It has been hot this summer. It has ben hot this fall. Even with my limited experience of life in Japan I have felt it to be a special year, and when I talk to others many say that they cannot remember a summer like this. So what does a 5-year-old boy want to do an October day with nothing on the schedule? Go to the beach of course. My wife and I were imagining a stroll on the beach, some play in the sand, maybe a little bit of foot-bathing, but just in case I packed our swimwear and towels and a few bottle of water to rinse of the sand with. Just in case.
When we arrived at the beach, the waves were rolling in and apart from some surfers we saw no one. I concluded that swimming would probably not happen, so our son put on his swimwear and then we went to the beach to play. But after a little bit of sand play my son looked at me and determinedly declared that he wanted to swim. When I saw his eyes I recognized that he would not give in, so I went to change in the car, and then followed the best sea-bathing this year. The water was still warm, there were no jellyfish stinging us, and the waves were just the perfect size to play in. The tide was high so the water was shallow and we ended up with swimwear filled with sand. But it was all worth it – I have rarely seen our sun this happy, and I have not had this much fun myself in a long time.
All our son’s water practice this summer has really made a big difference in his confidence in getting water all over his head. Until next summer we aim to learn how to swim as well. Then imagine all the fun we will have!
