Page 108 of The Enemy Face Off

I cheer him on. "You show that sandcastle who's boss."

"Help me, Daddy," he says, kicking his leg out toward a section that hasn't crumbled yet.

"Want me to smash it?"

He squeals in delight. "Smash! Smash! Smash!"

I make a loud roaring sound, then lift my foot, slowly, menacingly.

Jonah is beside himself with giggles, eagerly anticipating what's to come.

I stomp my foot down, demolishing the last remaining part.

He hollers in glee and starts jumping up and down, using my shoulders for leverage. I roll over onto my back, grab him by his middle, and fly him over me.

Helovesthis, and I do, too.

I fell in love with the little guy immediately, but in the back of my mind, I had a fear I was too scared to even voice—thatI would have a problem loving Jonah or that I wouldn't feel as connected to him as I would to Josie.

Those concerns haven't materialized. I feel so close to him. And it's not forced or something I try to make happen. It just is. He is one hundred percent my son, and no one can tell me otherwise.

"Let's go watch your sister in the water."

"Oh-tay."

I take his small hand in mine, and we walk over to Boden. "How's she doing?" I ask as Jonah splashes around in the shallow water beside me.

"Good. She's talking to some girls…" I look out and see the girls he means. There's three of them, and they look to be about the same age as Josie. "I think they're trying to get her to go out a little deeper so she can catch the waves like they are."

"Should I go out and see if she needs help?"

"And embarrass her in front of her new friends?" he asks with a friendly smile.

"Good point. I'll watch nervously from the sidelines, feeling completely helpless."

"Welcome to parenthood."

The next stretch of time is nerve wracking. Forme. Jonah is having a great time running through the water, but in addition to watching him, I'm also keeping an eye on Josie, who is pushing herself out of her comfort zone—and into deeper water.

I keep telling myself that it's not that deep, and that in a pinch, I could reach her in a few seconds, but still, my brain is braining.

She's a strong swimmer, she's wearing a swim vest, and the conditions are relatively calm, but it's seeing her do something new for the first time. I want her to do well because if she doesn't, will that destroy her confidence and prevent her from trying new things again?

Children are fragile like that.

I glance over at Jonah, who has picked up his inflatable toy turtle, but instead of riding it, he's wrestling it.

Okay, so maybe children are fragile, toddlers not so much.

Josie goes out deeper and attempts to catch some waves. The first few times, her timing is off and she ends up in the churn.

The other girls come over to her after each attempt. I can't hear what they're telling her, but I assume it's something positive because she doesn't give up. She keeps trying, and after about five or six attempts, she finally succeeds and body surfs all the way to the shoreline.

Her new friends hug and high five her.

I'm filled with pride.

She runs over to us. "Did you see that?"

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