‘I lost a child at my son’s swimming party’

Two years ago I didn’t like it at all: keeping a group of hysterically busy boys in line in such a cramped swimming paradise – far too afraid that one would drown. Still, I gave in when Stef asked for the umpteenth time if he could ‘please’ celebrate his children’s party in the local swimming pool. “Just for once,” I replied. “On the condition that you invite a maximum of three friends. And they all have to have swimming diploma B in their pocket.”

Invitations

I hadn’t said it yet whether the invitations with the joke ‘where we’re going is a surprise, but bring your swimming gear’ had already been sent. And two weeks later, Job and I were standing in the changing room of the swimming pool with four boisterous children.

The first hour went smoothly: it was quiet and we had a good view of all the boys. But when the pool filled up after an hour and a half and I started having more and more trouble keeping an eye on all the children, I started to feel anxious. Nonsense, Job thought. “They can swim just fine,” he said irritated. “Let them have a good time.”

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Ranja and snacks

Not much later the orange juice and snacks were served on the decorated table and the children were allowed to eat. But when they were called, only three children showed up. Jelle, the fourth boyfriend, was nowhere to be seen. Stef said that he indicated not so long ago that he would go to the bathroom for a while, but after that they hadn’t seen him again…

I immediately imagined hellish doomsday scenarios in my head: was Jelle now lying somewhere at the bottom of the swimming pool and no one noticed? Should I go and tell his parents? I ran in complete panic through the toilets to the lifeguard, who said he hadn’t seen anything crazy. After twenty minutes of searching in vain with five men, I really started to worry.

changing room

Until I heard Stef’s voice echo down the hall: ‘I FOUND IT!’ What turned out? Jelle, highly sensitive and therefore easily overstimulated, had gone to sit in a changing cubicle and then fell asleep on his towel.

I could cry with joy, but I knew one thing for sure: we will never have a children’s party in the pool again.

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