Pool Problem

We Rowes have been out of luck lately with outdoor pools!  Our town pool, which was closed for construction last summer and was due to open this summer, is woefully behind schedule and may not even open until mid-August.  I then re-joined the outdoor pool we paid a truckload for last summer, comforted by the fact that at least this pool opens May 21.  Unfortunately, they are also behind schedule, so when the Rowe ladies showed up this afternoon, right after lunch, as the public schools had an Early Release, we were told the pool is not yet open.

Julia couldn't handle life after this news, because any other pool that we could possibly go to was unacceptable to her.  I suggested we go to Lap Swim at the Y, but she refused to be seen at her usual pool unless she was at swim team practice.  I suggested other Y pools in the area, but she simply could not EVEN.  Madeleine was begging for us to go to a pool, any pool, because she really wanted to play, and I finally decided to see if we could pay for access to the indoor pool at the sports club we were already at.

Smart idea I had, because it turned out that as an apology for the outdoor pool being closed, we were allowed inside the Sports Club to use the indoor pool for free.  The girls were super excited upon hearing the news and cheerfully followed me out to the pool deck.  It wasn't long before they were happily in the water:

Julia, who has to miss swim team practice this evening due to her Honors Band and Chorus concerts, opted to do some laps, while Madeleine played with our Dive Sharks.  Last summer's game, "Death to Sharks," was quickly resurrected, and Madeleine had me toss the sharks for her to try and rescue, cheerily telling me which ones had died after she popped her head back above water.

MADELEINE: So, Mommy, Torpedo's dead, because he touched the ground, and if you touch the ground, you DIE.


Julia was so envious of Madeleine playing with the sharks that her interest in a lap workout suddenly waned.  She had just finished a 200 IM and since I am not a swim coach I asked her what she should swim next.

ME: Okay, what do you want to do next?  Some 50s?
JULIA: Death to Sharks.
ME: Well, why don't you do laps a little longer so Madeleine can play with the sharks on her own?
JULIA: (glowering at me like I'm ruining her life)

Once Julia did join in playing with Madeleine, I thought I could leave the pool edge and dry off in a chair for awhile.  However, Julia and Madeleine decided to loudly argue over the rules of what makes you dead in "Death to Sharks."

JULIA: No, Madeleine!  That's NOT how you play it.  You're DEAD if you're under water for more than a minute.
MADELEINE: No, Julia!  You're DEAD if you touch the ground.
JULIA: Madeleine!  That's not how you DIE!
MADELEINE: Julia, that's how I make them die.
JULIA: No, Madeleine, remember last summer?  You don't DIE if you touch the ground.  You DIE if you're under water for more than one minute.
MADELEINE: No, Julia-
JULIA: No, MADELEINE! -

So I had to go intervene and suggest that, given this was a made-up game, they were allowed to have different rules on shark deaths, and just had to be clear on which version they were going to play.  One version can have the sharks die when they touch the ground, one version can have the sharks die if they've been under water for too long.  For crying out loud, we really don't need to be yelling at each other about the made-up rules of a made-up game.

After the little spat, the girls resumed playing happily, and opted for a game of "Hide the Sharks" instead, which kept them both entertained, and all in all, our failed attempt at an outdoor pool adventure turned into a successful indoor pool experience!