Christmas day in Bonaire

We have to hit the atrium first and see our presents from Santa

 Clause.  Oscar still doesn’t like Santa Claus and the pictures that the cruise ship photographers take of him are priceless. Pulling away, refusing to touch Santa and then the one where he’s elbowing Santa in the throat.  We effect an escape and I realize that Oscar just doesn’t like fake Santas.  There is a man on the boat with a beard and red hat who truly looks like Santa Claus and Oscar has accepted candy canes and points him out and whispers 

 “santa” in an awed voice.  But does the cruise ship use this guy?  No, they dress up one of their kids’ club guys in a really overdone way and Oscar just thinks that’s “weird”.  And I have to agree.  We have some breakfast and head out to hit a

 beach, but while we’re standing in line for a taxi to the beach that we’ve chosen, one of the kids starts to look pale and bad again.  We try to see if the one down the street is good, but it’s $10 to get in and there is no real beach to speak of.  So, we return to the boat, cool off and  

 while the Schillims choose to stay on the boat and go to the pool, John and Oscar and I head back out and take a taxi to Sorobone beach.   The beach is shallow for a while and Oscar likes that he can stand up for a long time, that the waves are very small because we’re in a 

protected bay.  We spend a couple of hours here and have the most interesting interaction of the trip here.  John has taken Oscar into the bathroom to change clothes from their swimsuits and Oscar has decided to have a temper tantrum.  I can hear all the 

  usual signs of a complete meltdown complete with Oscar yelling and hitting John.  So, two drunk men that are coming out of the bathroom and the urinals answer me when I ask John if he needs help.  One say, “Yeah, he needs help.  He’s hitting the kid and I don’t like 

it.”.  I answer that it is most likely my son hitting my husband and actually laugh at the idea of John hitting Oscar.  He states that he can hear hitting and I tell him to get lost and call CPS when we get back to the states if he’s so concerned.  I’m all for people making sure that kids are not being abused, but know what the hell you’re talking about before

you start talking on a Caribbean Island about things you can’t see.  John and Oscar finally come out an it’s true, John has been hit knocking his glasses off.  So, I feel vindicated, but am still horrified by my son’s actions.  He’s tired and cranky, hot and hungry, so it’s really not his fault, but at the same time, we have to share a taxi back to the boat.  So, I have to pull one of my get it together we don’t cry on public transport speeches going before he stops crying and sits quietly the whole way back to the boat.  John is seething and I haven’t even had a chance to tell him that he was accused of abusing our son….