Some things you realise only when you are a mum.
I didn't know, for instance, that going swimming would for years entail moving in water in a family pod like porpoises.
At first, it was because the kids were too young so it was one parent watching one child each in the baby pools. Now, even though my 11-year-old son can dive to the bottom of a deep pool to fetch bricks, habits acquired in the early years of parenting die hard. Swimming lessons were disrupted during Covid-19 for his sister, who is seven, so she still can't swim properly.
I am on a solo staycation at Fairmont Singapore and doing laps in the pool without checking on my offspring is bliss.
There are more goodies to come.
This one-night "Mumcation" package, billed as an interlude for mothers to enjoy some coveted me-time, is stuffed with pre-parenthood mirages: A 90-minute aromatherapy massage, high tea where you can invite a friend and breakfast in bed. You even get bath products from Lush Singapore and a set of loungewear from Uniqlo.
To be honest, in the trenches of the toddler years, going to the public loo on your own, without a little human who needs to pee and can't work the lock, can feel like me-time.
The bar is set higher when the children grow older. Still, for many harried parents, time-intensive pampering is a scarce commodity.
Luxury self-care in the time of coronavirus turns out to be oddly intense.
During my massage at the hotel's Willow Stream Spa, a heated towel placed on the soles of my feet sends a surge of toasty warmth up my legs as I take in whiffs of rosemary essential oil with its woody notes.
The masseuse, hands tightly gloved in plastic because of Covid-19, is unfurling all my knotted muscles.