Death of mum leads local mum of two to a new career
"I spent seven years travelling up and down the country as part of a high-pressured job in corporate HR. When I found out I was pregnant, l knew that l had to escape the rat-race and pursue something that would enable me to enjoy family life. When I lost mum so soon after Ewan was born, my world felt like it was falling apart... but a chance encounter in a swimming pool on a particularly low day led me to a brighter future.”
38 year old Rosie and her husband, Iain, live in Milton Keynes with their eight year old son, Ewan, and six year old son, Calum. When Rosie discovered that she was going to be a mum, she knew that the endless commutes and time away from home wouldn’t fit with her aspiration for family life. She agonised over her future throughout her pregnancy, unsure of how to achieve the work/life balance she craved for her new family. A chance meeting in the water when Ewan was just 12 weeks old changed Rosie’s life forever!
Rosie has always been an avid swimmer. By the age of 9 she began to swim competitively, at 14, started teaching younger children in her local Swimming Club and continued to work part-time as a swimming instructor throughout University. Keen to help him develop and gain confidence in the water, Rosie took Ewan for his first swimming lesson with Water Babies in Milton Keynes at just 12 weeks old and it was here that she rediscovered her love of the water.
“When I became a mum, I knew that I wanted to be spend as much quality time as I could with my children. The Water Babies swimming lesson gave me just that; I was able to bond with my boys and enjoy seeing them reach such incredible milestones in their lives both in and outside the pool. I got talking to Tamsin, the owner of Water Babies one day, and I was telling her how much I’d love to do something like it myself. Her answer was a simple, ‘why don’t you become a teacher with us?’, and it was like a lightbulb going on in my head!”
The tragic passing of her mum just six months after the birth of her first son, Ewan, brought it home to Rosie what kind of a parent she wanted to be to her children and she found the strength the make the change: “I just didn’t want to miss out on my children growing up. Fond memories of me and my mum going swimming when I was growing up really struck a chord and I knew that I wanted to be able to give my children those same lifelong skills and experiences. Being a Water Babies swimming teacher has allowed me to accomplish that while creating some incredible memories.”
Whilst progressive and fun, Water Babies classes are based around child development and safety. With her own experience in sharp focus, Rosie had another very real reason for swapping her corporate job for a family friendly career.
“I am happy I made the decision to quit the corporate world otherwise I wouldn’t have rediscovered my love for swimming. I absolutely love what I do. I get to teach some of the most incredible children and meet so many amazing people. And the best part of it all is that it fits well with my family life.”