Many of us come to Surfing Mums for the waves. Our desire for some time to call our own while doing something we love. There can be a period of adjustment for your little one as they meet the group and come to grips with the idea of their parent being out of sight for an hour. For many parents this can cause feelings of guilt and selfishness. If this is something you are experiencing read on.

The premise of Surfing Mums, reciprocal childcare for time spent in the ocean, can make it seem like we the parents are the only ones that benefit from the experience, but speak to any long-time member and they will wax lyrical about the friendships their little ones have forged over their time attending. There is a growing field of research into the benefits of unstructured, child led play (exactly what happens when you bring your littles to a meet up) and the even greater benefits for play in what is known as blue spaces, play in and around water.

Avalon coordinator and slickest of lady sliders, Ingrid Nash tells us in her own words what motivated her to join surfing mums. Over to you Ingrid:  

I decided I’d join Surfing Mums before I started surfing. 18 months prior, I’d become a mum and I was yet to find our play crew. We often wandered past a team of frolicking, frothing, friendly mums and kiddos, longing to be part of this kind of play group. I’d been a sea creature most of my life, but had always found an excuse not to surf. I decided I’d give it a go for the sake of my little boy, so that he could run wild and free with these other kiddos by the sea.

There were tears at some of our first few meets, but they soon gave way to beaming smiles as my little boy was greeted by his new friends. My second baby now kicks her legs excitedly as my board gets packed with us all en route to a meetup (I think she knows that a surf mums day is always a happy mummy day so a great day for all), and though there are tears shed as I leave for my hour in the sea, these quickly dissipate in the arms of one of her many surf mummies. Invariably when I return, I find my two contentedly immersed in play with their surf mummy family, reminding me to thank them for bringing me to this wonderful group of people, and to the blissful, bucket-filling world of surfing. I also love that through surf mums my kids can see how their mum chooses to live life….having time to herself, with friends, with the ocean, and most importantly that she too plays, as I hope that seeing this will guide them also to an adult life well lived.