Family Matters: 4 Pool Games for Having Fun as a Family
If my two kids, my husband, and I could live in the swimming pool during the summer, I think we would. I’ve always been an avid swimmer and that’s something I’ve definitely passed on to my kids. And while I definitely enjoy seeing my kids have a blast splashing around with their friends, my most cherished moments each summer are the times we spend playing in the pool as a family, just the four us.
We always try to carve out time each week for family bonding in the pool. Here are a few activities that my kids, my husband, and I love.
Underwater Telephone – In this game, stand in a circle. The starting person comes up with a word or phrase. They go underwater with the person next to them and tell that person the word/phrase. Then that person goes underwater and tells the person beside them the word/phrase and so on. It’s a great way to teach the importance of clear communication. I also like to use it as an opportunity to reiterate pool safety rules. If you’d like to do the same, this comprehensive guide on swimming safety features many rules you can use during the game.
Piranha Ball – AquaMobileSwim.com offers this game using a beach ball. It’s a great shallow end game to play if anyone in your family is still getting comfortable with being in the water or isn’t a strong swimmer. Stand in a circle holding hands and put the beach ball in the center. The object is not to let the beach ball touch you. If it does, you’re out.
Water Relays – Split the family into teams. Then, swim relay races using different strokes. These races provide wonderful opportunities for your kids to work on their swim strokes. They’re also great lessons in teamwork and sportsmanship.
Marco Polo – I’m sure you’re already familiar with this classic. If not Yucatan-Holidays.com explains how it works. The players spread out in the pool. One player closes their eyes. They say, “Marco” and the other players respond with “Polo.” The “Marco” player, then, tries to tag the other players out by finding them through this call and response. If you’re feeling really bold, turn it into a history lesson for your kids by teaching them about the real Marco Polo.
The summer is a great time for some fun in the sun. But don’t let it pass you by without working in some family bonding.
Patricia Sarmiento is a health and fitness blogger. A former high school and college athlete, she loves writing about how to live a happy, healthy lifestyle and other health-related topics. She makes fitness a focus in her everyday life. She lives with her family in Maryland.
You can read her other articles on the value of spending time at the pool as a family here and here.
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Not long ago I read an amazing book, 
never puts the bed pillows on. When I come into the room I put them on and when I come in next his has been removed so that he can rest or nap. As I look at the gap where the bed pillow should be I feel resentment and frustration build up. It is disappointing!!! If he loved me he would put those pillows on the bed, right! Grrrr. You all know exactly how this feels!
I have also always wanted beautiful towels in the bathroom that never get used. They just hang there and look beautiful. Raising 7 children and growing up the oldest of nine, you know that there were NEVER unused towels in the bathroom. So when all our children left home I thought “Now is the time”. Wrong! My husband just can’t understand the idea of unused towels in the bathroom or taking the extra steps to use the hook on the bathroom door. Here is how our one bathroom towel rack looks, one used towel, unfolded, drying. Very convenient and very “not decorative”! I have to say this caused no small amount of disappointment and frustration for a long time. I resented the fact that I couldn’t have what I wanted because my husband stood in my way! When I went into the bathroom I would see that towel rack with its unfolded towel and remember that I never got nice decorative towels and then I would feel disappointment and frustration. I wasn’t happy!
in my bathroom. I tri-fold the towels and keep them color coordinated and it looks terrific. When I am in the bathroom doing whatever, I look at the towel rack and it feels so nice. It is perfect. I don’t mind Don’s unfolded towel or the fact that my color coordinated towels aren’t hanging up. What I see when I go into the bathroom is that I have this orderly, beautiful rack of towels. It feels satisfying to me.
I have given you some examples of the mundane. But I have used this knowledge in the vitally important. I have healed my feelings about old wrongs, embarrassing moments, out and out rudeness and unkindness, out of sorts relationships, and even abuse. One of my favorite books, as a 16 year old, was by Victor Frankl, 
Have you ever noticed that when we are having trouble with our spouse, neighbor or our children we begin to wonder what we can “do” to make the situation better? Can we devise a new system, have a good old fashioned “talk it out” session or come up with a consequence/reward and so forth.
Relationship is everything and ultimately it depends on you! You can’t “do” yourself into a good relationship. You have to “be” yourself into one. Our way of being is far more important in our relationships, especially with our children, than anything we can do. It comes down to how we are with them. How do we treat them? How good are our own boundaries. How consistent are we? Do we have control of ourselves? Do we keep the promises we make to ourselves? When “how” we are changes, when our way of being is right, everything begins to change and the relationship grows.
She has also begun using “random touches” with him as often as she can remember to do it. A random touch takes 3 seconds and is accompanied by silence. It is just a pat on the back as you walk past them, a squeeze of the knee when sitting by them, etc.
Recently, on one of my Facebook groups, a discussion ensued about how a wife should handle a husband who she considered unreasonable in a situation with their child. As you can imagine there were a lot of comments. Many of them had to do with just taking the bull by the horns and forging ahead, doing what was “right” for the child, no matter what the husband’s position.
ends in every skein of yarn. One pulls out from the inside of the skein. The other wraps around from the outside. Sometimes they just get tangled up with each other. You can pull and tug and battle all you want but until you find the ends you will struggle. Finding two ends allows you to unravel the mess eventually. It is akin to having a belief that the other persons position is as valid as yours. From that position of mutual respect you can begin to untangle the mess. You can look at each end, so to speak, and begin the work of bringing order out of chaos. Again, you don’t have to agree but you have to know that despite your different positions, their position is valid.
Knowing the relationship is worth the work, having a genuine interest in the other persons position, believing in the validity of the other persons opinion, and by allowing time, you can untangle almost any mess, just as I was able to do with the yarn.
