As the family of an active duty Marine, my kids have spent most of their lives on the coast. Whether it's the Pacific, Atlantic, or Gulf of America, we've been fortunate enough to live within a few minutes of the beach most of our lives. Yesterday, as I watched my 5- and 7-year-old frolic in the waves, I was faced with two strong emotions: gratitude for my children and grief for the families who lost children in the Hill Country Floods.
It's a natural reaction to want to pull children in and shelter them from the dangers of the world in the wake of a tragedy, but as my daughter gleefully jumped into the cresting waves, I remembered that their childhood is not about my feelings but the experiences that will shape them as adults. In times of doubt, I like to recall the good things about it.
Here are five reasons you should give your kids a summer experience on the water:
Courage
Their whole lives, I've been telling my kids, "You are a McCully; you can do hard things!" It is not easy to walk into a body of water alive with currents, tides, and creatures, but it's easier to teach a child restraint than it is to teach an adult courage. The beach on a green or yellow flag day, under the eye of a parent who knows how to swim (and a lifeguard, if possible), is a great place for a kid to practice being brave.
Let them splash in the waves and stick their goggled faces under the surface. Teach them to snorkel or ride a boogie board; if you don't know how, they'll figure it out on their own. Feelings of confidence and safety will open more possibilities like floating on their back, diving under the waves, surfing, and skimboarding.
Yes, kids will get knocked down and sand will chafe their skin. They'll get a mouthful of saltwater. They may even freak out when seaweed brushes against their shin. But they will get up and get back out there, not ready to give up the adrenaline.
Situational Awareness
Kids have short attention spans and wild imaginations, so it is not surprising that they are prone to getting lost. They start in on a game of Rebel Base, and an hour later, they remember they were supposed to go somewhere for something. Spending time on the beach is constantly about keeping your bearings.
Whether it's a house on the shore, a flag, or an umbrella, parents are right to continually point out a specific landmark and instruct their child to stay within a certain distance of it. When the current slowly pushes them beyond that boundary, children will learn to quickly identify where they are supposed to be and course correct. Obviously, smaller kids are not going to be more than an arm's length from their guardian, but the middle school kids will.
They will notice nuances about their environment: the water is deeper today than it was yesterday; the current is weaker; the sun is stronger. With a little practice, they'll start observing people around them: this person is following the rules, and that person is out too far; that group is playing volleyball; there's a new family next to mine.
Situational awareness is a skill that is useful in everyday life. Parents of daughters will teach her how to walk through a parking lot safely; parents of sons will teach him how to navigate parties without adult supervision. It will be easier to identify anomalies if they've had innocent practice throughout their lives.
Appreciation for Nature
We can have a deep appreciation for nature and be good stewards of the environment without being EPA-loving hippies. My kids are fascinated by the seagulls, fish, and crabs, so when it came time to explain why certain parts of the beach were roped off to protect turtle nests under the sand, they were eager to learn more.
"Why can I not play on the dunes?"
"What happens if I poke this jellyfish with a stick?"
"Can a fish choke?"
Allowing children to be a part of the natural environment invites them to want to take care of it. My son will remind his sister to put her empty juice box in the cooler "to keep the sand clean." I didn't have to ask or tell my girl to pick up a plastic bag that someone buried in the sand and then forgot — she just did.
These quiet responsibilities will become a part of a kid's character. Making this action an expectation instead of an event means parents don't have to dole out praise when a child does something they should, and that's a win everyone can appreciate.
Creativity
The fact that the beach does not have an outlet is a feature, not a bug. Pulling tweens away from their electronics and digital social spaces feels like a herculean task, but it's possible. Even if they kick, scream, and tantrum the whole way, as parents we need to make sure they touch grass, or sand in this case.
Give them a shovel and bucket, then challenge them to do something Insta-worthy. Set them out on a scavenger hunt for shells. For the love of all that's good in the world, let them be bored. Rest assured, it won't last very long; they will find something to do.
One of the biggest problems I saw in my 4th- and 5th-grade classrooms last year was the inability of many children to tap into their wells of creativity. They wanted to know what to write and how to solve the problem; it's like they didn't even know how to try. Given that Roblox and other online gaming platforms operate in a series of limited choices, it's no wonder the creative well is running dry. Kids today are uncomfortably comfortable in the confines of someone else's imagination.
Who knows, your child might just discover a problem and work to provide a solution. For example, a family who spent summers on the North Carolina coast developed a brilliant solution to the shade conundrum. Who wants to lug a bunch of chairs and umbrellas or set up a tent? If your beach does not have a rental service, then it's either heft furniture in the hot sand or scorch under the sun. Until they invented the Shibumi, a shade system about the size of the Sunday paper (remember those?) that consists of little more than tent poles and fabric. They run between $200 and $400 a piece but can't cost more than $40 to make. Based on the look of the coast today, that family's beach vacation tradition is raking in the coin.
I don't know about you, but if my boy can re-engineer monster truck jumps and pay for my golden years on a world cruise, I'll take him to the beach whenever he wants!
Togetherness
Growing up, my dad worked a lot. He had an important career as a surgeon, and it was hard to be upset that he missed a birthday or school play because he was busy saving someone's life. To us kids, the uninterrupted time we got with him on a vacation was precious. When both parents work and extracurricular activities pull the family schedule so thin it's practically sheer, carving out time to be together as a family is imperative.
At the beach, there's certainly the water and the sand, but the bonding opportunities don't end there. Every other summer, my family would get away to Florida, and, as much as we craved the powdered sugar sand, we got so excited about nights playing mini-golf and the fits of giggles over Apples To Apples. As we got older, sitting on the porch telling stories (especially the ones Mom wasn't privy to but had exceeded the statute of limitations) became the highlight of our entire year.
Now, what are you going to do with all of this inspiration? Below are five coastal and five inland spots to get you started in your quest for a memorable water experience. Regardless of your budget, location, or time available, a little courage and creativity can lead to your best summer yet!
For the Beach Bums
- San Clemente, Calif.
- Rockport, Texas
- Clearwater, Fla.
- Edisto Island, S.C.
- Old Orchard Beach, Maine
For the Land Sharks
- Broken Bow, Okla.
- Canandaigua, N.Y.
- Paducah, Ky.
- Mitchell, S.D.
- Lake Mead, Nev.
