This was kind of monumental as we have all been ocean-opposed since nearly drowning in the thing kinda leaves you scarred for a while. Since this has been the case, Lucy was the only one of my kids with any recollection of having seen the ocean. She was 3, Clyde was 1 and Iris was the size of a small bean.
I would have to say that Iris was the MOST excited. They were all excited, but she had no idea what to expect except that she figured you drink cold, fancy drinks and look at the ocean. I'm not sure where she got this idea, but it seemed pleasant and easy enough, so I tried to fulfill her expectations ;)
My rule driving down was, "No child in water above their ankles." (When we got caught in the rip tide we were in very peaceful shallow water before it got washed out from under us.)
Well, we got there and there was this beautiful sandbar about 10 or 15 yards from where the water lapped on the beach. Whether or not I was correct about this, I felt safer with it there. The water between the beachline and the sandbar maybe got about 2 feet deep if that. So, I was a little more lenient than I thought. God really blessed us with this sandbar. I had nightmares before we left, but really had no anxiety while we were vacationing. It was a beautiful time.
The two favorite activities were: Digging in sand!....and....
Snorkeling! There were many small fish and teensy-tiny sharks. There were enormous crabs, tiny marine hermit crabs that can't live out of water...our snorkelers caught an abundance of those. And there were even sting rays!! We could see dolphins often from the shore and balcony, just not close enough to touch :)
All three of the kids were outgoing and making friends wherever we went. Lucy made a friend named Laura, whom she spent a good deal of time with. I was VERY glad I brought an extra fancy cup!!
To be continued....
i have high ocean anxiety as well. i can understand.
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