It's a beautiful day in west Cornwall. The surf is between six inches and a foot - perfect for taking my sons, ages 11 and 9, surfing. My wife has gone to work so off we go to Sennen Cove. Once there, Sam Smart of www.bluelagoonsurf.com takes a bit of time out from working at The Chapel Idne Surf Shop to find my sons a couple of boards. He gives my younger boy, Elliot, a few tips, but Elliot is adamant that he knows how to surf, despite not having been on a board since last summer. Harry, the elder one, plays it cool for he is old enough to be moving subtly into grom mode. He is aware that respect for one's surfing betters is a good call. We head to the water's edge and I stand there as the boys wade out to waist depth. There Harry catches a succession of waves and is thoroughly stoked. Elliot, however, is not faring so well. His confidence on dry land is proving misplaced; in effect, he has forgotten how to get to his feet. He soon announces, because of cold and frustration, that he never wants to surf again and joins me on the beach. Yet more rapidly he declares that he wants to go back to the car. I can sympathise with his frustration and yet Harry is happy as can be out there in the sea. One boy is tugging me one way (literally), while the other can't hear anything I say. The longer Harry remains in the sea, the more exasperated Elliot gets - and all the while I can't get Elliot warm because I can't leave Harry unattended. Eventually Harry comes in, but by then Elliot is apoplectic with rage. Cue carnage. Sand is thrown in eyes, words that pre-teenage children should not even know let alone utter are thrown into the balmy air, and Dad is ever more embarrassed as the trudge to the car park continues. Once there, Elliot ups the ante by being thoroughly rude, and yet Dad empathises with his discontent, making telling him off less than straightforward. Finally we return home, one boy still stoked, the other swearing that he will not surf until he is 23 (quite why he picked this age is a mystery). Which all goes to show that you pay your dues in surfing - perhaps especially when you're tiny. And, indeed, that it's a lot easier when you've got another parent to help you out.
Photo of Sennen surf in rather better shape than it was today courtesy of Stuart100 on www.flickr.com