Here’s the deal…..with the series of four babies we had back to back in our house, we have only gone to the beach twice with our kids in the last decade. Honestly, I just did not have the desire or energy for the level of work it would require. This felt like our year. No more tinies. We were going to own that beach, and we did!
It was a day of wave jumping, sand castle building, water surfing…..all the things. There was sand….oh so much sand. So there was play…followed by repeated dartings back to the water to rinse. “Always stay in pairs,” I instructed them.
My husband and I were everywhere between the water to sand like sheep dogs herding them over the course of the day, and all seemed to be going well.
Following one particular afternoon trip to rinse sandy hands, only the Brunette (6) and Baby (4) returned. I had my two kids in my line of sight…..good enough. I assumed my husband had the other two…you know because we had instructed them all to remain in pairs. Still unclear to me, he and the Boy (9) started playing catch, and somehow he assumed ALL the girls were with me.
Um……have you done that math?? I have eyes on TWO children. He is playing catch with ONE. (PAUSE FOR IT). We have FOUR kids. And…..there…..it….is.
I was attempting to an anemic unplug from technology, and therefore had my phone in the bag so I missed the call.
Weird…. I’d missed a voicemail I thought… “Don’t worry. I have your daughter. She’s safe and by the 9th street life guard station.” “WHAT?!?!” 1st…We were at the 12th street station. So far from the stated location. 2nd….how had we lost track of a child?!? The Blonde (7) was missing?!?! 3rd……I’m all kinds of worried right now. Who starts a call with don’t worry??
Walking my fastest cheetah mom walk it still took me ten full minutes to get from where we were positioned on the beach to that life guard station. The Blonde could see me approaching and her serious expression lifted as soon as she saw me striding closer.
Wisely she had realized her error, and had approached a mom on the beach. “I am lost. Can you call my mom and let her know where I am?” she said.
The adorable life guard now keeping her in his care until I arrived……placed his hand on my shoulder after I walked up. I was winded and my head was racing from the adrenaline of the moment. He looked at me and asked “Are you her mom?? Well this is an amazing young girl you have here. She never panicked. She sought help, and she’s been waiting here calmly for you…certain you would come for her. Well done mom.”
“Ahhhhhhh!!!”……that’s what my insides were yelling.
“Thank you for keeping her safe,” was all I could say as I fought back tears. I have never been more thankful to be wearing sunglasses because I was full on going to lose it in that moment, and my eyes were filled with the glisten of relief.
We turned and made our way back to the rest of the family. After several feet I stopped in my tracks and turned to her.
“Mommy was very worried, but I am also very proud of you. You kept your head during a difficult time, and you handled events as best as you could. I don’t think I would have done anything different if it were me…..you know other than the getting lost part.” I said smiling. “Clearly we need to talk about landmarks though before we tackled the beach tomorrow.” I finished…. my humor returning to my voice.
There are moments in motherhood friends where nothing else matters but the singularity of a moment. Seeing her safe I felt my soul exhale. I will forever be able to picture her little tan body and blonde hair in my minds eye standing on that beach. She saw me approaching, Im certain she recognized my stride before I could even call out to her. As soon as our eyes met her whole body posture changed. Years from now, when I hug her goodbye, and send her off on an adventure I will remember this moment.
I will remember that despite all the unknowns she had before her, that she is a child confident in the truth that her mother will always come for her. I am comforted by the fact that she is a resourceful girl, and despite her evident wanderlust that she will make wise choices. My investment in her life is without question leaving a mark, and that motherhood moment was beautiful and priceless.
That warm fuzzy aside…..we positioned ourselves much closer to the ocean the next day and discussed landmarking identification techniques….you know because there’s only so many inspirational moments one family needs on a beach trip.
Summer Smith is a speaker, writer, and motherhood blogger. She and her family are currently navigating the suburbs of Northern Virginia. As the mother to four young children, Summer maintains her sanity thanks to her sense of humor, copious amounts of coffee, and Amazon Prime. Maya Angelou once said, when reflecting on her childhood, that her mother left an impression like technicolor stars in the midnight sky. Influenced by these words, Summer blogs at her website Motherhood in Technicolor, and can also be found on her Motherhood in Technicolor Facebook page.