Life's A Beach

I am fortunate to have in-laws that have a home at the beach, and I am a huge beach-lover myself and have passed that love onto my son. We get to visit there quite often, so he already knows the difference between a marlin and a dolphin, saltwater and regular water and loves shrimp and fish.

Now, all you moms will admit that going to the beach with kids vs. how it was before kids is much different (and I only have one). It's hard work and those days of laying by the pool are almost non-existent. Our last summer beach visit was this past weekend and on the last morning I had one of those moments where you hold your child just a little bit longer and a little bit tighter. We went swimming for a while and when it was time to go, I wrapped my little guy up in a towel and sat him in my lap to warm up and dry off. It occurred to me that next summer my little man who has always been dependent on me to hold his hand in the pool and watch his every move won't need me as much next summer, or the next or the next...he'll start to make his own friends and gain more confidence in his abilities, as it should be, I know.

So I hugged him a little tighter and said, "Are you ready to go up, or do you want mommie to hold you a little longer?"

He replied, "Hold me just a little bit longer mommie."