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I thought I would share the fun experience DH and I had at the local beach today. It was a sweet slice of life.
We set up our umbrella and chairs on the beach, and noticed that in front of us were 3 young couples who appeared to be Amish. The 3 wives were dressed in dark blue dresses and black bonnets. There were 7 children, between the ages of 4 and 9 mos. All 5 little girls were dressed like their mothers, in long blue dresses and black bonnets.
My first reaction was annoyance, because the fathers were shirtless and wearing swim trunks, and the 2 male toddlers were in shirts and diapers. How come THEY got to be comfortable at the beach and the females did not?
After a short while, the women left the beach to change, and returned wearing modest shorts and tee shirts. They helped the girls out of their dresses and caps, so they had only bathing suit bottoms or underpants on. Good, I thought, they are not hung up on undue modesty. At first, the girls were not comfortable and put their dresses back on. Over time, we watched the 5 girls get more and more brave at the edge of the water. They were having trouble holding up the hems of their dresses and playing in the waves. All around them, the girls had been observing other little girls in bathing suits having fun in the waves, and so after awhile, their mothers helped them remove their dresses and caps again. This time, the girls made a beeline for the water and didn't seem at all self conscious.
The other thing we observed was how these children improvised and made their own fun. The other children around them had tons of brightly colored buckets and shovels, boogie boards and beach balls, etc. These children did not. Their moms gave them whatever they could scrounge up, like 2 halves of a plastic container, and empty juice boxes to play with, and the kids had a ball just using their imaginations.
I enjoyed this story. Thanks! I always wonder how hard it must be to be children in cultures that are separate from the rest of society, but they seem to be just..children.
I live about five miles from the ocean and go to the beach a lot. The town where I go is a summer destination for a Syrian Orthodox Jewish community. As you probably know, the Orthodox women must cover their elbows and knees and up to their neck. Well, the little girls have the cutest swim dresses that fit the rules, and there they are playing in the waves like all the other kids, having a ball.
I enjoyed this story. Thanks! I always wonder how hard it must be to be children in cultures that are separate from the rest of society, but they seem to be just..children.
I live about five miles from the ocean and go to the beach a lot. The town where I go is a summer destination for a Syrian Orthodox Jewish community. As you probably know, the Orthodox women must cover their elbows and knees and up to their neck. Well, the little girls have the cutest swim dresses that fit the rules, and there they are playing in the waves like all the other kids, having a ball.
I had the feeling, I don't know, but I think it must have been day one of a vacation for them, so they were kind of feeling their way as to what was comfortable. The shorts and shirts the mothers wore were obvious men's clothing, and the children didn't have bathing suits, so it looked as though they didn't plan to shed their traditional clothing at first, but then were comfortable enough to do so. Others at the beach were not staring or making them uncomfortable, so I was glad about that.
I had the feeling, I don't know, but I think it must have been day one of a vacation for them, so they were kind of feeling their way as to what was comfortable. The shorts and shirts the mothers wore were obvious men's clothing, and the children didn't have bathing suits, so it looked as though they didn't plan to shed their traditional clothing at first, but then were comfortable enough to do so. Others at the beach were not staring or making them uncomfortable, so I was glad about that.
This was on Tybee Island in Georgia.
Amish are very thrifty. And inventive. They don't go out and buy something for short-term use. Sounds like they came up with something that worked for them and allowed them to enjoy the day. Thanks for sharing.
And thanks for noting where you were. I was curious about that.
Lovely story! Thanks for sharing. If you aren't a professional writer, you might give it a shot. :-)
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