Seaside Sobbing

At the park, the family waits for their turn on a swing. The huge contraption has two benches that face each other so the family can all sit together–knees to knees –and sway back and forth.  Mom and daughter take the side facing the sea. Dad holds the toddler son. The son gapes from under a blue hat, horrified by the structure now caging his mother, and not in the mood to join her.
Dad climbs up anyway as the child screams and cries. Dad tucks the squirming boy in one arm and takes a picture of his wife and daughter with the other. Then he passes their camera. The child sobs on, facing his mother as she mops up his tears, but the father seems to think his son is only warming up to it the experience. Dad wants pictures with the coast in the background. The mother seems to object, but yields since her husband is laughing, saying “eeee, eeee,” delighted to be with his family on such a lovely evening. So she snaps photos of her sobbing son and his beaming father, with the sea shining behind them, so they can always remember their holidays.

–Kuşadası, Turkey.

The Family Departs

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About thenicethingaboutstrangers

My blog has stories from four (going on five) years of travel on the lovely, beautiful, awkward, breathtakingly human things one can discover in strangers.
This entry was posted in Europe, Happiness, Observed, Travel and tagged , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

7 Responses to Seaside Sobbing

  1. Clanmother says:

    Hello, I have just nominated your blog for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award:
    http://clanmother.com/2012/08/17/very-inspiring-blogger-award/
    I would be honoured if you accepted the nomination!

  2. janh1 says:

    Happy days… ?? Tough love, certainly. ;-/

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