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"Argument for Family Vacations" or, "Gingersnap needs Therapy"
  • GingersnapGingersnap
    Posts: 7,340Member
    My parents are project people; they like to fix things. They say they don't like it, but that's bullshit. They have a workshop in their basement and I think they hear angels singing with they go into a hardware store. Any family "vacation" involved a car trip somewhere to help fix something unless there was a funeral to attend. Actually, I'm pretty sure my dad still found something that "needed" to be fixed while we were in Jersey for his cousin Johnny's funeral. I don't object to fixing things or helping our friends and family, but the majority of my childhood was, "Not now, I'm busy." I will to skip over my guesses of my parents' psychological motivations and let you speculate. 

    I'm the youngest of my siblings. Right after I graduated high school, my parents either realized, "The house is finally where we want it, let's go on a real family vacation." or "Our baby is leaving for college in less than two months, let's go on a real family vacation." Camping. FUCKING DISASTER. You want to make family vacation memories with your kids? *Do not* wait until they are teenagers or young adults. (Though getting together as adults might work our very nicely if you get along reasonably.)

    You don't have to spend a lot of money and you don't even have to go very far away. You may not even have to leave home. Just do something out of the ordinary hum-drum and try to keep stress levels low. Be attentive to each other. 

    PS: I think my parents are good people, but not very good at the whole parenting gig.
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  • [Deleted User]
    Posts: 371
    I 100% agree!  As kids, we never vacationed.  We never have much money for large out of state vacations or anything but we do other things.  We do four day camping trips on long weekends.  Day trips to the museum, train rides.  Out next trip is about 2 hrs away to the Cave of the Mounds.  I remember going there on a school fieldtrip when I was younger.
  • WillileeWillilee
    Posts: 1,010Member
    My parents were really, really good about that. I suck really, really bad. I hear what you're saying but DAMN it's tough.
  • lefty63
    Posts: 248Member

    My parents couldn't afford to take us on big trips so we went on local trips, my mother didn't drive and my dad worked a lot but he would take us to the lake on his days off and we went to the fair for a few days each year.

    I probably spoil my kids, we go on a big vacation every year and do day trips when school is closed.  They go to camp in the summer for a week or two.

    We are saving now to go to Alaska next year.

     

  • WhoDatIsWhoDatIs
    Posts: 733Member
    We have campouts in the backyard, have a campfire and take a night hike through the neighborhood every summer. We get to use camping gear, I get to sneak back in the house once they fall asleep and sleep in my real bed, it's great!
    You and me, we go way back.
  • MegsueMegsue
    Posts: 1,848Member
    I've been looking into stuff we can do for family vacations that aren't within the norm. I don't want to do the Disney World/Sea World/Busch Gardens/gazillion screaming fucking kids and grouchy parents everywhere thing. I've been wanting to get back down to the Gulf Coast, since last time I was there I was mapping oil spills from a helicopter, and it was under water. I really want to go back and see how they've recovered since Katrina. DS will be 4 in January, and I'd like to go sometime around then. I can remember shit from when I was 4, so why not?
  • GingersnapGingersnap
    Posts: 7,340Member
    Sorry @Megsue, was the helicopter under water? 

    I think we've got a mess of scary mommies down south that could make recommendations. 
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  • meandmy243meandmy243
    Posts: 6,363Member
    We went camping a few times or vacationed at my grandparents house outside of portland oregon or went to the beach.... when i was 17 my parents packed us up for a week long road trip to tenn..
    mom of wild children
    going to the chapel 7/5/2014
  • GingersnapGingersnap
    Posts: 7,340Member
    @meandmy243 - and how did the road trip go?
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  • pdxmama
    Posts: 1,470Member
    We never took any big vacations when I was a kid. In fact I'm 36 and I've still never been to Disneyland. We couldn't afford trips like that when I was a kid, and I can't afford to now. We did beach trips and stuff like that. When I got older and my parents were more financially stable we did go to Greece and Italy together. I was 18,and at the time of course thought that it was pretty lame being there with my parents and 4 year old sister, would've much rather been there with friends. Looking back now I realize that it was an amazing opportunity and I'm beyond lucky to have had it.
    When we had more income a couple years ago we used to take the kids to the beach for the weekend, or even do little mini-staycations when it was really hot. We didn't go out of town, we just rented a room at a hotel with a good pool for a couple nights, and kicked back in the AC.
    We just got a really nice tent from my sister so I promised my kids we'd do some backyard camping this summer.
    I have to admit though, it's kinda my dream to take ds to Disney's California Adventure since they opened Cars Land. That would be the ULTIMATE dream come true for him. As some of you know, he's on the autism spectrum and he has a Cars obsession! Everything is Lightning McQueen in his room. I mean, everything. So, somehow, someway, someday... I will find a way to take him there, lol.
  • MegsueMegsue
    Posts: 1,848Member
    Gingersnap said:

    Sorry @Megsue, was the helicopter under water? 


    I think we've got a mess of scary mommies down south that could make recommendations. 


    Lol, no, but the pilot was a douche and loved scaring the shit outta me. I was in the Coat Guard then. I actually volunteered to go down there (Why??? Why do I do these things?) I spent 4 months sleeping on the floor at MSU Houma or stretched out across the front seat of a truck. Good times I'll tell ya.
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