Tidepools

On Friday the Hubs and I took the boys to the tidepools at Cabrillo National Monument a.k.a the Pt. Loma Lighthouse. It was a gorgeous day and my friend Jennifer over at The Fox Den told me that the lowest tides of the year were that day, perfect for tide pools! We hiked down a short trail to the beach and navigated the rocks with Evs on my back and the Hubs patrolling Em. We looked all over the place and found several gems of sea creatures. Hermit crabs were the favorite however the anemone proved the most wary sea challenge.



Daddy tried with all of his might, over and over to get Em to touch the anemone and watch it close up. Em protested, he is one stubborn boy! (Gee, I think that might be my genetic make up-oops!) The Hubs even tried bribery by cupcake and that didn't seem to get him to want to touch the anemone. It was as if it were a right of passage, something that all boys had to do, at one point or another. I insisted that the Hubs stop challenging Em, I felt it bordered on bullying, but something inside of me said, "hush, this is what boys do". And I did hush. It seemed that through this prodding there was something greater at work. Bigger and more instinctual, more male, more....basic.



I believe that at times mothers unintentionally emasculate their sons by being too protective. I am guilty of it, although I try to monitor it. I believe that if I do not let my sons learn certain lessons for themselves, and experience them firsthand, that I am doing them no favors for their future.

I also believe that it was as hard for Em to touch that anemone as it was for me to let his father egg him on to do it. But you know what? Em did it.
Barely, swiftly, but he did it.

Vanilla cupcake with lots of icing.