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If you’ve ever tried vacation with littles, you understand how much work that is. Just thinking about packing for a small army makes you want to skip family vacation all together.
My family is vacationing at the beach this week. We headed out a couple days before the Tiny Tornado, Baby Cakes, and their frazzled parents arrived.
My daughter, the Little Mama, sent this text, “It’s so much work to pack for kids.”
Yep. It sure is. I agree one thousand million percent.
But it’s still important. Establishing family vacation early on means building a tradition that will last throughout the duration of your family.
Ever since 2001 we’ve taken our kids to the beach. 3 girls, 1 boy, 1 RV, and lots of memories.
Rounds of miniature golf, boogie boarding in the ocean, countless Trouble tournaments, ice cream runs, and fireworks every night. A camper stuffed full of kids, family arguments, and too many inside jokes to recall.
This week finds us down to the last two kids. We listened to all our old favorites on the trek here – from Billy Joel’s Piano Man to Tim Mcgraw’s Sky Diving to George Strait’s Carrying your love with me.
And we missed our son, now living a couple states away, and our oldest, the Little Mama.
In the next few years, I expect the family dynamic to change even more drastically. And may I just say that I do not look forward to that change with anticipation.
It’s not only hard for me, it’s also hard for the kids. They miss the days of carefree camaraderie. They miss the sweetness of what once was. But they look back with fondness on those days, and that lets me know we did something right.
Take your kids on vacation, parents. It doesn’t have to be spectacular. Get a tent and visit your nearest state park. Go fishing and roast marshmallows under the stars.
Let your kids know you want to spend time with them. Make memories and laugh and just hang out.
All too soon they’ll be gone. Invest wisely, and when they’re grown, they’ll still wanna hang with you.
Do you have plans for family vacation this year?
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Such a wise word, Ruthie. My family didn’t go on too many vacations when I was growing up. (Divorce probably does that!) Our vacations have been mainly simple, but we always take them. Our lifestyle has hellped us go to some neat places, I will say. (To NYC and DC summer before last, for example.) We enver stay long, and we don’t spend tons of money eating out, entering every museum, etc., but we always have a great time. We take lots of beach days, did one yesterday since it’s just one hour away. In July we’re vacationing “on the cheap,” going to stay with friends who have a house ON THE BEACH in southern Turkey.
That’s the thing – so many parents think a vacation has to be glamorous or hard (possibly to keep up with peers) but it can be spread out, simple one day affairs just like you said! I grew up tent camping – that’s the only way my parents could afford vacation but they definitely saw the importance!
We went overnight to a waterpark/hotel a couple hours away. It was a lot of work for kiddos ages 6, 3, and 1, but we did it, and I’m so glad we did!
Good for you, Becky! I know that had to involve a ton of effort, but keep doing those little trips – you’re investing in your kid’s memory bank!
Oh Ruthie, thank you for the wise words and reminder! Haven’t done a family trip in quite a while, as the kids are growing and jobs and such get in the way. But I am inspired to at LEAST get a day trip in with the ones at home this summer…
So grateful you shared this with us!!!
{{hugs}} to you, friend <3
AND thanks for the party – hope you'll head on over to Coffee and Conversation when you get a chance!
You’re right, friend! Even just a day away of concentrated bonding time here and there is great too! We have to work with what we’ve got, you know?
Always love hearing from you, Pat! Thanks for connecting and for the affirmation! :)
I hope you are having a wonderful time. I loved our beach vacation a couple of years ago with the grandkids. We are planning another one soon. Every year it does get harder with everyone’s schedules and house buying, having babies etc. So it does take work to make it happen.
I’m having a blast! It’s been so fun, thanks for the well wishes, friend! I do hope you get to go with your family someplace special soon! Always love hearing from you. Hope your summer is going well!