Mama Bear's Beach Chair

This weekend I was all ready to enjoy the beach. Yes, I bought myself a new beach chair to go with my new condo at the shore.  It is a 'super-duper' sand chair...just perfect for my fifty-something body.  It has an awning built into the chair to cover my fifty-something face...so I stay unexposed to the sun and don't develop any additional sun wrinkles or brown marks.  It reclines so I can sleep sitting up or lying down.  And  I don't have to carry any umbrella to the beach to protect my body from the sun because it covers my head and most of my upper torso, leaving only my legs exposed (which I do cover completely with 50+ sunblock spray).

Yes, I was all ready to go to the beach on July 4th...ready to relax with my 'super-duper' sand chair on the beach.  The sun was shining, my best friend was visiting, and I was ready to relax for the long weekend.

I put my bathing suit on...grabbed my towel...put my sunscreen on...put all my magazines and my book in my beach bag...filled up my water bottle...and went to the porch to get my 'super-duper' sand chair...but it wasn't there.  I looked to the left...not there.  I looked to the right...not there.  I knew I had left it on the porch...I didn't think my fifty-year old forgetful brain had forgotten to put it in the car.

"Oh, no," I thought, "oh, no!"  My son and his visiting friends had already left for the beach.  Their towels were gone...so were their water bottles...and their sun glasses were gone too..and they had taken my 'super-duper' sand chair with them. 

I felt like Archie Bunker when he yelled at Meathead for sitting in his chair. I felt like Papa Bear when he got angry when Goldilocks sat in his chair and broke it.

How could they go and take my 'super-duper sand chair, my brand new 'super-duper' sand chair  with the built in awning...how could they take my chair to the beach...and not even ask permission?  (Don't you just love teenage boys, they just think everything is theirs for the taking.) 

"Let's walk to the beach," I said to my friend.  "I'll find them...I'll get my 'super-duper' chair back...my fifty-something body is not sitting on a towel...nope...I need 'super-duper' support."

FInding a 'super-duper' beach chair among hundreds of beach-goers is not an easy feat...not on a regular beach day...let alone on a July 4th holiday.  Luckily, I had brought my cell-phone along and I knew full well that my 18 year old son would have his cell-phone at the beach (it is always attached to his body or better yet to his ear.)

"Where are you?" I said to my son on the phone. "Over here," he said, "don't you see us, I have the chair with the blue awning...look straight ahead to the right." "Okay," I said, "yes, I see you now."

I marched over to where the boys were sitting. "This is a great chair," said my son. "A nice chair."  "I know," I said, "That's why I bought it...so I can sit on it...not you...you are young enough to sit on a towel, like I used to do when I was your age...now hand it over."  "Awh...do I have to," he sighed. "Yep," I said.  There was no giving in. 

I learned my lesson.  From now on I'm putting my name on my beach chair.  From now on it is Mama Bear's Beach Chair...and it is all mine...all the time...that is unless the beach chair company creates a new 'extra super duper' beach chair with an awning that also covers my legs...wouldn't that be a great invention...then I wouldn't even need sunscreen anymore!

Judi

Original 50 Something Moms Blog Post.  Judi is a 50 something mommy who also blogs about her 50 something life at aboomerslifeafter50.blogspot.com.