Not much beats the delighted reply from my child, "Really, Mommy? We are going to the beach?!"
Unless, of course, it is the salt-smell that slowly starts to permeate the air as you get closer to the coast. Or the first-glimpse of the ocean on the horizon as you drive past public beach access spots. Or the heat and grit from the sand on the parking lot pavement that immediately finds its way between your toes.
I knew that this year would be different, but I wasn't sure what exactly to expect. And so, I prepared the opportunity for him, hoped he would engage and stepped back to watch the play unfold.
And these are the things I noticed:
He was bigger and a little more confident in his ability to face the ocean waves. He didn't really need his mommy to play, only a board so that he could learn the surf and how it plays on the wet sand. He reached out to other children as they dug deep and built high, realizing (without realizing) that the beach often levels the playing field.
And, it is these things, these advancements in his development that make adventures with my kid so much fun for me.
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