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Sarah M
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| Posted: Aug 06 2008 at 9:58pm | IP Logged
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I did it! I took my 3 (okay, you moms with 8+, no laughing at me here) to the pool by myself.
How'd it go?
Well, nobody drowned.  Probably came close a few times, though. No- it was rather challenging, but I think the stress was amplified by the fact that it was a super-hot day and the pool was at capacity- there was actually a line out the door of people waiting for people to leave so they could get in... It's hard to keep an eye on little ones when there are so many kids running amok. Especially when those other kids aren't well-behaved Catholic homeschoolers  .
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Aug 06 2008 at 10:06pm | IP Logged
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oh wow.. that would stress me too Sarah.. good job on giving it a try though!!
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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Dawnie
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| Posted: Aug 06 2008 at 10:15pm | IP Logged
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I don't take our kids to the pool by myself.
None of them swim and it's impossible for me alone to watch them as closely as they need to be watched.
Before Clara was born, I took them to the pool one time and Anna (who was 5yo at the time) had to be rescued by a lifeguard b/c she had ventured out into deep water and was thrashing around trying to get her head above water. I don't think I've ever been more scared in my entire life.
Even taking them to the pool with Grandma and Grandpa about sends me into an anxiety attack. I'm so afraid of one of them drowning...I think I'd worry less if at least the oldest could swim. But she's a very cautious child and is extremely resistant to learning to swim. 
Sigh.
Dawn
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Visit my blog!Water Into Wine:Vino Per Tutto!
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Lisbet
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| Posted: Aug 07 2008 at 5:30am | IP Logged
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Sarah <----- This is me, laughing at you.
Kidding of course! Seriously mama, taking 3 littles with no bigs is a HUGE thing. I have older ones, my oldest is nearly 14 and he is a tremendous help with all of the little boys. I remember when I nearly had a breakdown taking all of my littles to the library by myself, never mind the swimming pool!! WTG!
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Lisa, wife to Tony,
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Mark, 5
Greta, 3
Cecilia born 10.29.10
Josephine born 6.11.12
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teachingmom
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| Posted: Aug 07 2008 at 10:03am | IP Logged
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Lisbet wrote:
| I remember when I nearly had a breakdown taking all of my littles to the library by myself, never mind the swimming pool!! WTG! |
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Lisa,
Back when my 4th baby was born and all my kids were 5 and under, I felt a bit overwhelmed in going out in public alone with all those little ones. The library was our first outing. It was hard to help the 3yo and 5yo choose books, while coralling my toddler, with a new baby who needed to nurse. )
I clearly remember coming home and telling a friend that I was done - I would never go anywhere alone with the kids again!
Well, needless to say, it got much easier from that point on. 
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~Irene (Mom to 6 girls, ages 7-19)
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teachingmom
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| Posted: Aug 07 2008 at 10:21am | IP Logged
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By the way, I forgot to mention my secret weapon for making pool visits with toddlers and babies work. I've used one of these swim rings for each of my girls successfully. My almost 2yo is using it now.
My 5yo goes back and forth between using inflatable arm bands something like these and learning to swim on her own with me right next to her.
And for younger babies, I have relied on something like this. They can come with a sun canopy too.
The only thing about using these floatation devices is that you must be within arm's length of the child at all times (or at least pretty close for older children and the swim ring) because they can turn over and the child cannot get herself upright on her own. So I always stay right with my non-swimmers, but these things are what make my trips to the pool more peaceful and enjoyable for all.
Some people worry that using floaties or arm bands make children rely too much on them and they don't learn to swim independently as soon. I have found that when a child is confident in the water, they easily move to swimming on their own when the time is right. For my kids it's been somewhere between age 5 and 7. Hope that helps someone.
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~Irene (Mom to 6 girls, ages 7-19)
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Sarah M
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Lisbet wrote:
Sarah <----- This is me, laughing at you.
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SuzanneG
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| Posted: June 04 2009 at 12:08am | IP Logged
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Bumping this....as it's pool time again!
I re-read it to get a good laugh last night, and cuz we're reconsidering our "pool strategy" this summer.
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Suzanne in ID
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Mom of 7 (Girls - 14, 12, 11, 9, 7 and Boys - 4, 1)
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helene
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sigh..........I think we will just have to forgo the pool this summer. I usually get a membership but they increased their rates by $100 and on top of that I have to pay extra as I am a non-resident and then I have to pay extra for each child in our family after the allowable 4 children! I am looking at an expense of over $450! So I think we will be hitting the beach once a week instead. In a way this can be a more positive outdoor experience than a concrete man-made pool (trying desperately to look on the bright side here). The sand factor is usually a huge hit with my littles, and of course all the shell collecting. The waves make it more fun for the older kids. There would have to be some rules for safety (maybe no going deeper than your belly button for little ones?) and I usually stick my lawn chair RIGHT at the water line to be very watchful and in the thick of things. If I want to go as often as I am hoping there would have to be some routine to find.....maybe some bags to stay perpetually ready to go to the pool. Maybe I will find it's all too much, but I really hope not. It's important to me that they get some water and air outdoor experience regularly during the summer months. This year will just have to be a bit more "homespun." Anyone else go to the beach often (at least once a week) and have any advice?
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Jess
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I have just been thinking about this. Our favorite lake beach area is going to be closed this summer and so i have been trying to figure out where to take the kids swimming. Any of the pools near us (well actually the only outdoor pool near us) is small and always super crowded, so I was thinking of going on post. It is a longer drive but that pool is really big and there is a baby pool. The only problem is that the bigger pool starts at like 4 ft. I have 2 good swimmers and i hope after 2 weeks of swimming lessons my son will be better. Maybe we can go with another family. I am actually not sure how old the limit on the baby pool is, I hope the 5 yr old can go in there with me because I don't have a pool sling for the toddler. All your stories have encouraged me to get out and take them this year. I am also going to get a small pool for the younger kids for the back yard. One that is cheap, easy to dump everyday, but big enough for more than one.
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Fuzzy
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I love reading this! I am not the only one that has a hard time doing this!
I am so nervous to take my 3 kids to the pool. My DH goes with the older 2, and the 4 yo is so independent that she very often goes off by herself. How will I manage with my infant and older 2? We did do swimming lessons last year, and it was mainly for getting them comfortable going under water. I never had any lessons myself, andI think that makes me more nervous around the water because I am not a good swimmer.
Summer is upon us again, and I go through all these emotions again!
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 Fuzzy
Mom to DS 12, DD 10, DS 7, and DS 4, and DD 1!
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teachingmyown
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We don't have access to a pool or beach. There is one beach on the other side of the county, but it gets expensive to go there.
So, we have two inflatable pools. The big one, by Intex, is 18 feet in diameter and about 3.5 feet deep. Then we have a little one that is about 10 feet long and a foot or so deep which sprays water on the kids. The big kids get to swim in the big pool while I hang out with the littles at the "baby" pool. If middle kids want to play in the water without a big kid, they still have plenty of fun in the small pool.
Works great for us!
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Molly
wife to Court & mom to ds '91, dd '96, ds '97, dds '99, '01, '03, '06, and dss '07 and 01/20/11
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4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life
Topic: Taking lots of children to the pool
