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Today I joked about my little water baby being a future Olympian. It was a joke obviously but am I saying that it didnt cross my mind for a single second that, one day, my water loving baby might go on to swim for her club, her county, her country? I can't say that.

As a parent, I think we all have desires and aspirations for our children, whether it be a doctor, lawyer, following in our footsteps or following their own dreams, so how do you strike the balance between being a supportive parent to being a pushy one?

I remember dancing three times a week until I was 16, I was the first in my class to do pointe ballet and I always had a dream to dance on the Royal Variety Performance. At 16, I went to college, got a job and a life that didnt fit in with my dancing disciplines, so I gave it up and with it, I gave up my dream. Looking back, do I wish that my parents had pushed me? Absolutely. Would I have listened? Probably not.

My daughters however are not 16 and are not old enough to make those choices, so I will continue to make them for them. My eldest has already given up dancing at the ripe old age of 7 but I refuse to let her give up swimming. This isnt to say that I do genuinely think she will be a future Olympian because she can be anything she wants to be, although if the moaning about weekly swimming lessons are anything to go by, I suspect this *may not* be the case.

The little one has started a new course with Water Babies this week and they have been encouraged to lie on their back and kick their legs, which after a little encouragement was met with many chuckles. She is super comfortable in the water and whilst the kicking and splashing isnt quite Olympic quality just yet, maybe it will be one day and maybe, just maybe I am that pushy parent after all.