With the television commercials for back-to-school supplies and the rows of back-to-school clothes on sale at most stores, comes the undeniable indication summer is bidding adieu and autumn is about to make its transition. With the change also comes the closing of the Bedford Pool " a place my family has come to know as our second home this summer.
From the family swim times and adult swims, to two three-week swim lessons for my daughter, we've gotten the most out of our family pool passes. We've spent hours there and have gotten to know each lifeguard and member of management on staff. They've watched over us and taught us with the kind of patience expected of a kindergarten teacher.
My daughter couldn't wait to start her first day of swimming lessons as a peewee, the lowest level the pool offers. At 3 years old, she could doggie paddle and play, but her swimming skills were limited. But that changed after just the first week. She started getting braver, starting trying out new moves and loved the water even more than before. She went five days a week, Monday through Friday for 40 minutes.
I took the adult aquacise class offered at the same time to meet some new people and spend time with a friend whose daughter was in the same swim lesson class.
The first week, she learned a little song to help her jump into the water. "Alligator, alligator, stand so tall. Alligator, alligator, jump off the wall". She would rattle off all of the skills she'd learned at that day's swimming lessons on the way home, through dinnertime, through bath time and usually finished right before crawling into bed.
She memorized all of the lifeguard's names, would practice her skills during open swim following swimming lessons, and she started going under water, swimming and jumping in without fear or even a slight hint of hesitation. She was loving it " the fact that her best friend was also in her class didn't hurt either.
We all got to spend time together, and we all enjoyed our weekday routine together.
I realized just how important the pool and the lifeguards had become to my husband, myself and our daughter the day of the July 4 Bedford Parade.
The lifeguards recognized all three of us, called our daughter's name and rushed over to squirt water guns at her.
She beamed. She felt special. She was the only child in our immediate area who had taken swim lessons and who knew the lifeguards. And that made us beam too. The sense of community we had that day is unequivocal. It made my husband and I beam too.
So as the pool's season comes to a close, and the lifeguards return to school or other, seasonal jobs, we say goodbye and thank you.
I hope anyone who considered swim lessons but decided against it because it seemed like too much work or assumed the cost would be too high will reconsider next summer. They're only $20 for the full three weeks. That's maybe one night of eating out for a family of three " and totally worth it.