Courtesy: Elizabeth Wickham
I miss the little daily things about being an age-group swim mom. Maybe not the grocery bills, the endless loads of towels or the early morning drives. Nor spending entire weekends on my feet working at meets.
But here are six things I miss most about being a swim mom:
ONE
I miss the kids on the team. I miss watching them grow up into amazing adults. So many personalities, so many different families, all bound together by one common goal. Swimming.
TWO
Good times sitting together with other swim parents in the stands cheering for all our kids. Wearing the new team t-shirts, sipping Starbucks on a chilly winter morning under pop-up tents. Chatting and laughing while we waited to see what the day’s meet would bring.
THREE
I loved working with our parents and officials under the admin tent, in awards, or in the snack bar at our home meets. Good thing is the team still welcomes my help — when I want to.
FOUR
I loved having my kids teammates over to the house to hang out between morning and afternoon practices during long hot summer days. I loved cooking eggs, bacon and sausage in bulk for a pack of hungry swimmers. I was amazed at how much they could eat as a group. One Friday night after practice I made spaghetti and heated up 16 loaves of garlic bread — for the senior group which was less than 20 swimmers.
FIVE
I loved watching my kids gain confidence from competing and accomplishing goals. Best times were, well the best.
SIX
Most of all, l loved seeing my kids smiling, laughing and enjoying their friendships. Throughout the years, my kids were surrounded by amazing kids, families and coaches. Just being in the background was a joy.
I miss those days.
What are your favorite things about being a swim family?
Elizabeth Wickham volunteered for 14 years on her kids’ club team as board member, fundraiser, newsletter editor and “Mrs. meet manager.” She’s a writer with a bachelor of arts degree in editorial journalism from the University of Washington with a long career in public relations, marketing and advertising. Her stories have appeared in newspapers and magazines including the Los Angeles Times, Orange County Parenting and Ladybug. You can read more parenting tips on her blog
Thank you for sharing your memories. I also miss conversation and free time that I use to have when I was kid. Small things do have everlasting effect. It is awesome to remember those memories.
I taught swimming years ago. I coached then had kids. I was a swim mom for 11 years. I volunteered as a mom from the age group years through the college years. I miss it so much I became a coach.
I miss the conversations with my kids and their friends during the car rides to and from practices and meets. We had so many insightful conversations and lots of laughs!
Thanks for sharing your view from further down the road. We are a swim family too, with three sons swimming in different groups, and your words help remind me to be grateful it, for all the reasons you’ve listed. I wouldn’t want it any other way. See you at the pool!
I remember my parents with the swimming as a kid. Now they are both gone. So, I swim for exercise and enjoyment at age 62 years old.