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A Beach, Sandcastles, Grandad, And Grandson
A sure combination for fun and inventiveness.
Once a week, my wife and I look after our grandson for the day. He is almost three and has worked through the terrible two’s into a fun and engaging little boy. Today, after it seemed like weeks and weeks of tedious north-west coast rain, the sun broke through and we took our grandson to the beach along with buckets and spades and a shovel.
Sandcastle building is a very therapeutic pastime. It is very zen. And particularly if done in partnership with an eager young companion. My grandson is not big on the building part but is very good at the overseeing part. Anyone who has been in the company of a 2–3-year-old knows at this age they go through a period of being very bossy. Almost dictatorial.
My grandson was no exception. Often when things were not to his liking he would get very upset and throw a minor fit, not calming down until the perceived wrong had been righted. Fortunately, as he slowly moves from the 2-year-old stage into the more stable 3-year-old stage, he is becoming more pliable and not so dictatorial.
Being a little boy, he is a big fan of anything mechanical. He loves trucks, cars, and in particular, helicopters. So when we suggested a trip to the local beach to do some sandcastle building, we were required to bring his “digger”…
