Anyway, it was a day trip initiated by some friends (with kids almost the exact same ages as ours), and to be honest I wasn't all that excited about it. I knew the kids would have a good time, and that was the whole point of the thing, but I wasn't expecting that I'd enjoy it myself. I mean... inescapable sun, heat, crowds, swimming in water where various plants and animals reside? Not my idea of the best way to spend the day.
Turns out it was a great day, for me as well as the kids.
The weather wasn't too hot (perhaps even a bit cool at times, but I'm not complaining), the crowds were entirely manageable, and mostly down at the other end of the beach. I did manage to get a nasty sunburn on my shoulders, chest, and the tip of my nose, but that didn't cause any suffering until the next day (and the day after that, and the day after that).
The kids are at a nice stage where they need us enough that we don't feel extraneous, not to mention we can still get down in the sand and build sandcastles with them, but we also had the occasional break to just sit back and have a bit of conversation where we could actually complete a sentence or two.
Speaking of conversation, it was nice because these are relatively new friends, and for someone (me) who doesn't make new friends very easily (because that requires, you know, actual talking to people, sometimes even actual eye contact at the same time), a day trip was a bit intimidating. But they're lovely people, and we all seem to connect.
(The boy and their daughter definitely do not connect, but that is for another entry where I stress and worry about matters such as how to be a better parent, how to have successful friendships with people who don't parent exactly the same way I do, and the confounding differences between boys and girls.)
The day was leisurely, but full; we swam, ate, chatted, flew kites ($1 each at dollar store, provided so much fun for the kids... and dads too), played soccer, volleyball, frisbee, and of course there were the requisite sand castles and burying of Daddy.
All in all, a completely fabulous day, and I would say one of my favourite days of the summer holidays so far.
The kids agree!
