Whatever you and your family enjoy the most! There is no right or wrong answer to this question, but there is a solution for those of you who have very narrow attention spans. Get one of everything before you travel to the white sands of the emerald coast. Pick up a set of bocce balls, horseshoes, paddles, and grab some small plastic buckets and shovels to keep the very young ones occupied for hours. You might be thinking that these games will take away from your valuable family time, when in fact it does the opposite. Many of these games are great for bridging generation gaps among siblings and parents. Do you really enjoy sitting in the same chair reading the same book for seven days strait? Well, some of you might actually enjoy the thought of that, but what kind of example does this set for your kids? Yes, reading should be encouraged, but what about living an active lifestyle? The best thing about beach games is that you are exercising without even knowing it.
Children that stay cooped up inside all day playing xbox and eating bagel bites are facing a head on collision when they reach college. Parents of children who fit the above definition can go ahead and expect the following in their kids freshmen year of college: weight will almost double, muscle tone is gone, loss of motivation, very little co-ed interaction, bad acne from poor hygiene, etc. I just described the typical "dorm rat." This is not a productive way for your child to spend his or her first year of independence. It just so happens that playing beach games during family vacations can help deter your kids from turning into "dorm rats." Gaming consoles should be banned on 30a. People have no business bringing video games to the emerald coast for entertainment when the white sands of south walton county offer endless free activities. SoWal has so much more to offer, all you have to do is look.
As a child that grew up in an active family I luckily was never bitten by the xbox, playstation, or nintendo bug. By subliminally imposing the active lifestyle on your family during vacation, you are actually helping them towards living an active life outside of the home. I can proudly say that I am in excellent physical shape as a result of my parents keeping me active from an early age. Sitting around the house on a pretty day was allowed, but it meant taking my mothers harassment about "how beautiful a day it was" all day long. I was usually out of the house by 10:00 a.m. as a result. This does not mean they kicked me out if the sun was shining. It means my mother would bug me so much about how nice a day it was that I would finally hop on my bike and leave. I was never forced to do anything. Even though I played a minimum of three sports at all times, my choice, there is still some dead time during summer that you will have to battle an xbox to win. Until they come out with "Wall Street" for xbox I will continue to think it is garbage.
Competition is a good thing. Boys who lack a competitive edge are missing something in their life. Not everyone can be a winner at everything, but no male should ever be satisfied with losing at anything. Challenges are abundant on vacation, as they are in life. By strengthening your child's will to win in bocce ball, horseshoes, volleyball, fishing, etc. they will strive to succeed in relationships and their career later on in life. Do yourself a favor and order some games before you head to 30a or any other beach. A family that plays together stays together.
Paddle Ball
