Why is swimming good for mums and dads? There are 8 reasons.

Swimming BRINGS BACK children into the focus of their mum and dad! Swimming BRINGS a smile on the face of mums and dads. Swimming REMINDS mums and dads of the rhythm which triggers and turns around everything. Swimming CONQUERS the hearts of mums and dads. Swimming BRINGS peace of mind to mums and dads, even when there is a turmoil in every single “puddle”. Swimming EMPHASISES the importance of proper breathing – when mum chokes on water, dad stops. Swimming HELPS mums and dads bring the feeling of warmth and freshness into their homes. Swimming REPLENISHES their personal and parental self-esteem. Swimming KEEPS the family SAFE.

When was the last time you swam after you became a parent? When was the last time you swam as a mum or dad? I’m not asking about sitting with your children in the shallow water while the other parent is having some time for herself/himself. When was the last time you really swam? When was the last time the two of you swam together?

Why should mum and dad swim together? I made this question out loud, and my five-year-old son answered it with a shy smile: “Cos they love each other”. Have you got a good reason to start swimming together today?

Why is swimming good for mums and dads? There are plenty of reasons WHY IT IS. The benefits of swimming for mums and dads are huge. Here I don’t have in mind just the health and physical benefits, but the one “for the heart” which parents tend to neglect quite often due to daily tasks and assignments, and put it somewhere at the bottom of the “priority list”, as something that could be done tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, or never...

To start with:

1. Take her by the hand and swim together. How? When I look at myself in the mirror, what I see is not good enough. It’s not the body I used to have ten years ago! This is the first thing that most parents have in mind, and few of them would say: So what?! So what if the dad’s belly covers up a bit of his trunks? Or so what if mum has little belly overhangs? This is what will make it easier for you to swim together, and you will feel much better when you look at yourselves in the mirror next time. Then again, you don’t have to be perfect mum and dad to swim just for your own gusto, just the two of you.

2. Don’t leave one another at the pool’s edge alone... When you see that your partner feels lost at the end of the day… take a moment and help him or her, and then jump into the pool and swim together. How? I spend my time with kids alone, their dad is working, or he is on a business trip.. or vice versa. Do you really find it more important to fold socks, fix the tap or have lunch cooked for three days ahead… Swimming alleviates fatigue and lethargy. So, swim and regain that mutual energy that you’re missing, so that you could cope more easily with the mess of tomorrow.

3. Let yourselves have fun while you’re swimming… It may sound ridiculous, but when was the last time you made a forward roll in the water? When was the last time the two of you laughed together while splashing in the water, diving, or having him chasing after you in the pool… You can’t remember.. Well, refresh your memory.. Parents often forget about

those days of having fun. Let yourselves play as you swim. Mums and dads deserve to relax, indulge and have spontaneous fun while swimming.

4. Dive, but also emerge together. As you’re swimming, you should enjoy that micro world, and sometimes it’s easier to emerge from it together. Swimming and the water may not solve your current problem, but they will give you some space to look at it from a different perspective.

5. Take a deep breath and swim. Swimming will help you stay persistent and not give up when things get hard. Silence and peace I feel when I’m in the water have helped me recharge my batteries, encourage myself, her, or our family for so to many times. And they still do. At moments when you feel you’re running out of breath, take a look at yourself, take a moment, and a deep breath and swim. Mum, dad, and swimming will show you how to breathe properly to avoid choking on water. It’s not difficult. Give yourself a chance.

6. Listen to each other when you’re swimming. In this way you will know what the other side likes. Inspire each other to swim. Take a rhythm and swim.. Dance as you’re swimming. Since swimming brings rest to the body and mind. Swimming will bring you back your self-esteem.

7. Jump into the water together, with a smile. The same way you jumped into the life together, your love, parenthood, and all other joint challenges and adventures… Let yourselves be kids again, kids who are always cheerful when making fun of themselves and coming up with new funny ways of jumping into the water. Why couldn’t you do this? Like a bomb, pencil, candle, penguin, forward roll, twister… I can see you with a smile on your face now as you’re recalling those ways of jumping into the water.

Let us remind ourselves. Why is swimming good for mums and dads?

8. Because swimming keeps the family safe. Because, wanting that or not, with our healthy lifestyle we are role models to oud kids and our environment. Because we’ll feel more relaxed, freshers, and in better mood first for our own sake, and then for the sake of others. We will love ourselves more, and others will love us more too.