Skiing and Swimming

We went swimming at a local country club with some friends. There we ran into our Tahoe neighbor, John Dafoe. Our twins are friends with their twins; we know the parents quite well.

I was wearing a sundress and a big floppy hat with sunglasses. John looked at me blankly for a few seconds after I greeted him. Finally he figured out who I was. I look very different decked out for downhill or apres ski in long johns than I do in the summer. It was context.

The kids happily picked up where they left off last winter while I caught up with John.

This got me thinking about the similarities between skiing and swimming.

1. It's a great physical outlet. In the water the kids race, play games, get wild with acrobatics. They do the same on the mountain.

2. There's a good dose of freedom involved. At the pool the kids run around without close adult supervision, just like they do in our development at Tahoe. Their age provides us all with this luxury.

3. They eat. A lot. At the country club they belly on up to the snack bar. At Tahoe they raid one of our fridges.

There is the same parenting high that comes from hearing your children laugh, taking in every last drop of the pleasures of childhood.