What Shark Tooth Hunting Taught Me About Motherhood

A story about waves, weariness, and the treasure God reveals beneath it all.

I just wanted him to find a shark tooth.

That’s how the day started. It was finally my son’s turn — just him and me, no brothers, no distractions. We grabbed a bucket, walked down to the beach, and began our search. I had already helped his brothers find their prized treasures earlier in the week. Now it was his moment.

And I felt the pressure.

Not from him — from me.

Because if he didn’t find one, he’d be the only one without one. The only brother left out. And my mama heart just couldn’t handle that. I needed him to have something to hold. Something to show for the time we spent together. Something to prove this one-on-one moment mattered.

But the ocean had other plans.

Wave after wave rolled in and erased everything we were looking at. I’d spot something, reach for it… gone. We’d dig, hope, get excited — and just like that, it was washed away. It felt like everything we tried to hold onto was slipping right through our fingers.

And honestly?

It felt a little like real life.

How many days of motherhood feel like that?

You’re trying so hard to hold it together. You show up, pour out, pray over, prep snacks, fold laundry, discipline with grace (or… let’s be honest, sometimes not)… and yet it all keeps getting swept away. You clean one room while another explodes. You meet one need while five more show up. You give and give and give — and somehow it still feels like nothing is done.

The waves just keep coming.

And on this particular beach day, I started to get frustrated. I felt it rising — not because of my son, but because I didn’t want him to leave empty-handed. Because in my mind, the shark tooth was the goal. It was the reward. The proof. The thing that would make it special.

But then —

He looked up at me and said:

“It’s okay, Mom. I just wanted time with you.”

That moment broke me. In the best way.

Because the thing I thought he needed — the tangible reward — wasn’t what he was looking for at all. He wasn’t worried. He wasn’t sad. He wasn’t comparing. He was simply enjoying the time.

He didn’t need the treasure.

I did.

And maybe God knew that.

Because not long after that sweet moment, I looked down — and right there in the sand, in a spot I’d already passed — was a small, perfect shark tooth. The waves hadn’t taken it away. They’d cleared the path for me to see it.

And that’s when it hit me.

Maybe the waves in motherhood aren’t here to wash everything away.

Maybe God is using them to reveal something.

Maybe He’s clearing the clutter. Removing the distractions. Taking away the things that don’t matter — the pressure, the comparison, the expectations we place on ourselves — so that we can finally see what does.

The treasure isn’t always something you can hold.

Sometimes it’s the moment.

The memory.

The one-on-one time.

The smile.

The grace.

The presence.

And sometimes, just like that, the real gift shows up when you least expect it.

So mama, if the waves are crashing and nothing feels “done” today —

You’re not missing it.

You’re in it.

And God is still at work.

Let the water come.

Let it clear the clutter.

The treasure is there — buried, maybe — but never lost.

You’ll find it.

Or maybe… it’ll find you.