When every parent plans a family vacation they envision seeing beautiful sights as their family goes from museum to museum without 1 single complaint. The reality of a family vacation usually doesn’t end up so hunky dory! You are usually all trapped in the same hotel room for a week, everyone gets on each other’s nerves, and to be honest moms and dads are not at their best after they have taken a kid on the 15th trip to the bathroom during dinner.
There are definitely stages to a family vacation. You will laugh about these things once you get home I promise. You just need to survive them while you are on vacation. HaHa…
#1 The are we there yet when we just left the house 15 minutes ago stage.
This one is really not all that fun when you are on a 6-hour road trip! I’ve actually lost count of how many times my kids have asked this question because it literally has been too many times to count.
#2 The handing out of 7585 snacks stage.
Seriously, how much food can they fit into those tiny little bodies?! It’s actually amazing. I wish I could eat all that stuff and still stay so tiny. My question is why are they always “way too full” when dinnertime rolls around?
#3 The cleaning up of the 7585 snacks stage.
How is it possible that a child can make such a mess with one single Dorito?! It’s like a chip tornado happens in 5 seconds!
#4 The oh my gosh we are really all sleeping in the same room for the next 7 days stage.
This one is a killer. My kids have the uncanny knack of always kicking me right in the kidney when they sleep. They sleep all over the bed which translates to mom and dad getting zero sleep. Not to mention how long it actually takes to get them to go to sleep because you are all in the same room. It’s like a vicious cycle!
#5 The why did I let them eat so much sugar at that amusement park stage.
Note to self, the next vacation when they beg you for just one more fried dough, just say NO!
#6 The family picture at the restaurant before every drink gets spilled and the food is all over the floor stage.
Seriously, I can count on one hand the number of dinners at a restaurant that I have had that someone has not spilled a drink either all over themselves, me, or their dinner.
# 7 The if we have to eat in a restaurant one more time I will die stage.
I never thought a french fry could be considered a lethal weapon before I had kids!
#8 The three tries for every picture until we get a decent one stage.
First try, nope!
Second try, no again!
Third try, good enough I guess!
#9 The 29th game of mini golf stage.
If I have to play 1 more game of mini golf I might vomit. Don’t you love how all the places are right in the direct sun too? A little sweat and dehydration never hurt anyone.
#10 The I am done stage.
This stage is pretty self-explanatory. It usually happens around day 6 of the vacation for both parents and kids. I just wish it was socially acceptable for parents to lay down like this on a bench in a restaurant!
Always remind yourself you are making memories that you and your children will remember for a lifetime. Family vacations have their good moments and their not so good moments. Just remember that sometimes you have to truck through a few bad moments to enjoy the good ones. Happy Vacationing!!
