The Diving Lifestyle (for Parents)

[freewillie]

I've been on vacation with my mother a few times and with groups of friends. The good part about having mother along is she can take care of the kids for short periods of time. Lets my wife get out for just the two of us for a few hours. Unfortunately my wife does not dive so it's usually just a nice quiet dinner for the two of us.

When we've gone with friends usually to big resorts in Hawaii where the hotels have a kids camp. In our group each of the kids usually has their friend of similar ages to play with, and are more than happy to spend the day in kids camp with their friends. We set passwords/codes for all the adults in our group so any parent has permission to take the kids as a group when checking out. Usually the kids are having so much fun we can't get them out even when the place is closing for the night.

Having trained kids for scuba you are well aware every kid is different. My only other advice is let the kids progress at their own pace. When my daughter was 4 we took her on a snorkel boat on the Kona coast in Hawaii. We thought she'd have no problem getting on a raft with the window cut out to look at the fish. As you can imagine, she wouldn't get off the boat. Everytime we tried to take her off the boat and get her on the raft she cried. My wife and I then took turns snorkeling while one of us watch her on the boat. That same little girl was the same one who begged and pleaded to let her certify for Jr OW cert during our last vacation after her introduction to scuba class. I of course obliged her and now have a new scuba buddy since my wife doesn't dive.

Good luck.

 

[b1gcountry]

There are night dives as well, so you could get some lights, get a sitter for after bedtime, and make it a weekly thing you and your wife do. Some people go out to dinner and a movie, why not go out for a dive and a dive?

We live in St Louis, so any diving after work is out. The closest quarry is about 3 hours away.

 

[CuNanoTube]

My parents dove while they dated, it was their thing. For a honeymoon the dove for 2 out of three weeks on grand camen and coz. Then 2 years later we (I am a triplet) were born. So, after an 18 year SI my father got me certified and we are diving again. Unfortunately my mother will never be able to dive again due to a sinus problem, and my sisters are not interested, but thanks to diving I have never been closer to my father.
If you want to avoid the 18 year SI it is easiest if both parents are into diving. There are too many divorced divers in our local club for it to be coincidence. Then when your kids are old enough to dive safely you include them.

 

[ScubaBB]

ScubaBB:
So where did you go to on vacation with your friends? How did it work out with the other couple?

Tom

We went to Hurghada, Egypt. It was an all-inclusive hotel, so no bothering about meals etc.
It worked out well, but I have to say also thanks to the fact that the children of both couples were used to the non-parents.

 

[Primalchrome]

I've seen this post in just about every hobby forum I've ever run across....RC flying, dirtbikes, bjj, gaming.... The end answers are all the same :
- Come to grips with the fact that you will not be able to have all the free time you had before.
- You still have to take time for yourself
- Family/Sitters
- Involve your kids, even if it's not the activity itself, but prep work (gear prep/rebuild/maintenance). Kids love to 'help out' on adult things, even when it's actually a chore for the adult.
- Negotiate 'me time' for both you and your spouse
- Find kid friendly facilities
- Get involved with other parents with similar interests and play the hand off game.
- As the kids get older, it's easier to find the time
- As the kids get older....sometimes you wish it wasn't easier to find the time.

But the big elephant in the room is this : "You're a parent now. Your hobbies are now a tertiary priority in your life." Which is the one thing that I've always had trouble communicating to my friends that are non-parents and can't understand why I can't bail out of a soccer game on Saturday to go do XYZ.

 

[djb_1965]

See if there is a scuba club in your area. Many clubs have family outings with things for non divers to do. There are probably others in your situation, or people willing to watch kids while others are diving.

 

[b1gcountry]

See if there is a scuba club in your area. Many clubs have family outings with things for non divers to do. There are probably others in your situation, or people willing to watch kids while others are diving.

Not only am I a member, but I was also the president
Scubaneers' SCUBA Club - St. Louis

I am actually taking a year or two off the club because believe it or not, it takes time away from diving...

 

[b1gcountry]

Oops, looks like I'm still the Secretary. See what happens when you don't show up to meetings, you get elected to the executive board?!!

 

[RonFrank]

My wife has no interest in diving so that makes things easier. We also have one kid (now 17) so that helps. We would go to FL, and I would dive while my wife ran around and did the zoo, or shopping, or a movie, whatever. You have to balance things, so I would dive three days, and then do family stuff (like Disney, Sea World, boat tours, Alligator farms, Billies Swamp Safari, etc.) for a week. We would generally vacation 3-4 weeks a year so by the end we were all ready to go home. Unfortunately my kid never wanted to dive. I wonder if my wife talked him out of it when he was small! :shocked2: Anyway, you'll find a way if it's important to you. Some trips I just did not dive, kinda depends on where we went.

 

[bl6394]

Tom - my sister and I trade babysitting. I'm watching her kids tonight - so tomorrow she'll watch Ethan while I get a dive in at Bredina Springs.

Course - now that Ethan's certified too - I'm looking forward to some warm weather diving with him this spring - perhaps the Keys.

It's kinda hard when kids are small - but the years goes by quick - pretty soon you'll all be diving together as a family.

Bjorn