My Dad Is The Best

We swim at a pool that’s about 45 minutes from our house.

Four of the kids are on the team, and they are in 4 practice groups.

Number 3 and 4 swim six days a week, Number 5 swims five times a week, and Number 7 swims three times a week.

On Mondays and Fridays all four kids have practice. On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursdays, a different combination of three of the kids have practice.

Number 3 has to be at the pool at 3:45 or 4:15, depending on the day, and he’s done at 6:45.

Number 5 has to be at the pool at 5, and she’s done at 6:15.

Number 7 has to be at the pool at 6, and she’s done at 7.

Number 4 has to be at the pool at 6 or 6:30, and she’s done at 8:30.

Since the pool is so far away, whoever brings the kids has to stay there until practice is over, because by the time you got home, you’d have to turn around to go back.

There’s not really enough time to go home and come back in between practices, plus that would just be not fun.

But if I brought everyone at the same time, I would have to pick Number 7 up early from school everyday, and we would leave home around 3:00 and get back at 9:30 every school day. That’s a bit much. Especially for the younger kids.

So every day, there are 2 shifts.

The early shift and the late shift.

My parents take one shift and I take the other, and there is usually a little overlap in between.

There are picnic tables at the pool where you can sit and that’s where my parents sit, and it’s where I sit when I’m not coaching.

Last night I had the early shift and my dad drove solo while my mom stayed home, and he had the later shift, and we had a little bit of time where we overlapped in the middle.

So we hung out together at the picnic table.

My dad unpacked his bag when he got there.

My dad is 74.

He came to the pool with his little Mary Poppins bag.

He pulled out his container of chips.

And then his apple.

And then his sugar cookie.

And then his little Sudoku book.

And then his colored pencils.

And then his coloring book.

And he said, “Here’s what I’m gonna work on tonight!”

And he got right to work coloring his flower picture.

My dad is the best.