More Pool Games

Today's Free Swim fun included yet another million games of "Marco Polo," many of which were between Madeleine and myself.  Since Julia was off in the deep end jumping off the diving board, Madeleine was stuck with me as her sole play-mate.

There are a number of reasons why playing "Marco Polo" with Madeleine in the shallow end is kind of lackluster.

#1: Not only is she a big fat cheater about closing her eyes when she's "Marco," but whenever *I'm* "Marco," she only bothers to answer "Polo!" about 10% of the time.  Therefore, when I don't hear her response, I'm forced to be a cheater myself and open my own eyes, because a lack of reply from my daughter PROBABLY means she's too busy swimming away to answer, but COULD ALSO potentially mean she's off drowning somewhere and I can't see her.

#2: Because we are in the shallow end, we're surrounded by other little kids, most of whom are smaller/younger than Madeleine.  And because she is lacking in the grace department, even when her eyes are opened she often winds up crashing into some poor little 2-year-old wading around.


#3: Even though she won't answer "Polo!" most of the time, Madeleine still insists that I say it regularly.  Here's a summary of how the game usually goes for us:

ME: Marco!
MADELEINE: Polo!
ME: Marco!
MADELEINE: (silence)
ME: Marco!
MADELEINE: (silence)
ME: Marco!
MADELEINE: (silence)
ME: (silence)
MADELEINE: Mom!  SAY it!
ME: Marco!

And on and on.


#4: Since there are only two of us, the game is really not all that exciting.  Either I get her or she gets me.  Every time.


It was with some relief, therefore, that I greeted Madeleine's idea to try playing a new game after over an hour of "Marco Polo." 

MADELEINE: Hey Mama!  Wanna play "Sharkie Sharkie Cross My Ocean?"
ME: Sure.  But how do you play?
MADELEINE: Okay.  So.  I'll be the Dolphin-Fish-MERMAID, and...you can be the Shark-Bunny.

The Shark-Bunny?  Lucky me!  I have the opportunity to be both a fierce predator and a docile little cottontail wrapped up in one!

The game, as I suspected, was more or less "Fishy, Fishy, Cross My Ocean," in which the person in the middle of the pool lane (that person being the Dolphin-Fish-Mermaid in this case) shouts out "Sharkie, Sharkie, Cross My Ocean!" and the Shark-Bunny then tries to get from one end of the pool lane to the other without being tagged.

What happens if you DO get tagged is somewhat different from in the "Fishy, Fishy" version, however.  In the "Fishy" version, once a fish is tagged, he/she becomes the new Shark. 

Here's how Madeleine's version worked:

MADELEINE: Okay. Mama. So, when I tag you, you become a PLANT.  You can still move your ARMS, but you can't move your legs.  THEN you have to WAIT until I accidentally tag you AGAIN, and then YOU become the Dolphin-Fish-Mermaid.

So I became a plant, and waited for Madeleine to deliberately accidentally swim over to me and touch me, upon which I became the Dolphin-Fish-Mermaid and she the Shark-Bunny.

Needless to say, between our high-stakes game of "Marco Polo" and the suspense-filled "Sharkie, Sharkie, Cross My Ocean," I'm not thoroughly wiped.  ACTION-PACKED TIMES at the town pool!