the parents' perspective:
When we got there, there were practically no one around. Wait, where is the water?? Is this it? is this the beach?? It was 10am, the sky was dark and gloomy, it was cold and the wind was blowing. There was no white sandy beaches, just lots of pebbles mixed with some coarse sand.
and THERE IS NO WATER! the sea was so far up (air surut) that we can hardly see it.
We had the sinking feeling that we might have made a terrible mistake coming here.
Adam's perspective:
He had no expectation of the day whatsoever. He didn't know he was going to the beach. When he woke up that morning all sleepy, he was told he was going on the train and so he jumped up and got dressed very quickly because trains are his favourite things in the world. He had the most fun riding on the train, watching other trains and cows and boats along the way.
The next thing he knew, he was at the beach! Lots of pebbles to play with, sand, sea shells, crabs, and sea weed.
He couldn't wait to get his clothes changed so he can have a dip in the paddling pool.
He was so happy. He kept saying ' So nice! So nice!'. He was having the best day ever.
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I decided at that moment to adopt Adam's positive attitude. No more sulking, it's time to let my child take the lead and see the beach through his eyes.
And suddenly I realised, it is beautiful.
I went wherever Adam wanted to go and played with whatever Adam wanted to play with. I squealed with excitement whenever we found a seaweed or a pretty pebble.
We went 'swimming' in the paddling pool. It is a shallow pool to hold the seawater when the tide is away. We went digging in the sand and collected small pebbles.
My husband took care of Mia and put her to nap on this gorgeous vintage throw that I've been looking forward to use.
Mia had her first taste of solid food (banana). Her six months birthday was 3 days away.
Ok, so the beach wasn't as beautiful as the white sandy beaches in Malaysia, but rather than waiting for that perfect beach holiday to enjoy ourselves, it was so wonderful to be fully present and appreciative of the simplest beauty that surrounds us...
thank you Adam...
10 comments:
Yup, beaches here can be quite pebbly. I lived in Herne Bay, a seaside town, for four years and the beach was very bleurgh.
Solid food.....great fun. Are you going the puree route or baby led? We did baby led....so much easier for a lazy mummy like me but VERY, VERY messy.
Mx
Oh forgot to ask....where did you go?
nice..
we really need to learn a lot from our kids, kan? everything looks fun and interesting to explore. so that, we will not get bored and start to apprecite things more.
cantiklah tempat tu aida. macam sungai kat malaysia.
i think adam look more excited about mia eating. he must be saying in head "yeah pasni ade kawan nk makan together" hihi
melina,
i want to try baby led, but puree worked so well for us last time when i was working- i could do big batches at once and freeze in cubes. everyday get different mix of fruits/vege. i don't know..maybe i'll do a mix of both puree and baby led. oh, we went to sounthend on sea.
ida,
couldn't agree more..
munirah,
tulah kan..
You should try baby led but be prepared for all the gagging. I knew what to expect but Nigel thought Aiesha was choking and would often smack her in the back. LOL! The only thing I pureed religiously were apples and pears to mix with her breakfast porridge. Gave up purees all together with Sophia.
laaaa meh dtg mesia mehh.. g PD beachh!!hehe..
oh about letting kids lead the fun tat was wat happen bile i blk kg,mase nk blk i was worried diorang b grumpy panas n all coz umah kg atap zink cn b vry vry hot during the day,ended up kids were out playing during the day, gi kutip biji getah lah,main tepi parit,and their most fav was of coz main air tempayan.after penat main my gal ended up tido kt luar anjung tu,enjoying the breeze air sbb dlm was vry hot,she conviniently choose her own spot to sleep n org kg sume look at me asking "ish biar anal tido kt luar x berbantal lapik bagai" so end of the day my kids blend in well being bdk kg ;)
melina,
oh no not gagging! takut..wouldn't know what to do..
acah,
alah jeles korang nak wat family gath kat pd..
munirah,
sounds like fun ;)
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