I realize many people registered their children for fall activities/sports/music lessons back in Jan. 2007 for this year, the same time they signed up for their prime camp-site locations and Justin Bieber tickets. I hope they knew enough to get on the day care list back in ’05 when the wait list was looking at a speedy seven year turn around for an opening.

I have been anxiously awaiting the girl’s swimming schedule for the fall as I have decided swimming will be a priority over weaving and t.v. watching this year, though, the girls have become masters at the latter.

Swimming will take place three days a week, a commitment I am totally on board for and one the girls have little to no interest in.

One of the practices will be Friday evenings. Again, my schedule appears to be wide open, this may not be true for the kids but it will mean they will forego any and all invitations for sleepovers, one for the pros column.

Another practice will be Sunday mornings, very…….very……..early, Sunday mornings.

To argue over this one seems unfair, almost cruel to those families with hockey players who are on the ice at 2am, some of whom I think just sleep on their covered porches, (some in their vehicles) with their equipment on and get potato sacked to the car thirty minutes before game time while parents insert a coffee I.V. drip.

My concerns?

Am I asking too much of a six and a soon-to-be nine year old to commit to this seemingly intense form of dunking?

What of the green hair?

What do I do with Chloe for three hours, three times a week while confined to the slippery viewing area of the local pool?  Would this inspire and peak the two (and a half!) year olds’ interests? Or would it instill in her a fear of water, waking early and bathing caps?

Bathing caps—there’s really no way to look good in one of those.

If one of the girls had told me, “I love soccer! I must play soccer! Mom I’m nothing if not a striker.” I would sign her up for weaving soccer. This hasn’t happened.

Instead, I have one kid who asks, “Can you sign me up for cheerleading, singing, dance, ventriloquism, tight-rope walking, drive-thru intercom speech therapy?” and another who submits, “Okay, if I have to do something and you are making me, I will be a gymnastics spectator or a ball girl for tennis.”

I like swimming because it’s a life saving sport, it’s great exercise and I think when they’re in the pool, they’re enjoying themselves.

Also, I can’t hear them complaining about the parenting mistakes I’ve made when they’re under water.