On her own with 3 small children
While we were at the beach enjoying the sun, I saw a mum on her own with 3 small children. I watched her for a bit as I sat drying off and noticed her struggling to juggle a baby on her hip as the little boy and girl were running into the water.
I could see the kids were desperate to venture a little further out, but mum was quite rightly very protective and called them back as the waves were a little larger that day and I’d felt how strong the current was in deeper water.
I walked over and introduced myself, telling the young mum that I understood how difficult it is to watch children at the beach and asked her if she’d like some help. She was tentative at first, which I get because I was a total stranger, but I assured her I had nothing better to do and didn’t mind at all. She told me her children were 1, 3 and 5 years old and she was worried about them playing in the water.
The 3-year-old boy was a little distressed to see the stick he’d thrown into the water was out of his reach. I asked him if he’d like to go a little further out to fetch it and told him it was okay with his mum. He looked back and when he saw her nod, he happily took my hand and we wandered out into the water.
His sister was soon by my side chatting away happily. She was full of questions and took my hand as we ventured out so the waves could splash over their legs.
She asked me about my own children and I pointed them out. They were further out throwing a ball and when they came closer in, our new little friends joined in their game.
A little later, our two families wandered up the beach together and then parted ways. It was only 15 minutes or so, but it was such a lovely encounter. The mum was so grateful she could stop worrying about her kids safety and enjoy the beach. She thank us for helping her out. – Anon 😍