It's amazing how bound we are to expected conventions. Today, after hanging out with my niece and nephew at the playground near my parents' cottage, we decided to drive a mile or so down the road to a nearby beach to cool down by wading in the lake. Mom, Sofia and I were all wearing capri pants, so we scooted them up above our knees and stepped in the water. Sean rolled up the bottom of his long jean shorts and did the same.
Little by little, the water beckoned and the bottoms of our pant legs started getting wet. Sean looked up and said, "Wouldn't it be fun if we could just get completely wet with our clothes on." The way he said it made it seem like the most outrageous possibility...totally out of the realm of what they could possibly do and not get in trouble. For some reason, it just struck me sort of silly and I said "Why not?" We splashed and played, getting more and more soaked. Every so often, the kids would look at me to see if I was still going to let them get away with this silliness. And, of course I did.
By the time we finally got out of the lake, the kids were wet from head to toe and I was soaked well past my waist. Only my Mom managed to escape relatively dry. It was spontaneous and silly. But somehow, I just know it will be one of those moments they'll remember for a lifetime.
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