We heard about Family Swim Time at the North Beach Park & Rec pool a while back. We’ve been meaning to take Izzy, but with the holidays, we never got around to it. Plus, we had to buy a special swim diaper. That’s an added complication we weren’t prepared to deal with.
This being the new year, and the time for new beginnings, we finally got off our lazy duffs and bought her a swim diaper, and we planned to go to the pool on Saturday. On Thursday, I got online to double check the Family Swim Time schedule. I found out that the pool was closed indefinitely due to a mysterious leak. Bummer!
That did not deter me. I looked for other Park & Rec pools, but they all had Family Swim Time scheduled during my work hours. Double bummer!
I had been thinking about the Jewish Community Center (JCC) lately. They have a really good preschool and I heard that we might have a better chance to get in if we were already members (among other criteria). I hopped online to check out their facilities and found that they have Family Swim Time seven days a week! They also have a good gym for Mitch and me, as well as parking, child care, art classes for adults and kids and so much more! All of these great features were enticing. To top it all off, the family membership cost the same as my individual membership at Sports Club LA.
We signed up on the spot. I had a feeling we might, so I came prepared–I packed a bag with all of our swim gear. We took Izzy for her first swim right then and there. (Well, after we stopped at the cafe for a snack of bagel/cream cheese, hard boiled egg and juice.)
They have family changing rooms so we can all go in one room at the same time. It was a little awkward because I didn’t want to set Izzy on the damp ground, but we managed. (It will be easier in a few months when she’s walking.) we got suited up and headed to the family pool.
The pool is a nice size, and the temperature seems to be kept at around 85, maybe even 90 degrees. It is also littered with toys for a variety of age groups.
I thought Izzy might be overwhelmed by the size of the pool, but it wasn’t a problem. She squealed with delight when we stepped down into the pool and began splashing right away. We had so much fun swishing her around and passing her back and forth. We handed her toys to play with and she immediately put them in her mouth. (I’m assuming the chlorine killed any germs.) At one point we got a ball to play with. I pushed it towards her, and she pushed it back at me.
There were clusters of parents and children playing and splashing through out the pool. We exchanged pleasantries with a few people, but didn’t go much beyond that. It was really all about interacting with your kid(s) and the family time. You could see the joy on everyone’s face and feel the love between each parent/child set. It was a very moving experience.
After about a half hour of playing, we decided to get out. As we walked from the “deep” end to the shallow end, Izzy reached out and grabbed every floating toy we walked by. She looked so proud of herself hugging all of her new found prizes.
I’m so happy we joined the JCC. After hanging out that first day, Mitch remembered how much fun he used to have at the JCC when he was a kid. I’m happy that we’ll be able to expose Izzy to her cultural heritage during these visits as well as activities and other kids. I’m really looking forward working out again, playing with Izzy and Mitch in the pool every Saturday, meeting other members, and building a new community for ourselves.
