I love the beach! It is my favourite place to be. I'm very blessed to live near some of the most beautiful beaches in Australia. I am equally blessed to have six children who also love it.
While I love taking my brood to the ocean I find it extremely difficult to take them all swimming. I have only 2 arms and unfortunalty that is about 10 to few to be able to manage all of my kids in the surf.
That does not stop me from enjoying the beach at every opportunity.
My solution is usually to take an army of friends with me, all with far less children than me so I can gain some assistance. When this is not an option I have a strict no water rule.
This afternoon we just happened to be passing one of our favourite spots when little Miss 3 requested a swim at the beach. Not wanting to miss a chance to sit by the ocean and breath in the incredible air that can only be found by the sea, I happily agreed to let them escape from the car as long as they all promised to play in the sand and not head straight into the surf.
All six responded with there approval of he plan as I pulled into the car park. Even Miss 1 who basically says yes to everything this week, which is a major step up on last week when the only word she would say was no, even when she actually meant yes!
Upon exiting the car and crossing the road to the sand I realised we had left the buckets in the boot. Not wanting drag the four little ones back across the carpark I sent Miss 12 back to get them. Big mistake. She handed Master 4's hand over to her brother (we never let go of Master 4 as he is a runner, usually in the direction most likely to cause himself harm) and back she went. I unfortunatly was so busy watching her cross the road that I didn't notice Master 4 evade the death grip of Mr 9 and bolt directly towards the Pacific Ocean at full speed!
Now had I not been carrying Miss 1 and Miss 3 while also holding Mr 6's hand, i would have run after him. This was not an option. Lucky for me Mr 9 is becoming somewhat an expert at the crash and takle and managed to launch himself at his brother before he hit the water.
I've made a little mental note of how fast that boy can run when he wants to, I intend on reminding him of his abilities the next time it takes him 15mins to walk up the hallway!
Once all the excitement from Master 4's need to "be free" was over we settled down (between the flags, just in case!!) for some sand castle fun. Now, on any given day the ability of my children to work as part of a team depends on what mood they are all in. Sometimes I have to seperate them out and insist on individual play so as not to have any one seriously injured. Other days, they all play like little angles, this was not one of those days!!!
One bad mood can spread through the group like wild fire! Today that bad mood belonged to Miss 3. Despite siting down and showing her sister how to dig, Miss 3 went from beautiful darling to deadly tornado in about 3.4 seconds. Her swift mood change was brought on by the need to share her bucket and spade. While she was more than willing to show others how it is done, she was not so willing to share the equipment required.
You would think after six kids I would realise the need for everyone to have there own, but let's face it. Getting the six of them from the car to the beach without anyone being run over would be 100 times more difficult if I had to also carry six buckets, six spades, six frissbies and so on.
So princess 3 was on the war path, destruction was her ammunition. While the others went about there building unfazed by Miss 3, Mr 9 was not having it, after Miss 3 destroyed his half built castle he lost his s*#t. His outburst then caused the inevitable mood destruction of all those within 10 meters.
All except me. My darling kids could have buried each other alive and I would still have been in my blissful state of calm. The ocean, the breeze the sand. I can't help but relax.
So I pulled myself out of lovely daydream and separated the little darlings. Within minutes they were all back to there usual delightful selves.
Mr 9 finally built his little castle, and it managed to stay unharmed long enough for mummy to get a photo. Although the vultures were moving in!!! The magical end to our sand castles at the beach is always the same. The kids have to destroy everything they have created. It's amazing that they spend the whole time protecting there creations until I tell them it's time to go. It seems to be the signal that everything must now be stomped into the ground as though we were never there.
Even if they've spent the whole time trying to kill each other we all always leave the beach in a good mood. Especially me. Nothing is better than a couple of hours at the beach.
One relaxed and refreshed @mumofmany!
On a side note, 4 out of 6 are already fast asleep! Nothing like running around on the beach to expel all the extra energy!
Yes, the sun is out, need to put this on our plans too.
Forgot about the beach, because it was so cold during winter.
Thanks for the idea.
& I see that you hada great day.
Thank you, the sun is def back out. I'm so looking forward to summer!
Wow six kids. They are a blessing no doubt, but it takes an amazing person to have the patience, will, and most importantly a great amount of love to take care and look out for them. Not an easy task by any means. So hats of for you :)
It seems like you had an amazing day. I am a beach guy also. My favorite thing to go to when I need to relax and enjoy the smell and sounds of the ocean. So calming and relaxing :)
Great article. Well written. Thank you for sharing it with us. Have an amazing day. :)
Thank you very much! Patience is a must have, although I'm guilty of losing it on occasion.
Love is the most important! One child or twenty, they will become great people if they are truly loved.
Thanks for your lovely comment.
Well, it is normal as kids don't tend to listen sometimes. lol Sometimes "strong" hand is needed and losing it on occasion. :)
Just like you said. Love is most important. Without it, nothing will work like it should. :)
Yep, raising great people is one of the most rewarding things for parents to ever receive. It makes raising them up all worth it. Even though sometimes kids mess up so much you ask yourself it is really worth it. lol jk
You are more than welcome. :)
Hiii
Such a nice story. I love the beach, but we can only enjoy it once a year, on holiday...so sad.
And I definitely admire you for managing to keep them all safe...quite a feat!
You're absolutely right about mothers needing more arms...there's a major flaw in human design...
Absolutely, I honestly don't think we were designed to have more than 2 kids. Just need to become an octopus lol, an arm to hold each of my kiddies and an extra 2 for all the work that needs to be done. I am so lucky to live near the beach, I was trying to explain to my children that some people have never even seen the ocean, the idea was incomprehensible to them.
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It’s good to see a family enjoying quality time together that involves the outdoors. The beach is a low cost activity that allows people to just chill out and relax. Looks like you guys had a great time and it’s a bonus feature to wear them out so they fall asleep quickly!
Always have a great time at the beach! It's my happy place.
I was imagining everything while reading your family adventure and I can't help smiling. I have a little boy who turns my world upside down and you have six little angels and you are really just enjoying them growing up. This made my heart really swell.
Thank you, I love watching them grow everyday. It's a great adventure. I'm sure your little man is marvellous.