Kailua, O’ahu, Hawaii.
The very first day at the beach, Maya noticed some guys boogie boarding. When we got home, she noticed that the rental place we were staying at had boogie boards of all sizes. She immediately wanted to try and boogie board. She said that she’d stand on the board in the water, showing a warrior-pose-like lounge, probably imitating one of the boogie boarders at the beach. We laughed at her comical pose, but didn’t really take her seriously.
But each subsequent time we went to the beach, Maya would pick up one of the boogie boards on the way out and insist that she’d boogie board this time. Continuing to not take her seriously, we’d sneak the board away from her on the way to the beach. By the time we got to the beach, she’d be too engrossed playing to remember her demand. Except if she saw someone doing it.
Today, we finally decided to humor her request. Shanthala carried one of the smaller boards to the beach. After a few minutes of frolicking in the waves, Maya got the boogie board into the water and decided to try. Here is a video of her effort and her eventual success! Of course, this is not the real boogie board in the sense of Maya paddling into the waves, but it is riding the water on a boogie board. She pretty much figured out most of the stuff by herself, watching a couple of people nearby doing it. Shanthala helped her by getting a board that was the right size for her since the initial board didn’t suit the purpose.
Several things come to my mind after her efforts. She steadfastly refused any help from us, wanting to figure things out on her own. She wailed her frustration and anguish if we tried to help her despite her refusal. Maya has generally had an independent streak, but I wondered if part of her reason for refusing help was because she had not seen either one of us actually boogie board. For the umpteenth time, I realized that when she wants to learn something by herself, letting her figure it out, even if it takes a lot longer than if she took her advice, is a much more workable and less frustrating experience for all of us. I especially am a tad too eager to teach her what I think is a quicker route, but she’s willing to accept my help only in certain situations, not otherwise.
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