Mommiedaze

Beach Day!

We finally hit the beach today for the first time this summer.

Yeah, we’re a little late.

We’ve been busy, and just didn’t’ get around to it. There were times I could have taken David by myself, but to be honest, the thought of dragging a three year-old and all the necessary equipment across the parking lot and the long stretch of hot sand to the water’s edge all by myself just did not appeal to me. So we waited for a day when Daddy could come with us.

It’s always more fun when Dad’s along anyway.

We headed out for the Lake Michigan shore at Tunnel State Park in Holland, Michigan. On the way we stopped at a farm selling sweetcorn along the road, and picked some up to grill at the park for lunch.

By the time we got there is was time eat. Here’s David enjoying some of that corn.

And watermelon for dessert.

At Tunnel Park the beach is divided from the rest of the park by a huge sand dune. If you want to swim you either have to climb to the top of the dune…

and then back down the other side…

Or you have to go under the dune through a tunnel. I prefer the tunnel. It takes a lot less physical exertion.

It was actually a bit cool today. Only in the mid 70’s and breezy. There were waves breaking on the shore causing a strong undertow making it unsafe to swim. The waves also churned up the water, and made it really cold. I mean really, really cold. Like painfully cold. Normally the water is pretty warm by August.

So we just waded a little.

Well, they waded. It was way too cold for me. I only put my toes in for a second. Dad said he he lost all feeling in his lower extremities after a minute.

David really wanted to swim today. I’m hoping we’ll get at least one more hot day with calmer, warmer water so we can go again before the leaves start to fall and the snow flies.

Bookmark To:

Conversations with a Three-year-old: We Might Be Giants

“Look at me. I’m walking like a giant!” My son is taking big, leaping steps around the trampoline. “When I grow up, I’m going to be a giant,” he announces.

“You are?”

“Yes,” he replies with all the conviction his three-year-old self can manage.

“Wow. You’ll be huge then. And you’ll have a to get a really big house to live in and drive a really big car.”

“Uh-huh. And I’ll — no wait. I don’t want to get a different house. I want to live in this house, with you.”

“But what will we do? If you’re a giant you’ll be too tall for this house. Maybe we could cut a hole in the floor and you could go down in the basement and stick you head up through the living room.”

“That’s silly Mommie. Um, Mommie?”

“What?”

“Are you a giant?”

“No. I’m just a normal size adult.”

“Oh. Well, my Daddy is a giant. And he’s big and strong and he helps me! When I grow up I’m going to be a giant just like him.”

Bookmark To:

Kindness at the Playground a Sign of Lessons Learned

We were at the mall today and I let my son spend some time at the indoor playground there. Another little boy about his age fell down, and I watched in amazement as my son stopped what he was doing, walked over to the boy, offered a hand to help him up and said, “Are you O.K.?” Then enthusiastically asked, “Do you want to play with me?”

He’s only three. We’ve told him ever since he first started interacting with other children to be kind and thoughtful of others. Until today I hadn’t known whether or not he’d taken those lessons to heart. When you’re in the trenches “parenting” day in and day out, you feel like white noise that’s filtered out by all of life’s other distractions. I’d never seen him actually show compassion toward another peer before. It’s something to watch the culmination of a hundred conversations and lessons taught silently with actions. It’s the pay off for the tempers kept under control, explanations give patiently, time taken to discipline lovingly.

Isn’t this why we moms and dads do what we do? To raise a person who reaches out to their fellow man, offers help and kindness, contributes something good to society? I saw a small glimmer of this today in my son’s attempt to help that little boy. I can only hope that he continues to reach out a hand to the world as he grows older, and it reminds me that we all should reach out more often to those around us.

Bookmark To: