A Trip to the Beach: Then vs. Now

home insemination Kit

“Hey, want to hit the beach?”

“Absolutely!”

“Give me a sec!”

Back in the day, I’d hop into my buddy Jake’s family’s trusty Toyota Corolla. We’d pack a few Diet Pepsis, a bottle of Hawaiian Tropic oil, some Seventeen magazines, and a boom box. Prepping took no time at all—maybe ten minutes tops!

Fast Forward to Today

Now, planning a beach day is a full-on operation that involves a chain of texts:

• “Beach day?”
• “What day?”
• “Wednesday?”
• “Nope.”
• “Thursday?”
• “Not happening.”
• “Friday?”
• “Only in the afternoon.”
• “Fine. But parking will be a nightmare.”
• “What mornings work?”
• “Monday.”
• “Great, let’s aim for 9:00! Done!”

On the big day, I rise early to get everything ready. I fill a cooler with ice packs, lemonades, juice boxes, watermelon slices, and grapes. The fruit is my weak attempt at balancing out all the snacks, which are essential for keeping tweens and growing boys happy. I pack a beach bag loaded with salty, sweet, and sweet-and-salty snacks.

Sandwiches are wrapped in plastic, plus extras for those that might end up “too sandy.” I assign the tween the task of filling water bottles for everyone. She rolls her eyes and wanders around, claiming she can’t find any. I point out the water bottles right in front of her. Oops!

I then fill a gallon jug with ice water, because in this day and age, we know how vital it is to stay hydrated instead of just chugging warm sodas in the sun. Next up is sunscreen, which involves digging through closets and bags to find the right kind—sunblock for faces, lip balm, spray, and lotion. Gone are the days of slathering on Hawaiian Tropic oil; we now prioritize protection.

I call out to the kids to locate their rash guards, but they’re met with complaints: “We don’t want to wear those!” and “I can’t find mine!” I grab my cover-up and my beach pants—yes, beach pants are a thing, and I’ve embraced them!

As I stuff everything into bags, the kids are pulling things out while asking, “When are we leaving?” After a bit of a search, I finally find hats for everyone. I know they’ll toss them aside once we reach the sand, but hats are a must for protection.

Dragging the umbrella out of the garage involves some dusting off, after which I remind myself that, as a middle-aged adult, I can’t handle too much direct sunlight. I assign my son the task of gathering towels, but he also takes twenty minutes to find a wadded-up bag of them.

The biggest challenge? Bringing the chairs. I can no longer lounge on a towel without feeling the heat or getting uncomfortable, so chairs have become essential. Then we gather beach toys: boogie boards, footballs, shovels, and lacrosse sticks because apparently, kids get bored at the beach—how blasphemous!

And of course, we can’t forget the goggles; in 2021, kids can’t swim without them! Back in my day, we just dealt with the burn of saltwater in our eyes, and we loved every minute of it!

Before heading out, I grab Band-Aids (because someone is always bound to get hurt) and bug spray (because gnats and mosquitoes are relentless).

From the first text to actually leaving for the beach? Ten days and three hours of planning! As I toss a magazine on top of the pile, I can’t help but dream of beach days feeling like they did back in the ’80s.

If you’re interested in more insights on at-home insemination, check out this other blog post. And for those looking into insemination options, you can find trusted kits at Make a Mom and explore more information on fertility at ACOG.

Summary

In this nostalgic look at beach trips, we see how a simple outing has transformed from a carefree, spontaneous adventure into a meticulously planned family affair. Today’s beach day requires more prep and organization, while reflecting on the freedom and simplicity of beach outings in the ’80s.