Going for holidays can be stressful for children too.  On December 23, we went to Bintan.  The waves were choppy and we had to go to the World Trade Centre to take the ferry after checking in at the Changi ferry centre.  Towards the last 10 minutes of the journey, many passengers were vomiting. 

At the resort hotel, all sea sports were cancelled disappointing one teenager.  The beach was off limits to swimmers as there was a risk of being swept out to the sea by the undercurrents.  Waves of 3 feet high were sweeping inwards.  Strong winds toppled a palm tree and its concrete base.  A red flag was up to warn swimmers not to swim. 

A father took his 2 boys 10 and 13 years old and a friend's daughter to the beach.  A very clean resort hotel lagoon beach with fine sand and few sea shells walled in by some rocks which broke the force of the waves.

Waves were not that powerful to sweep anybody provided they did not venture far out.   The lagoon was less than 6 feet deep at the rock region about 100 feet away.   There were no danger from the undercurrents.  The father kept an eagle eye on the 3 kids.

The 2 boys initially did not want to get wet.

The waves crashed into them.  The waters were warm at 11 a.m.  Soon they were enjoying themselves lying down with waves pushing them.  The 9-year old girl was wetting her feet and did not join in as her mother had not given permission.  She thoroughly enjoyed the flow of the sea water and got her pants wet from the waves.

2 extremely unhappy Singaporean mothers came scolding the children. 

The boys were scolded for getting sand into their trousers and were told to get rid of every grain of sand.  Waves had filled the pockets with fine grains of sand. 

The girl was scolded for venturing into the water and getting her pants wet.  She had asthmas but she was not having any strenuous exercise to provoke any attack.  All she did was feeling the warmth of the sea and picking up sea weeds with the friend's father.   She was tightly supervised.

In Singapore, these children do not swim in the sea as the parents usually do not go to the beach.   The father knew it would be a rare opportunity for them to be in the sea and get to know nature at her foulest mood.   Learning about the awesome power and dangers of the waves by hands-on experience rather than reading from Science books.    

There would be no other swimming in the sea for these 3 kids.  It would be an experience the young ones will remember.  Hopefully, the scolding part would be forgotten.  For that short 30 minutes, they were "wild and free".  

For the 10-year old boy , he has fond memories of the running waves and shared moments with his bigger brother fighting the forces of the wind and sea instead of pokemon images on the computers.  A chance to be closer to each other and to nature.  Sand in the pockets can be taken out, but memories with the father on a high wave beach are forever.
 

 

Family Relationships is sponsored by http://www.asiahomes.com Sand in the pockets.