Beach Day! Fun?

I am one of the lucky ones to grow up in Southern California, just a few miles from the beach. When I was a kid, the beach was my favorite place to be. My cousins and I would body surf and boogie board all day long, only returning to our towels on the sand to eat lunch. Then it was straight back into the water until our parents forced us out. Some of my greatest memories are those from the summer beach days with family and friends.

So of course, I wanted to share my love of the beach and the ocean with my daughter. I dreamt of building sandcastles, screaming gleefully together as the icy waves crashed against our legs, and digging for sand crabs as the waves retreated back to the sea. I looked forward to her smiling face and glowing eyes I would capture on film and be able to enjoy forever.

But this is all I got………

I only got one good photo of Mae smiling! And she was on my lap....not touching the sand!!

On Sunday, my family headed to the beach for a family fun day. Mae was less than thrilled!! As soon as her chubby little toes touched the sand, a piercing scream escaped her lips. She cannot stand the sand touching and clinging to her feet and hands. She spent the whole day on a blanket with a grimace on her face.

On the way home, I wondered to myself how I could possible be raising such a prissy, beach HATER. Then I got to thinking. Lugging all the beach necessities to our spot on the sand and back with a screaming child was SO not fun! While driving, I tried my hardest not to move my toes because they felt dirty, dry, and sandy. Then I tried to run my fingers through my hair and realized it was tangled and salty, EWWW!! In this moment it hit me. I really DO NOT like the beach! I am raising a daughter who dislikes the beach because I HATE the beach….and I hate to feel dirty and sandy! What has happened to the frolicking kid inside me? It has been lost, and I fear it is lost forever. I am sorry Mae for being this seaside loathing role model.