5 Signs That You’re a Swim Parent

If you’re starting to wonder if you’ve become a swim parent, then read through our 5 signs and see how many apply to you! It might just confirm what you’ve been wondering this whole time… that swimming is your life now!

 1.     The Smell of Chlorine Never Leaves You

No matter how many washes you do, how much time is spent out of the pool and how many candles you light; the scent just NEVER leaves. You’re so used to having the smell around you that the house might start to smell weird if it did smell like that lavender candle you bought! 

 2.     Being Up Before Sunrise Doesn’t Frighten You

Most parents cling to every shred of sleep that they can get, especially on the weekends! Every extra minute counts… unless you’re a swim parent. Up at 5am on Saturdays to get to a gala? 4am on weekdays for practice before school? You’ve done it all! Although it was a daunting and terrible task at first, you start to find that seeing the sun rise on the way to swim practice isn’t so bad after all… Though you never really stop missing your bed. That’s just a fact.

3.     You Can Speak the Language of Swimming Fluently

Once upon a time you were befuddled by meets, tapering, fly’s, PB, IM, splits, canon and bilateral breathing. These were just words and the meaning were just a distant dream. Now, you’ve had to adapt and expand your vocabulary to be able to understand how swim practice actually was… and when your child asks if they have a new PB you don’t instantly assume they mean a sandwich spreading. Luckily, other swim parents have been there too, but with years of practice, patience and many mistakes you’re now a swimming dictionary.

4.     You’re Prepared for ANY Situation… ANY!

It’s the day of a competition and your child has just told you that their favourite goggles have broken… Panic? Tears? Abandon the race? Not now – you’re prepared for any situation as a swim parent! You’ve already got 3 pairs of spare goggles packed, an energy shake for before, nutrient snacks for afterwards, a spare costume, two towels and most importantly your book for the long hours inside the hot leisure centre! When you’re a swim parent, it’s always better to be overprepared and overequipped… ALWAYS.

 5.     You Often Feel Like a Second Coach… and you could be!

By now you know your child’s PB history, what their best stroke is and how they should be perfecting their technique! You have the benefit of an observational perspective, to see what they should be doing in and out of the pool to ensure they become the swimmer they’ve always dreamed of! You coach them on the drive home, during dinner and all other random times in between! With every “don’t forget to extend at the elbow” comes a response “you’re not the coach”. Funnily enough, the next meet is their best one yet… let’s just call you coach #2.