Traveling with Kids: Virginia Beach
There are many beaches to choose from along the Atlantic Coast, but Virginia Beach has a lot to offer, with miles of shoreline, a wide, paved boardwalk, and lots of restaurants and family fun. It's generally a really clean and safe beach. The city organizes a variety of events for families, like concerts, entertainers, and fireworks, and there's a vibrant art scene. Another perk is its proximity to a major airport, thus making travel relatively easy (which I appreciate even more when traveling with small children). The water conditions are excellent, and with the inlet nearby there are lots of water activities to explore like stand-up paddle boarding, parasailing, surfing, kayaking, fishing and jet skiing. In previous year we have gone crabbing on the pier, rented bikes to go to the nearby trails, explored the Aquarium, rented jet skis, gone parasailing, attended outdoor concerts and bars with live music, and lots more. But I am also perfectly content just lounging on the beach with a book. A beach vacation can be as active or relaxing as you want it to be. And did I mention that there's an ice cream shop on every block?
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| SUP fun |
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| Brunching. She'll have one of everything. |
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| Our daily dose of ice cream |
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| First time fisher-woman |
The beach is like a great equalizer that brings people together from all walks of life. There is so much shared humanity to be experienced and appreciated when at the ocean. No matter what language a person speaks or how someone dresses for the beach, everyone has a smile on their face when splashing in the waves, or chasing a beach ball, or burying a family member's legs in the sand. The warmth of the sun on one's skin and the sound of the waves is a universal truth shared by all. I also feel a connection to other parents when I'm at the ocean, like an unspoken agreement that we will look out for each other's children. The ocean can be strong and dangerous, and I think all parents have a sense of heightened acuity in watching their babies like a hawk when close to the water, with dread in the back of their minds of what could happen if we look away for a second. But there's also unity among parents and a shared hope that our kids will have a magical experience and will learn about themselves and about the earth by experiencing the ocean firsthand. And it doesn't matter where you come from, you'll still leave with sand in your toes and hair for days.
It was Ady's second trip to Virginia Beach, and she was at such a fun age for bravely jumping over the waves, getting more creative with her sand castle creations, going on rides for the first time at the carnival, and devouring her body weight in ice cream. She joined her aunt and I for a stand-up paddle boarding adventure, and while it was a little scary for her at first, she learned a lot about herself and about the ocean, and by the end of the week was asking when we can go again. Watching kids react to all the sights and sounds of the ocean is a good reminder of embracing the presence and experiencing awe and joy about life. Everyone who lives in the mountains should make and effort to get to the ocean from time to time.
It was Meredith's first trip to the Atlantic, and she had a blast. She is a natural water baby and her face was one of pure bliss when dipping her toes in the ocean and splashing in the waves. She loved riding in the stroller up and down the boardwalk and sampling shrimp for one of the first times. And there's so much value in exposures to new experiences at a young age and to get in the habit of traveling as a family, despite the many obstacles that young kids present. I want my kids to grow up with an appreciation for both the ocean and the mountains. I read somewhere that when raising kids, some days are mundane and some days are marvelous, and the majority of moments at the beach were marvelous.
We did have a scary moment of vacation, however, when Meredith developed croup suddenly, warranting our first trip to the emergency department for medications and nebulizer treatments. She was doing fine all day long, playing in the sand and eating normal meals, but the inflammation in her trachea worsened at bedtime and she developed stridor and difficulty breathing. I'm so thankful that my mom was there to spend the night with Ady while I brought Mere to the hospital. There's nothing like having a sick kid to remind us of what's really important and to force us to drop everything and be present for our child. Thankfully she was well enough to fly home as scheduled and made a full recovery within a few days. I guess our immune systems just have a lot of catching up to do after being so isolated for a year.
I still have a lot of reservations and internal conflict around traveling during a global pandemic, but as far as vacations go, Virginia Beach was an ideal destination because we could be outside the entire time and we were about to avoid crowds and close proximity to others indoors. Although we didn't have a direct flight, travel was relatively quick, and we were able to avoid airplane bathrooms and crowded lines. We're going to continue to wear masks 100% of the time in indoor spaces and do our best to keep ourselves safe, but we also feel a need to gradually achieve some level of normalcy. I would feel a lot more confident if airlines required mandatory vaccination for travel, but we'll see what the future of this pandemic holds.
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| Our last morning in paradise |
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