Vacation's All He Ever Wanted

Friday, September 18, 2009

I took Tyler to get his haircut for picture day. They stylist took him back to the shampoo bowl to get all grass and leaves out of his hair (do people with girls have to deal with that?). She asked him about his summer and what types of things he did.

The little stinker said we didn't do anything fun over the summer! WTH? We went to the beach EVERY day for week when the relatives were in town. We went to Sea World. We spent a ton of time at our neighborhood pool and had Deb and her family over twice. I'm sure there's more, I've just blocked it out already. I was a bit miffed.

Then, she asked if we'd gone on vacation and all the anger fell away and I reached for my Worst Mommy Ever hat. This is something Phil and I feel really badly about. We've never been on a family vacation. Phil has gone to visit friends. I took Tyler to visit my grandparents. I've gone on trips.

But, we've never gone anywhere as a family.
We have the best intentions every year. We think about where we can go and come up with a budget. We were supposed to drive to Utah and go camping with friends but we would have been driving back three days before BlogHer and I just couldn't do it. Tyler's face when we told him we weren't going after all made me feel like shit.

I know it's not about WHERE you go, but what you do together. I get all that feel good stuff, and it's true. But. I can't help feeling like we're not making any memories. And to be perfectly candid, I want him to have an answer to this question. I want him to be able to tell his friends about the places we've gone. I want him to see other cities and states.

I shouldn't care about Keeping up with Jones' but I'm big enough to admit that I do, at least a little (who the hell are the Jones' and exactly how did they become a standard to look up to?).

Living in southern California is like being on vacation and I do feel lucky and appreciative when I get glimpses of the ocean as I run errands. But there's nothing like the anticipation of going somewhere new, eating different foods and sleeping in a hotel. Hopefully we'll be able to give that feeling to Tyler someday.

(National Lampoon poster from Google Images)

5 comments:

  1. What a nice post and I so know the feeling. No family va-ca this year and when we have them it's usually to see other family. It's so hard when other kids go to the islands with their family but don't worry mom you are making some wonderful memories there. That family va-ca will come soon. Keep it small and manageable.

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  2. My first vacation (other than overnights to relatives' houses and a couple of car trips) came when I was 12. Before that I never resented that we couldn't go anywhere because none of my friends went anywhere. But that first trip was like winning the lottery! And my youngest brother who was then 7 can't remember anything of the trip.

    Fear not. Your time will come and he'll remember it fondly. : )

    p.s. Our vacations consist of San Clemente 1-2 times a year to visit family. We're in the same boat.

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  3. Yes, girls get ALL sorts of crap in their hair too. :-) And Lily, my 3 y.o., said something similar about doing nothing really fun this summer. REALLY?!?!
    You'll come up with a great fanily vacation idea one of these days and then he will be old enough to appreciate it.
    BTW, I am tagging you in a meme/award so look out for it. :-)

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  4. I'm with Tyler. No matter what, we take a trip every year--even when it might be more fiscally responsible not too. It is the ideal time to reconnect with each other without any distractions.

    You've still got time left in the year! Some of the best desert camping is in November and December and Borrego is just an hour away.

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  5. You do what you can! Like Dave Ramsey says "the Joneses are broke"--so don't keep up with them--we normally can't do too much but we manage to get out of midwest at least 1 time a year, however that is not always as a family and not always somewhere desirable.

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