It's Not Time To Get Out!

The surf was big today, and the wind was howling. It was not an ideal day for the kids to swim. So, as a form of distraction, we loaded up the kids and ran some errands in town. By the time we got home, they were begging to get in the water. Conditions weren't great, so we held them off as long as we could, but we finally had to give in.

After giving them a stern warning that they absolutely had to listen to us, we trekked down to the water. The wind had died down, and it was actually quite pleasant. The water, however, was freezing. This did not deter the kids from their mission in the slightest. Tes marched right in, and Christian was held in turn by Nick and then me, so he could jump in the shallow water. As soon as we tried to set him down, he would wail that it was too cold, and we would pull him back up again. Not so great for our backs. It got even better. While I was snuggling him, trying to give my back a break, Christian peed all over me. I was still wearing my clothes from town, and was not pleased at having to change them. I decided to just give up and put on a suit, and swim with my family in the freezing water for a few minutes before dinner.

It soon became apparent, by the blue lips and shivering children, that it was time to get out. Tessie sighed dramatically, but trudged out of the water anyway. Christian wasn't having any part of it. As soon as I said we were leaving he started to whimper, "It's not time to get out." By the time I was walking on the beach, he was screaming in my ear, enunciating each word clearly, just to be sure I understood exactly what he meant. "IT'S. NOT. TIME. TO. GET. OUT!" Even though this kind of behavior usually makes me furious, I just smiled. I looked back at Nick, and he was smiling too. If I have to put up with a little screaming as a result of having a boy who loves the ocean that much, I'll take it. As far as I'm concerned, it was the most beautiful tantrum ever.