I am on vacation in a motel room in New Braunfels Texas, watching my granddaughter watch TV and getting ready to head out for a "special" dinner. As I have mentioned we have four grandchildren, 3 boys and a girl. The oldest will be 14 in December and the youngest will be 10 in July, so they're nicely spaced with a year in between.
When the oldest was 8 we opted that on our summer one-week vacation we would take one with us. First we decided it would be nice to take them to a lake, teach them a little about fishing and driving a boat. In 2006 we completed the first round when the youngest turned eight and each year spent with them was a blast.
We wondered what to do next and decided that when they were 12, we would take them to one of our favorite destinations, Padre Island. This year it was the granddaughter's turn. We start with a ferry ride at aransas pass and then a ride down island to the el constante right on the beach.
We have an agenda but it is very loose and it's up to each grandchild to determine where we go and when we go. We make it a point to visit the texas state aquarium, the USS Lexington and the natural history museum. We try to teach them a little about history, both Texas and the US and some information about the natural world.
A lot of time is spent on the beach, looking for sea shells and playing in the surf. The real fun of the vacation is for us to watch the learning and playing processes that occur. We have gone to the island twice and have twice more to go, but the first thing we learned is they all have their special occasions. Last year, it was body surfing, this year it was playing in the pool. But they always enjoy the entire trip and learn a little in the process.
But for us it's the time spent with the grandchild individually and hopefully giving them memories for a lifetime. They have us!
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