Something crazy and magical happened last night at the beach… maybe it was the summer solstice, or maybe my baby girl is growing up. Norah girl totally forgot I existed…just for a little while, and it was a good thing.
It’s been pushing 100 degrees Fahrenheit here over the past few days, so last night we packed the kids up and headed to our neighborhood beach for the evening. The local pizza joint delivers there, it’s the longest day of the year, not to mention HOT out… as we like to say, “This is Livin’! “
I was paddling around in the water with Norah, when a girl around Norah’s age dog paddled by. As I showed Norah how she was swimming, the girl informed us that this was her first day swimming without her lifejacket. I asked Shelby, who starts first grade in the fall, her name and introduced her to Norah, and soon the girls were comparing notes on their water-skills. As I watched them chat, I realized that I was no longer needed (aside from water safety) and in fact neither girl was even aware of my existence any longer! I floated around in the vicinity for a while, then headed for shore to get a piece of pizza.
I kept an eye on them, but the great thing about our neighborhood beach is that there are lots of parental eyes on the water at all times – better than any lifeguard! While Norah can’t swim, she is comfortable in the water, and I wasn’t too worried about her. That said, I saw her trying things to keep up with Shelby that I couldn’t convince her to try earlier - Peer pressure may be the best swim lesson of all.
Best of all, I saw Norah walk up and introduce herself to another little girl, and realized my girl is growing up and becoming her won person! She did eventually remember my existence, and I’m coming to terms with the fact that this new phase is a good thing.
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