Francom Family: Long Beach (August 22-26)

The Beach!!!

The kids loved the beach. We didn’t bring beach toys, so my mom bought them some there. I was so glad, because I had looked everywhere including the crappiest Wal-Mart ever for some.

We were pretty close to the beach, but it still was quite a walk with 5 kids. Once we got to the beach my mom would carry Owen, and the boys and I would pack the stroller with all the gear.

Walking to the aquarium. We loved this bridge.

Ice-cream in the condo, looking out at the street lights on the ninth floor.

Grandma bought us Cold Stone! Mmmmmm so good.

Dinner, I don't think they have ever seen so many kids. Owen did not behave.

Outside the Aquarium, across from "Bubba Gump".

I was really stressed while we were there. We had so many kids, and there were drunk, druggie, homeless people everywhere. Also Candace informed me right before we left that sharks could swim in up to 3 feet of water, she saw it on Shark Week. So I was super hoover mom. Ethan kept running off after the birds, and in the water, and everywhere, and him an Chloe weren’t listening very well. Well I needed to set up the tent and wanted the kids to play in the sand right by me while I did that. Chloe and Ethan wouldn’t listen to me, and kept running to the water, so I went in and grabbed both of them by the arm and while dragging them out of the water I was explaining why I wanted them to come by me. In the middle of this a weird white lady (yes the race matters) comes up to us and says to Ethan, “Look at those birds with the red on their beaks. Do you like those birds.”
I was thinking, ‘Thanks a lot lady, I just got him to stop chasing those.”
Then she looks at Chloe and then me, and asks, “Can I take the little girl and go play in the water with her?”
I held their arms a little tighter and moved them closer to me, and told her, “No, you can’t.”
Then she proceeds to tell me that I didn’t need to use a “vise grip” on these “Black Irish Children” (WHAT?). With Black Irish Children I needed to have things for them, like give them a task. I could have them set the table at home, and teach them the fork goes on the left and the spoon on the right. I can have them do other things, but I don’t remember all of them. When she was done my mom had come over with Owen by then, and I said, “OK, but what do you mean Black Irish Children?”
“Isn’t that what they are is Black Irish?”
“No, they are just white kids.”
“Oh, I thought they were Black Irish. I’m Black Irish, and there is a lot of racism going on with the Black Irish right now, and I thought you were grabbing them because they were Black Irish.”
“No, they’re not Black Irish. So what qualifies you to give all this advice? What experience do you have with kids?”
Then she says, “I use to teach a all girls dance class about 10 years ago, and when I was younger I use to baby-sit my cousins.” COUSINS, seriously?
I came back with, “Well these kids are ALL mine.” I should have added, from the same father, who I am married to which seemed uncommon there, but I didn’t want to brag.
“Oh, these are all YOURS?” I think she thought I was their nanny, or daycare or something.
“Yes! And I need to keep them by me while I set things up.” and then just for a little icing on the cake I said, “and I also have a degree in Elementary Ed.”
To that she says, “Well there is just so much bigotry going on with Black Irish in America today, and I’m Black Irish so I just wanted to make sure the Black Irish are treated right.” Then she waved, and said “God Bless the teachers.”
When she left my mom looked up Black Irish on her phone. It is a slang term used a long time ago for the lower working class of Ireland who worked in the fields so their skin was darker.
I later saw her in passing and I so wish I would have gone up to her and acted so offended that she called my kids Black Irish. Hahaha, that would have been funny, but mean, so I didn‘t.