Nick and I stayed up too late last night, whisper-arguing about how we should be parenting differently, while Millie slept soundly beside us. One thing we agreed on is that her diet has fallen by the wayside. Yesterday she ate sugary cereal for breakfast, an ice cream bar for brunch, coconut pie for lunch, and two bites of vegetable pasta for dinner. We are always trying to figure out the source of her bad behavior and this is our latest theory. Deep down I know the reason is that she is 5 years and we have destabilized her life, but it doesn’t stop us from grasping at a tiny bit of control.

We decided to cold turkey not allow sugary cereal or juice at breakfast, in an effort to get her to start the day with some protein. All this to say, it was a tough morning for her. But our plan worked and she ate a big bowl of fruit, a hard boiled egg, some yogurt and some toast. Parenting is hard no matter what, but parenting in a situation like this—with no breaks, no routine, and no consistent access to healthy food—feels extra hard.

During breakfast a waiter announced that there were a bunch of baby turtles heading to the sea. Everyone abandoned their plates and ran towards the shore. We watched as the tiny turtles pushed themselves towards the waves and then washed themselves away into the tide. Newborns are magical, no matter the species.

After breakfast we eked out the last of our sunscreen and headed to the pool. We swam together and she spent a while playing with her playmobil people.

She befriended a Chicagoan boy named Titus, who was also 5. He told us the ages of his parents and then his entire family, and we got to talking to his parents.

They had swim races and breath-holding competitions, each trying to be the ultimate victor. Nick and Millie followed his family to the beach while I sat by the pool, read my book, and took a brief nap. They played in the ocean and Nick did some snorkeling. When they came back we swam in the pool even more.

We showered and read a bit in the tent, and then walked down the beach to have dinner at the fancy resort next door.

I ordered beef kare-kare, which was basically beef stew with a whole can of jiff peanut butter mixed in. Delicious but so rich. Millie refused to try it and then when she finally did she admitted she liked it.

We walked back down the beach and danced as we heard the music from the neighboring resorts.