This year, more than last, these two guys have been getting along quite well.
Last year, they played together. But they stood in front of us on our beach chairs and whined: “Will you build a sand castle with me?” Or, “LittleBrother smashed my castle!” Or, “Is it time to go in the Big Water yet?” Or, “I’m huuuuunnnngry.” And our heads would explode, but we would oblige because that’s what good parents do on vacation at the beach. They sit in the sand — and get sand in places that sand should not be — and build 80 million sand castles that will be stomped on post-haste. They take the kids in the Big Water even though they’ll ask to go back to the Little Water in 5 minutes. They fish out sandy snacks. They carry tired, crying kids back to the beach house, wrestle the children out of sandy bathing suits and wash out the sand glued to their scalps — gently.
But this year? They have been building their own sand castles… and smashing them together. They run down to the Little Water and pull each other in the surf. They put on their swimmies and swim and swim and swim in the Little Water. They chase the seagulls away… together. They sit on the raft and float out to sea (which obviously involves some adult standing around and pulling them back every 10 minutes). They search for shells. They try to catch fish with the net and bucket. They argue, but they play.
It’s freaking heavenly.
I said to FireDad that the next handful of years (plus) should be great. They will play together. They will get in trouble together, too. But they’ll play. And build. And swim. And float. And we’ll join in, but we won’t have to provide the entertainment. Shortly after this discussion, a pair of brothers walked down the beach. The older one was slightly shorter and more broad shouldered than the younger one. The older one had darker hair and a better tan. The younger one was quite thin, light haired and super pale. My mom and I joked, “Look, it’s future BigBrother and LittleBrother.” And, so, apparently someday they will walk down the beach scoping for hot girls.
But I will always remember them this way.
