Dear Dish-It,
On Saturday my best friend invited me to her swimming pool party. She invited about 50-100 people (our soccer team, her basketball team, her gymnastics team, her girl scouts and last but not least her friends that live on her street). One problem: I don't know how to swim well. My parents said I have to use floaties or maybe a lifejacket. It’s going to be embarrassing to tell her. Everyone she invited knows how to swim. I told her I knew though. Well I know how to swim in a 1-8 foot pool but not a 20 foot pool. She has a huge pool that goes up to like 50 feet. Should I diss it or go?
AGirlWhoNeedsSwimmingLessons
Dear AGirlWhoNeedsSwimmingLessons,
Well, it doesn’t seem like you have enough time to get some proper swimming lessons between now and the party, does it?! Maybe that’s something you can look into doing this summer, though – knowing how to swim can be a real lifesaver!
In terms of your current dilemma, no, I don’t think floaties or a lifejacket are the way to go. I don’t normally go against what moms and dads say (after all, they really know what’s best for you, their own kid), but I think in this situation, which is a fun and casual pool party where you’re going to be seeing all your friends, a better solution would be to do the following …
First, come clean with your BFF. Tell her you lied about knowing how to swim and ask her advice as to what you should do come party time.
Second, stay out of the water. I know this may not be as fun as joining everyone else in the pool, but what choice do you really have? You don’t want to risk an accident where you could hurt yourself or even lose your life over a party. Face it, you may just have to sit this one out – besides, it will be great motivation for you to sign up for lessons and learn how to swim this summer!
Whatever you do, don’t miss out on your friend’s party! She probably really wants you to be there and there will be lots of things you can do besides swimming – ask her if you can organize and head up some games on the lawn for people who don’t want to swim or are tired of being in the pool. If you feel up to it, you could even offer to help her serve the food and make sure everyone’s having a good time – sort of like a second hostess.
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