It’s the end of another era; but, I thoroughly rejoice over the end of this one. It’s not in the least bittersweet. It’s more glorious relief and such like.
While swimming today, I realized with a thrilled little jolt that when the lifeguards whistle an infraction I no longer look for which of my children it is. In fact, it was deeply gratifying to realize that the decade plus of relentless work I’ve put into managing my children’s impulsivity issues has paid off. They are actually some of the best behaved children at the pool.
There is MUCH rejoicing.
They are all now of an age and skill that I don’t have to be within arm’s reach of them at the pool, so I’m over in the lap lane exercising while they play. I love it. Serious exercise without dripping sweat is a wondrous thing. After each length I get visual confirmation of each of them, but often they’re in the deep end, swimming alongside me. Tara, in particular, is a great work-out partner, although she does feel the need to critique my strokes and warn me about the approaching wall. Eh, after all those years of swim lessons, she's earned it and I'll take her instruction. Next year, she'll start lifeguard training.
Kay and Ian are under orders to stick together. Kay takes that charge very seriously. She stays within arm’s reach of him in the water and she even makes him hold her hand if they have to walk any significant distance. I find it amusingly ironic that the one child of my four with THE worst impulsivity control issues is the one that’s worried about another’s impulsivity while under her care. I first noticed it last summer when she took his hand to reassure herself that he wasn’t going to suddenly jump out of our moving boat.
So, gone are the days when Kay constantly headed for the diving board & deep end despite the fact that she couldn't swim. Gone are the days when Emma/Ian took other children's pool toys and mooched other people's food. Gone are the days split between monitoring Tara in the deep end, and keeping Emma from the filter at the shallow end while carrying Kay & Ian on my hips. Gone are the days when pre-school Kay and Emma sprinted around the pool deck and when the lifeguards shouted "don't run" the girls would run faster. (I taught the lifeguards to shout "Walk!" which helped.) Gone are the days when "time to go" meant Emma would jump back into the pool at one end and Kay at another, and I'd have to wrangle them out, crying, and into the car.
Gone...and I'm not sorry to see the back of them. Well...maybe just a tiny bit sorry. Now that I'm rested, that is.
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