Can working parents make summer swim happen?

[Anonymous]

7am is waaay too early for practice IMO. Glad ours is later in the AM.

[Anonymous]

Come join the Bethesda Barracudas next summer! We are a public team (no need to join a private pool), and offer practices in the morning and at night from 8:00-9:00 pm. The night practices are great fun, and a godsend for working parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our team offers 7:30 am, M-F and 5:00 pm M,T,Th practices. Most team members have working parents but I’ve seen a variety of:

-attending only evening practices
-attending morning practice and going straight to camp/work
- kids ride bike or walk to pool with older sibling or neighbor
-carpooling with another family
-parents work remotely
-grandparents help
-sitter/nanny brings the kids

It is not showing privilege to do any of these options. Some would consider working a 9-5 job is a privilege (or even 8-6!) We have parents in the medical field that work 4 ten-hour days/ week and they make it work. We have parents who work labor jobs with non traditional hours that make it work.

But like everything else in the world, if it doesn’t work for your family, nbd. There’s no requirement to participate! No one will judge you if your kids don’t join the swim team.

I think the point is that many kids WANT to participate but their parents have a hard time making the practice schedule work. But FWIW 730am and 5pm practice times are pretty friendly for working parents.

My kid wants to play ice hockey but we can’t afford it nor can we commit to the travel it requires.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For working parent that make it work, I am wondering when your child's day camp start or end if you go for morning practice or/and evening practice? Won't your kids be exhausted after attending swim practices? My kid either get bused to day camps aroubd 8:15am or dropped off at 9am and I always pay for extended after cares. If I don't pay for extended cares, the camp ends maybe 3pm or 4pm (with busing). They stay outdoor full day. Someone in the family must have flexible schedules to do the drop off/pick up and transportation.

When my kids were younger and attended camps, they had no problem if my children arrived a bit late. I just gave them a heads up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For working parent that make it work, I am wondering when your child's day camp start or end if you go for morning practice or/and evening practice? Won't your kids be exhausted after attending swim practices? My kid either get bused to day camps aroubd 8:15am or dropped off at 9am and I always pay for extended after cares. If I don't pay for extended cares, the camp ends maybe 3pm or 4pm (with busing). They stay outdoor full day. Someone in the family must have flexible schedules to do the drop off/pick up and transportation.

When my kids were younger and attended camps, they had no problem if my children arrived a bit late. I just gave them a heads up.

+1 this is summer camp, aka glorified childcare, not school. It’s ok if they show up a little late.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For working parent that make it work, I am wondering when your child's day camp start or end if you go for morning practice or/and evening practice? Won't your kids be exhausted after attending swim practices? My kid either get bused to day camps aroubd 8:15am or dropped off at 9am and I always pay for extended after cares. If I don't pay for extended cares, the camp ends maybe 3pm or 4pm (with busing). They stay outdoor full day. Someone in the family must have flexible schedules to do the drop off/pick up and transportation.

When my kids were younger and attended camps, they had no problem if my children arrived a bit late. I just gave them a heads up.

+1 this is summer camp, aka glorified childcare, not school. It’s ok if they show up a little late.

+1. It’s ok if you don’t show up at all! One less kid to worry.

[Anonymous]

The idea that summer swim is run by Sahm is insulting. Almost Every parent at our div 2 team is working in a professional environment. We all just make it work because we know how to manage multiple things at once. Very little drama because we have no time for it. Please drop the idea that it is all sahm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:7am is waaay too early for practice IMO. Glad ours is later in the AM.

+1 this sounds like a nightmare for kids to have to wake up so early everyday during summer vacation.

We are lucky with afternoon practices at our pool - timing is not bad for families with one parent that WFH or has some flexibility.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For working parent that make it work, I am wondering when your child's day camp start or end if you go for morning practice or/and evening practice? Won't your kids be exhausted after attending swim practices? My kid either get bused to day camps aroubd 8:15am or dropped off at 9am and I always pay for extended after cares. If I don't pay for extended cares, the camp ends maybe 3pm or 4pm (with busing). They stay outdoor full day. Someone in the family must have flexible schedules to do the drop off/pick up and transportation.

When my kids were younger and attended camps, they had no problem if my children arrived a bit late. I just gave them a heads up.

+1 this is summer camp, aka glorified childcare, not school. It’s ok if they show up a little late.

It doesn't work to show up late for camp when the camp leaves for field trips by 9:30 and swim team for ten and under is 9 to 10 am. So evening practice it is even though the kids in the evening get way less coaching instruction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For working parent that make it work, I am wondering when your child's day camp start or end if you go for morning practice or/and evening practice? Won't your kids be exhausted after attending swim practices? My kid either get bused to day camps aroubd 8:15am or dropped off at 9am and I always pay for extended after cares. If I don't pay for extended cares, the camp ends maybe 3pm or 4pm (with busing). They stay outdoor full day. Someone in the family must have flexible schedules to do the drop off/pick up and transportation.

When my kids were younger and attended camps, they had no problem if my children arrived a bit late. I just gave them a heads up.

+1 this is summer camp, aka glorified childcare, not school. It’s ok if they show up a little late.

It doesn't work to show up late for camp when the camp leaves for field trips by 9:30 and swim team for ten and under is 9 to 10 am. So evening practice it is even though the kids in the evening get way less coaching instruction.

You chose to sign your kids up for a camp that had departing field trips and made the choice to participate in evening practice. I chose to hire a summer nanny for the swim team weeks, let my kids sleep in, and play at the pool in the afternoon. Both are valid choices with trade offs. Stop complaining

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For working parent that make it work, I am wondering when your child's day camp start or end if you go for morning practice or/and evening practice? Won't your kids be exhausted after attending swim practices? My kid either get bused to day camps aroubd 8:15am or dropped off at 9am and I always pay for extended after cares. If I don't pay for extended cares, the camp ends maybe 3pm or 4pm (with busing). They stay outdoor full day. Someone in the family must have flexible schedules to do the drop off/pick up and transportation.

When my kids were younger and attended camps, they had no problem if my children arrived a bit late. I just gave them a heads up.

+1 this is summer camp, aka glorified childcare, not school. It’s ok if they show up a little late.

It doesn't work to show up late for camp when the camp leaves for field trips by 9:30 and swim team for ten and under is 9 to 10 am. So evening practice it is even though the kids in the evening get way less coaching instruction.

You chose to sign your kids up for a camp that had departing field trips and made the choice to participate in evening practice. I chose to hire a summer nanny for the swim team weeks, let my kids sleep in, and play at the pool in the afternoon. Both are valid choices with trade offs. Stop complaining

You are the one putting down valid and necessary choices. I found a camp that was local and affordable with quality staff that doesn't warehouse kids. A nanny is more money than I can swing as the kids will still want to go places and I'm sorry college kids and high school kids flake. Kids in evening practice should not be treated as second class citizens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For working parent that make it work, I am wondering when your child's day camp start or end if you go for morning practice or/and evening practice? Won't your kids be exhausted after attending swim practices? My kid either get bused to day camps aroubd 8:15am or dropped off at 9am and I always pay for extended after cares. If I don't pay for extended cares, the camp ends maybe 3pm or 4pm (with busing). They stay outdoor full day. Someone in the family must have flexible schedules to do the drop off/pick up and transportation.

When my kids were younger and attended camps, they had no problem if my children arrived a bit late. I just gave them a heads up.

+1 this is summer camp, aka glorified childcare, not school. It’s ok if they show up a little late.

It doesn't work to show up late for camp when the camp leaves for field trips by 9:30 and swim team for ten and under is 9 to 10 am. So evening practice it is even though the kids in the evening get way less coaching instruction.

You chose to sign your kids up for a camp that had departing field trips and made the choice to participate in evening practice. I chose to hire a summer nanny for the swim team weeks, let my kids sleep in, and play at the pool in the afternoon. Both are valid choices with trade offs. Stop complaining

I think this just reinforces the stereotype that swim is for the more privileged. With the going nanny rates, it would cost 3x more each week for a nanny than my DC’s summer camp. So yeah, I guess it’s a poor career “choice” that I can’t afford to pay for the specific childcare necessary to enable attendance at morning swim practices.

[Anonymous]

I am curious what college kid nanny could do with kids after the swim practice in the morning? We have 2 ES kids, and I pay around $1100 to $1300.for weekly day camps in total. It is more expensive because I pay for transportation & extended care at camp. Is nanny cheaper in my case? My kids are different gender with different interests, what could summer college hire could do with them for the rest of day each week?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am curious what college kid nanny could do with kids after the swim practice in the morning? We have 2 ES kids, and I pay around $1100 to $1300.for weekly day camps in total. It is more expensive because I pay for transportation & extended care at camp. Is nanny cheaper in my case? My kids are different gender with different interests, what could summer college hire could do with them for the rest of day each week?

Any nanny with some experience should be able to come up with some activities, but you could also just let your kid relax, read, play video games, etc.

[Anonymous]

Well if you insist on hiring a ‘professional’ nanny for your elementary kids that’s on you. Hired teenagers. Pay them $15 an hour. Kids play at pool with them in the afternoon. On rainy days they play board games or occasionally have a special something like bowling. So no. This isn’t about money. This is about choices.