The very first thing I do after I get dwelling from diving coaching – at about 5pm, having been up since 7.30am – is give my son Robbie a squeeze. It’s one of the thrilling issues about getting dwelling. You’ll be able to see the street from the home, and yesterday after I got here dwelling he was ready within the window, waving. It makes my day. Earlier than I used to be a mother or father, I’d have mentioned that diving got here dwelling with me. However it’s quite a bit simpler to depart it behind whenever you’re taking care of a two-year-old who’s climbing over the whole lot. In a traditional Olympic yr, I’d be travelling right here, there and in every single place to coaching camps and competitions and I’d barely get to see Robbie. He’s grown and developed a lot in lockdown, and I’d have missed that. It’s given me perspective, and I’ve realised what issues most: preserving everybody wholesome.
One in all our lockdown initiatives was to make our home cosier. We reside in a transformed manufacturing facility with uncovered brick and wooden, which is cool, however not so cosy. It feels extra like a homey dwelling now: we’ve added plenty of rugs and pillows. We’ve got a roof terrace, so might get exterior throughout quarantine.
I really like meals. Cooking is one among my favorite pastimes. In lockdown my husband [screenwriter Dustin Lance Black] has been cooking extra – we’ve been experimenting with Asian and Mexican meals. Now that I’m again coaching, although, the whole lot is fairly wholesome. Robbie eats what we eat – just a bit bit much less. However that boy can eat!
After an early dinner, I’ll often learn to Robbie and we’ll begin winding down. He wasn’t the most effective sleeper, so nailing down a routine has been vital for us. I’ve partnered with Johnson’s Child, and their three-step bedtime routine has actually helped. However I believe the odor [of the baby lotion] has actually helped, too: he is aware of that the odor means bedtime. He’s out like a light-weight, which is sweet for us as we will chill. Then I’ll FaceTime my mum or grandparents or mates. Clearly, we haven’t been capable of see as many individuals as we often would, so it’s been vital to remain within the loop.
Typically, individuals offer you unsolicited recommendation about parenting. One factor I’ll say is to not hearken to anybody: you understand your youngster higher than anybody else. It’s nice when you’ll be able to speak with different mother and father, however everybody does issues otherwise.
I don’t do something strenuous after coaching. To unwind, I like knitting and crochet. Since lockdown, I’ve been knitting hats, scarves and ponchos. I crochet jumpers and headbands. You’ll be able to simply be within the second and swap off and step away out of your telephone earlier than mattress.
I bathe when Robbie goes to mattress. I don’t like baths and now we have a sizzling tub that I don’t like getting in: I spend my complete day within the water, so the very last thing I wish to do at house is get moist once more.
The very last thing we do earlier than we fall asleep is ask one another about the most effective and worst components of our day. Even when the worst half was one among us annoying the opposite. We don’t see a lot of one another within the day, in order that little bit earlier than mattress is sweet.
Tom Daley is an envoy for Johnson’s Child. This interview initially appeared in a November 2020 version of Grazia.
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