Stay At the Beach Moms- Covert Agents

So if you decide to give up the life of a focused, objective driven, socially productive member of society for the privileged life of watching your offspring frolic in the waves you may also be required to give up your identity, or at least parts of it, like your name, your past experiences and personal preferences. You will also be given a code name, mine is “Hannah’s Mom”, your friends will have similar names, you will introduce each other to new friends by these names, followed by your children’s ages. My actually name is offered but long forgot during the course of any play date or conversation and my code name is reinforced with my continual, “Hannah put your hat on.” “Hannah, don’t touch that!” “Hannah!!”

Along with your name any previous achievements, accomplishments or ambitions are underground secrets. Not that other Moms aren’t interested, they too would love to discuss things of an adult nature, a chance to escape but being a Mom is a very Zen, in this moment occupation. I’ve never discussed my life as a Legislative Assistance on Parliament Hill, my degree from Oxford or my half ironman. Not that these aren’t important but they have nothing to do with potty training, finding the right gymnastics class or 40% off at Children’s Place. This is often referred to as your former life, it will be hinted to at Mom’s Nights Out if you are able to attend one of these fabled events.

I must offer a disclaimer at this time. Simply being a Mom doesn’t mean you automatically subscribe to this lifestyle. Many Moms successfully maintain their identity; continue a successful career or pursuit further education. I am solely explaining the experiences of a Stay At the Beach Mom and our interactions. I have a friend I’ve known for two years and just found out she has a pilot’s license, how cool is that, but again the average Mom conversation doesn’t stray too far from their child’s basic needs, food, sleep and exercise. At the beach I am busy watching the kids, the waves, the sandwich snatching birds, the full bladdered dogs sniffing around my beach bag, the picture hungry tourists snapping pictures of my sweet baby shoveling sand into her mouth, the actual amount of conversation possible is limited but dearly appreciated!

Also as a Covert Agent your personal preferences may take a backseat. My ideal day at the beach involves lots of swimming, looking at coral and tropical fish; surfing or just laying on the beach reading a trashy novel. Coincidentally taking a 5 year old and 2 year old to the beach by your self doesn’t lend itself to any of these activities easily. Instead the time is spent bobbing in knee-deep water and running in and out of the waves along the shore break. Two other favorite activities involve sandcastle building and sea soup making. Sea soup involves a large plastic bucket full of ocean water and combing the beach for seeds, nuts, shells, seaweed and other cast away items. Its stirred up to perfection and then offered to the mermaids in the sea.

While it may require some flexibility and compromises being a Stay At the Beach Mom/Covert Agent is a great way to spend a childhood.

Stop and smell the plumeria.

Whenever I visit the mainland I often run into people in awe of the idea of living in Hawaii. “Wow it must be amazing!” and it is but I have to admit that sometimes I forget. I know that sounds ridiculous considering our backyard consists of banana trees, papaya trees, plumeria trees and red hibiscus bushes and our front yard faces the majestic Ko’olau mountain range, complete with waterfalls after a heavy rain. What I mean is that sometimes the laundry pile, stack of dirty dishes (which will attract the largest cockroaches you’ve ever seen) and other chores often take priority over the surfboards, amazing sights and fabulous weather. The inside of a Hawaiian grocery store, bank or Walmart are identical to the ones on the mainland. It is easy to get caught up in the monotony of the “To Do List”.

I recently received a wake up call when someone asked me how much longer we'd be in Hawaii and I realized we were entering the last year of my husband’s military assignment here. Ugh. So its time to stop and smell the plumerias and to make sure we experience all paradise has to offer and to appreciate this wonderful opportunity. My goal is to document the stuff we do and hopefully focus on doing more of it.

I’d also like to thank my youngest daughter for weaning and potty training last week, its amazing how much time gets freed up for things like writing a Blog when you don’t have to nurse and change diapers all the time.