First, a disclaimer. I have never had swimming lessons, and I hate for my head/face to go underwater. It gives me claustrophobia. Still, I love to swim. Or maybe I should say, I love to be in the water. I’m a good floater like my grandpa, and I can dog paddle with the best of them. The older I get, the larger my wingspan so I’m getting faster in the water.
This past week, I did something I haven’t done in the twelve years I’ve lived here. I went to our HOA swimming pool and enjoyed myself. No one else was there so it was perfect. I had the pool to myself and could do my laps unimpeded and without anyone watching. It was wonderful.
On our last mother/daughter trip to Cancun, I spent most of the time in the water. Bobbing in the ocean I call it. The salt water makes me even more buoyant than usual so it takes little to stay afloat. I don’t go anywhere. I just bob, feeling the water move around me. It’s like a full-body massage.
As I swam the other day, I thought about the time years ago when my family went to the Galveston beach for a day. We drove way down the beach, away from everybody else. The guys had their cutoff jeans and tee shirts on. Me, being a young teenager, wasn’t allowed to wear that. I had cutoffs, but what could I wear on top that was modest? I couldn’t wear a tee shirt since it would stick to me when it was wet. I couldn’t wear any other kind of shirt because it would do the same thing. My mom, bless her heart, got two bright orange, very large, super absorbent bath towels. She sewed them together, leaving a place for my head, my arms, and the open bottom. Sitting around in it was fine, but when I followed my brothers into the surf, those super absorbent towels sucked up about 30 or 40 pounds of water. I nearly drown! As hard as I tried to play in the surf, I kept getting pulled under by my bathing suit. Coming out of the water onto the beach, I had a lead suit on. My feet sunk way down into the sand. Our fun day at the beach meant I spent most of the time standing in water below the towels.
I still laugh about my towel swimsuit experience. Learn from my experience and don’t make your daughters swim in towels, especially the super-absorbent kind. There are manufacturers making modest swimsuits out of fabrics that don’t drown you. I’m thankful for them so I can enjoy the water and bobbing as the waves come in.
Giggle, giggle, snort! Ah, mothers! Glad you enjoyed the pool.
Yes! I remember the days of going swimming or floating the canal on inner tubes in long, double knit, wide legged culottes. Finally as an adult I bought a one piece bathing suit that i wore under hemmed cutoffs and a thicker t-shirt. Much easier and actually felt more modest because t-shirts actually float up sometimes!
I completely understand that our parents were “protecting” us, but it sure made having fun hard sometimes-hahahaha. I have a new swim suit that has short sleeves and reaches my knees. It’s never tried to drown me so I love it.