Swimming parties for little children are the absolute worst kind of party

[Tittie]

I love swimming, whether it’s swimming lengths alone, swimming with the kids, lazing in the pool on holiday. It’s my favourite exercise and I regularly hire the local small, WARM, private pools for family to play. HOWEVER. Swimming parties for younger children are the absolute worst and I think it’s so inconsiderate of parents to organise them. We have been invited to a Y1 age swimming party where parents must also be in the water. It’s so awful on multiple counts and I wish they’d be banned!

1. our leisure centre is freezing. The water is freezing. The air is freezing. You can’t get in and warm up with proper swimming or do lengths or anything because the kids just want to stand in the shallow bit and splash
2. I don’t want to hang out nearly naked with dads I don’t know
3. The leisure centre smells or urine and I don’t want verrucas
4. Many parents feel very uncomfortable standing around awkwardly in swimwear with parents they don’t know
5. Pressure to shave and sort bikini line, lest the other parents bitch about you (I’ve seen that happen)
6. Not all of us have spare adults to go in our place

These parents do swimming parties every year (even when their kid was 3!!) and they get family help so they don’t need to get in. They’re not even ‘making the memories’ with their kids. Party child mum is always beautifully made up, meanwhile we will all look sodden and bare faced, stinking of chlorine.

I have taken the eldest to a Y5(ish) party before, at a shallow pool. We didn’t have to get in, we watched carefully and had nice chats. Marvellous.

Thanks for coming to my ted talk and if you’re thinking of doing this for your kids, don’t. There are hundreds of other possibilities that children and grown ups alike will love. Drop offs preferred 😂

I agree. I have 0 idea why anyone with young children (where they need an adult in the pool with them) would organise a swimming party. I always thought the fact that you need an adult for under 8s would put most parents off organising one as it's a ball ache.

Great idea when most of the children can swim but even then it's a PITA.

We did one when our youngest was 7. We had exclusive use of the small pool which is fairly shallow but still put on the invites that parents would need to stay/get in if possible. Out of 30 kids invited, not one other parent stayed let alone got in which left me, DH and my BIL to supervise them all. It was absolute hell on earth and was the first and last pool party we ever did.

Swimming parties start at 8 where I am with the inflatable assault course, no pressure for adults to go in, because kids are over 8, these are dump and run parties - the best kind!!

Also, if DD ever gets invited to a pool party. That will definitely be a Dad job if she really wants to go. Although we would definitely be busy that day if not. Absolutely no way am I getting my fat arse in a pool in a swimsuit with people I don't know but have to see every day. Also I cba with all the hair removal needed for swimming costumes.

There are enough party options where people can stay dressed to choose from. Please people, pick these.

DN had a swimming party for about 5 years on the run. PIL used to get annoyed that we’d be away for every single one.
A family friend’s daughter had one for her 3 year old. The pictures of cold looking parents standing around in water up to their mid shins all went on FB. I’m surprised anyone went tbh!
Swimming parties are only good when they’re old enough to not need a parent in the pool IMO.

We held a swimming party for a sixth birthday. It was a glorious July day, I hired a private indoor pool which had glass doors opening out onto a lawn. I hired a lifeguard but told everyone they needed to be in the water with their child. We then had an outdoor party / picnic with traditional party games. Everyone RSVP’ed yes and we had a great day. We knew a lot of the parents really well and I think most children had been to swimming sessions since they were babies. Baby GC now goes to same weekly swimming classes 30 years on.

I'm in total agreement, incredibly stupid idea! I didn't go to the one we were invited to precisely because of the reasons you have listed. No way

I guess it looks good on paper and the parents are newish to the party scene and don't really think it through

Just don’t go.

We first had a pool party for my kid's 11th birthday. 7 children, had it at a splash park - us and another mum who we'd asked to help before hand. So 3 adults in the water with 7 kids who were all in year 6. No need for parents to come in. In fact no need for most parents to even be there. We took them from out house, took them for pizza after and dropped them all home! Couldn't imagine doing it younger, or requiring parents to go in!

I'm just curious about the existence of multiple heated pools that you hire privately for your family?

Just don’t go. If most parents refuse to attend, then these parties will die out.

Absolutely bloody agree with you. Just why?! Maybe different when they are older/ don’t need parents in the pool with them, but for preschool children it’s just crap.

My DD’s got invited to one. Luckily the mum who organised arranged enough adults who were happy to get in so I didn’t have to. If you aren’t going to do that then don’t be surprised if you get some no shows.
And yes, the motherland episode encapsulates it perfectly.

Me too!

Sounds absolutely hellish! I have DC in Y2 and Reception and so far no one has invited them to a pool party. I don't think we'd go if they did.

I have done my share of supervising them at soft play, bouncy castle, bowling, science museum, football and clip'n'climb parties, and I'm generally up for socialising and pleased they get invited to things, but swimming is a step too far for the all the same reasons you give.

That's my favourite Motherland episode! Although the reality isn't as bad IMO. I've attended pool parties with my dd and she has then requested a pool party (pre 8). Although my husband got in, I was busy sorting the food and decorations. But there were plenty of parents in the pool. As a pp said, you either go or you don't, it's no big deal. The kids loved it which is the main thing.

Year 1 is too young imo, pool
parties are good for older children who can swim but not for those who need an adult!

Sums it up for me!

I know I’m allowed to say no, but when it’s a close friend of the DC, and it seems most people are going (they have obliging male relatives who are happy/able to go), it makes me feel so bad. I’m up for most things as a parent but this fills me with so much dread

Really? You’d rather have your kids miss out than go swimming where other parents can see you?

My kids never been invited to one , but I would make my excuses if they did! All I can think of is the motherland episode

That’s awful. I can also tell you a bowling party for a 3 year old (most of the invitees were still 2) was also awful and a disco for 4 year olds (who mostly seemed confused by the whole thing).9
Find a big space, let them run about. Done.

We’re not well equipped with leisure centres here (just the aforementioned pissy, cold one, unless you don’t mind a long drive) but there’s a few private pools you can hire for an hour or so. There’s smaller teaching pools, and a few bigger houses locally have small indoor pools and saunas in the grounds that you can rent. It doesn’t work out much more expensive than a leisure centre session, and you have the place to yourselves. Isn’t this normal?

Yeah not a chance we’d be going unless my husband was free.

Please tell me you’ve watched the motherland episode now!!

We didn’t have any swimming parties until year 6 so they could all go off round the local pool and splash park themselves

Haha off to do this now!