Sand Play

This afternoon my mom and I took the kids down to play in the water, however; the waves were so big that we couldn't really swim. We decided to play in the sand instead. Tessie thought this was a grand idea, and started collecting shells and running up and down the beach. Christian, on the other hand, was not so sure. He hasn't discovered a love for the sand like his sister, and when I set him down he began to protest immediately.

I have been wanting him to play in the sand for several reasons. Mostly because it's fun, but also because both his physical therapist and occupational therapist suggested it. So far my attempts have been in vain. At first he complained that it was dirty, then that it was too pokey, or he would just yell. Today I decided he was going to like playing in the sand, no matter what.

As soon as he started to complain I handed him a rock, exclaiming how cool it was. The ploy worked. He instantly reached for another rock. Next, I showed him how to pile sand up on my leg. That did it. Within minutes he was sitting tall and covering me with sand and rocks. He stopped complaining, and started playing as hard as I've ever seen him. I watched in amazement as he held up rocks in both hands, sitting straight and tall, and never wobbled or lost his balance.

Tessie joined us and we built sand castles, that more closely resembled sand mounds, and picked up shells and rocks. Christian must have sat there for the better part of thirty minutes. I buried his feet, and he screamed with delight when I dug his toes back out to tickle them. He dug his hands into the sand and threw fistfuls into the water. A whole new world of play was opened up. He discovered paradise, and it was beautiful.