drying. Have usual battle re vending machines. Go home. Spend rest of day getting inexplicable knots out of dc hair. Vow to never repeat.

@YesPleaseMary summed it up!!!!!