Butts and Beaches…

While we were living in New York on Long Island, my mother decided to take my niece and I on a trip to the beach. We took the Sayville Ferry boat to get to Fire Island. At the time I was six years old and my niece Alyson was three. Our destination was a specific beach in the area, but we had to walk through Fire Island Beach first to get there.

My cousin, Robert, worked as a lifeguard at Hampton Bay beach and we were on our way to visit him. My mother had warned me and my niece not to look around too much because, at that time, Fire Island beach was known for being a unique beach, “clothing optional”! However, being the curious child that I was, I couldn't resist taking in all the sights around me!

I remember vividly the beautiful scenery and the interesting people we saw along the beach, of course as a child without a filter, I loudly proclaimed, “I SEE BUTTS!!”. My mom was mortified! Maybe it taught my mother a valuable lesson: telling kids not to look is like inviting them to look twice as hard! It's a classic case of reverse psychology. With unfiltered children, you never know what might happen, so it's best to be prepared for the unexpected—or just embrace the hilarity of the moment!

It was a funny, memorable experience for me, and one that I still recall and laugh about to this day. It's funny how certain moments from childhood stick with you, isn't it?