The Torch Has Been Passed

If anyone was to ask me about my childhood I would describe it as perfect!  I can't remember ever wanting something that my parents didn't try to fulfill.  To a certain extent of course.  But now that I am a parent I have so many childhood memories that I want to continue or carry on with my kids that my parents started with us.  Of course there are the normal Christmas traditions or other major milestones that most parents try to make special.  But there are also many little memories that make my childhood so special.  Then there are the ones we never even knew about till it was time to have the torch passed on to us.  We will just say that this beach tradition could of easily been passed down in a way that would of made sense, but instead it is one we had to catch them in the act before they would admit it.  Let's just say it's pretty sad when a grown girl in her thirties learns a piece of her childhood may have been a semi lie all her life lol.  A few years ago and yes I literally mean only a few years ago my Dad was strolling along the beach looking for sea shells like we always do as a family when I saw him casually toss something out of his pocket.  As I watched him almost in complete shock I noticed exactly what he was doing.  He was tossing out sea shells a few feet prior to Leighton walking up to find them.  As I questioned him he looked shocked and said "Oh ask your Mother about that???".  Well ding a light bulb goes off on my head!!!!!  NO WONDER THE O'MEARA KIDS ALWAYS FOUND THE PRETTIEST SHELLS ON THE BEACH!!!!  And they were always all in tact almost like a collectors item.  Well I be d..n!!!!  So they were busted and there went the perfect vision I had of sea shell hunting all those years!!!!  Well now we all laugh about it because the secret unfolds more and more till now we know not only have they always bought the specialty shells before hitting the beach, but my Mom has been seen scraping them up in the parking lot to make them look even more realistic so we would never catch on.  Yes a part of my childhood has now been upset but it also makes me appreciate it even more! So this summer since my Dad was unable to walk on the beach the whole trip due to knee procedures last week he proudly passed the torch to Brent to keep up the tradition.  Mom and him told Brent the exact way to pull it off and Brent gladly took on the job!  So I am proud to report that in 2017 the Bergeron kids are by far the best sea shell hunters in Orange Beach and have the prettiest shells to show off all because years ago my parents went out of their way to make sure this tradition was started!!!!!  Guess it's true sometimes what you don't know doesn't hurt you!  Especially when you have the shiniest shell collection in Lousiana when you get back from the beach!!!