Becoming a Pool Parent

Sunset Park is the place to be weekday mornings (Mondays through Thursdays) from 10 a.m. until noon, when swim lessons are offered. 

All the parents and nannies get to sit around the pool in shades and sundresses watching our kids learn to swim. It’s like cheating on work by going to the beach in the middle of the day.

When I first signed my kids up for lessons, I thought I would drop them off and head back to my desk, but the glare of the water and the warmth of the sun seems to keep me there every morning.

And there’s nothing like seeing my son learn the backstroke, and my daughter relay race with a couple of new friends.

And guess what?

Parents don’t have to do anything. The college lifeguards do all the work. It’s cool that Glen Ellyn has a pool like this “smack-dab” in the middle of town. 

I think all the parents wish they could stay there the entire afternoon. Why not?

The kids have fun; the parents have fun. All that’s missing is a massage therapist and a couple of margaritas. As a parent, it's often difficult to find something that my kids and I can both enjoy – at least without faking it.

There’s just something about all that water, and the outdoor air that’s officially made me a pool parent. And by the looks of some of the parents sitting around me, they’ve become pool parents, too.  

Going to the pool gives you that little bit of a break, while at the same time reminding you of the days when it was just you and your friends hanging out at the pool – all until you hear the word that brings you back to reality, “mommy.”

If your kids need an outlet, and you some rest, I recommend becoming a pool parent at .

If you don’t do it for your kids, considering doing it for yourself.

See you by the pool.