Sometimes, David and I worry that the big kids are missing out due to the constraints with Taylor. So, for this trip, we decided we would each have a special outing with them to ensure they have some Hawaiian adventures. My outing was yesterday - I decided to take them whale watching and David was going to take them snorkeling later in the week. My trip, in a nutshell, was a total bust. We had taken them whale watching a few years ago, so I knew they would handle the boat OK. I was wrong. This was a much smaller boat- it held about 7 people, compared with around 100 on our last excursion. Lauren can be nervous about a lot of things and began to get worked up on the beach as we waited for the boat. I stressed the thrill of adventure, how she'd done this before and made it fine, and off we went. About two minutes on the open sea and she immediately started to panic. For the next 30 minutes she worked herself into hysterics about how she didn't feel good and wanted off the boat - Now. She begged me to ask them to turn the boat around - and while I did ask for water and if they had any suggestions for her, I knew they wouldn't turn the boat around because they had 5 other paying passengers. Finally, she asked the assistant herself - who told her no - and eventually she calmed down. We did see many whales and Jake was incredibly patient while Lauren stressed out. About the time she calmed down, he said he didn't feel well either...ahhh....the transfer of sea-sickness. I was a nervous wreck that someone would barf for the majority of our cruise - thankfully it was only 1.5 hours. I don't think any of us have ever been so happy to make it to land. No one barfed - and Lauren was remarkably fine once the boat turned around. As we got off the boat, she turned to me and said "thank you for the interesting ride, Mom" - amazing.
Today, in contrast, we went for a walk after they distributed handmade Valentine's to about half the condo complex - seriously. They were mini-celebrities for the day. Our outing consisted of going to a lei-making class at the Whaler's Village (which was super lame - they each received four real flowers and a bunch of greenery), lunch at the Hula Grill, and their favorite - Lauren got a fancy hair wrap and Jake got a fake tattoo. But, it was the self-proclaimed best day ever.
It just goes to show - you can't and shouldn't "force" fun according to your agenda. They find joy in the funniest things and we should just embrace it. Needless to say, snorkeling will be saved for another year.
