Ryan really impressed us on vacation this year. We didn’t have to convince him to come out of his room, stay outside or get in the water (either the pool or the ocean).

While I was thrilled to see him out bobbing in the waves, the area we were staying was under warning of severe rip currents. At one point, the lifeguard patrolling the beach jumped off his ATV and swam out to bring two people in — people who thought they were fine and were in the same area as Ryan.

So we talked to him about rip currents, and what to do if he found himself drifting away from shore (swim parallel to the beach). We of course watched him like a hawk and set stringent rules — no going past where he could stand and no going out beyond anyone else in the area. Mostly we got through it without any major scares, which was a trade-off I was willing to make to see Ryan having fun out in the surf.

There was just one problem. When I tried to explain to Ryan how rip currents work, how to recognize them, and what to do, he cut me off.

“I AM NOT DOING ANY SCIENCE ON VACATION. I AM HERE TO HAVE FUN!”

I can’t say I blame him. For Ryan, being on vacation is no different from the rest of us. He wants to forget about the every day grind. Hence, there will be no education while on vacation.